Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-01-28


in July, 1891.
The conviction against the drink
habit and the iniquitOus liquor traffic
has never been so near in accord with
the teachings of science and Gods
word as to-day. Upon this joyous
fact we can congratulate the citizen
ship of our great country. In our
own State, of the seventy-five cOun-
ties composing it, forty have put the
seal of disapprobation and execration
upon the debauching drink traffic; and
the school of vice, the saloon, has
been driven from their borders. In
these prohibition counties the white
vote largely predominates. In the
license counties the negro vote largely
predOminates.
The liquor traffic is humanity's most
deadly foe. 1t is the prolific source of
distressing poverty, vice, crime and
misery. By it manhood is destroyed,
hearts broken, homes desolated, and
it is the greatest hindrance to the gos-
pei in every land.
AS the drink habit and traffic are
increasingly antagonistic to Christian
ity, and all that is pure, good and
true, all Christians and churches
should be at eternal warfare with
them. He who takes a drink of in
toxicants, as a beverage, violates the
laws of his own being and puts his
influence adrift in behalf of the saloon.
1t is utterly inconsistent for profcssed
the soul and body destroying liquor
traffic in any way. We urge the
great need of the time is "church pro-
hibition," and that our churches
should demand of their members an
absolute and entire separation from the
liquor traffic.
We recommend that we avail our
selves of every honorable method for
suppressing the liquor traffic, and that
every Christian voter vote as he
prays, for only such men and measures
as promise speedy relief from this soul
destroying and God -dishOnoring evil.
We again urge that instruction Oh
the hygenic effects of alcohol upon
the human system be introduced into
all the colleges and high schools of
our denomination; and that we will
never relax our efforts until our State
shall have a law requiring instruction
on this subject in all schools support
ed by public money or under State
control.
Your Committee is thoroughly con-
vinced that the most successful way
to suppress the liquor traffic is by con-
stitutiOnal prohibition. We declare
the license system, high orlow, wrong
in principle and a crime against God
and humanity; that there can be no
compromise with this evil; that abso-
lutte, unconditional prohibition is the
end at which we aim and the ultima
tum which alone we are willing to
accept.
Since our Constitutional Conven-
ton failed to give this State cOnsti-
tutiOnal prohibition, or even to stamp
the saloon as public nuisance, we
urge the enactment, by the next Leg
islature, of a State Prohibitory law,
severing at once and forever the Fart
nership now existing between the
State and the liquor traffic.
We recommend and earnestly plead
for the constant agitation of the tenn
perance question throughout our State;
that we use the pulpit, the press, the
Sunday School, and temperance lit
erature to mould sentiment against
drinking and against the drink traffic,
and as this is Gods cause we should
seek His guiding hand, the holding ON
to which is the guarantee of success
to our efforts.
Your Committee recommend with
emphasis, the following resolution:
Resolved, That it is the sense of this
Convention that for any minister OIL
church member to visit saloons, drink
intoxicants as beverage, sign whis-
key petitions, go on liquor dealers
bonds, vote for the sale of liquors, oil
in any way to encourage or eounte-
nance the traffic in Intoxicating
liquors, is grossly un-Christian con.
duet, that should Immediately be
brought under rigid church discipline
j. B. GAMBRELL,
j. r. Parish,
w. III. PATTON.