The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1891-01-15
Across the RubicOn.


ton, but slowly. reluctantly and onl.
In response to- a clear conviction o
, patriotic duty; for old party ties ar
hard to sever, and old prcjudices hare
to bury.
The country needs~a new party
As we see it, there is little to hope fO
from either of the old National politi
cal parties. Both have outlived thei
day of usefulness. Both are too sec
tional and too likely to remain so t.
grapple with the issues of the day in ;
broad, National spirit and keep stel
with the progress of the age.
1t has now been 25 years since lie,
surrendered at Appomattox in some
instances young forests have sprung
up over the graves of the brave mer
who fell on either side, new genera.
/ ton has been born. grown up and mar
ricd and is rearing children, and yet
the politicians of both old parties are
still lighting over the dead issues OF
the war and keeping alive as best they
can the fires of sectional hate and
prejudice. The only Democratic
President elected i'll third of CEN
fury was elected by a "SOlid South"
and three States north of Mason and
! DixOn's Line, and at the next election
was defeated on Sectional lines, only
! two little Northern States and the
Solid South casting their electoral
votes for him. The hope of the Re-
publican party in the next contest is
to hold the North solid /; and, confess
edly, the only hope of the Democrat
ic party is to hold the Solid South
again and win three or four Northern
States. Thus the everlasting section
al see saving goes on.
1t has been argued, with some APP
parent show of reason, that the South
is solid because of her large negro
population, but the Democracy in the
States of Delaware, Maryland, .Missou-
ri, Kentucky and Texas, which con-
tain but few negroes, is just as section
al and just as set against the old Re-
publican States az Mississippi and
Louisiana, where the negroes pre-
dominate.
Neither of the old National parties
has the time or inclination to deal
with the liquor question, which is
greater than the tariff or any other
living issue. The whisky power, the
most dictatorial, corrupt and demon
alizing combination in this country,
has both hopelcssly by the throat.
The attitude of the National Demo-
cratic party towards Prohibition is
that of open and avowed hostility
that of the Republican party, hypo-
critical prctense and treachery.
To the State of New York is obse-
quiously conceded quadrennially the
prerogativo of naming the Democrat
ic candidate for the Presidency and
defining the party policy for the De-
mocracy of the Nation, and the De-
mocracy of New York receives its cue
from the thousands of saloon keep
ers and liquor men of New York City,
whose mandates it dare not disregard,
any more than the National Demo
cratic party would disregard the voice
of New York State in National Dem
ocratic Convention. In short, New
York whiskey men control the poll
tics of New York State, and the De-
mocracy of New York dictates to the
Democracy of the Nation and the
South in particular, including all Pro-
hibition Democrats who Will longer
submit to such degrading bondage.
The party Prohibitionists of this
State have nothing to conceal as to
their policy, and their position may
be easily understood. They will pro-
ceed to educate and organize as fast
as possible with view to supporting
} the nominee of the National Prohibi-
ton ticket for the Presidency next
year and Prohibition candidates for
Congress. They invite all patriotic
Mississippians who favor Prohibition,
the supremacy of law, an economical
administration of the government, free
and honest elections and oppose all
forms of monopoly, special privileges
and a longer perpetuation of section
alism, to act with them.
In the election for State, district and
county officers this year, they expect
to put out no separate ticket, but will
continue to act with the Democratic
party, if permitted to do so; but they
Will support no man for a Democratic
nomination who is not favorable to
; Prohibition. 1t has been claimed by
those who oppose the organization OF
Prohibition party, that the Demo
cratic party, so far as Mississippi is
concerned, is "a good enough Prohi-
bitiOn party" That claim has not
been verified in the past, and will soor