Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-01-21
Prohibition Plat
form


evil. It is at war with the religious
forces which tend to build men up into
better lives. 1t breeds every social
disorder and W airs persiSteutly on the
home, aud all organized society. 1t
waste the living of dependent women
and children AMI dc strOys the produc-
tive energies of the people. 1t seeks
to control for co rrupt purposes politi-
cal parties. 1t enslaveS many public
man. subverts public justice, de-
bluches the pIblic conscience, trains
its patrons to perjury, and is the i'm
placlble enemy of both church and
State. We declare that every effort
to regulate the ira 'tic by license laws
has been failure. That while the
law forhl@s4lmyonc to engage in the
trafis;,E who is not of II good moral
chSfac ter, the business has driftcd in
to the hands of the very worst class
of men in the country, mostly foreign
borngand without love for American
insWtutiOns. And further; in the
NAN, efforts TO enforce the prOvi Sions
of the laws against the traffic have
fliletPfor the reason that the corrupt
Z ing influences of the saloon reaches
the inner courts of justice and sub
vertsall law. The license system has
built up great monopoly in our
midst which Is stronger than law, con-
trary to sound principles of govern
ment and repugnant to the spirit of
free institutions. High license we
condemn as snare and a delusiOn.
1t has had only one effect and that is
to make the traffic more powerful and
more dangerous. We declare it to be
the only wise policy for the State to
withdraw from all partnership with
the saloon, to put under the ban of
law, to turn tho whole power of the
State againSt-it as Il common enemy,
not. only bad in itself, but the ally of
all other evils which af1lict society; the
habitat Of the gambler, the thief, the
thug, the prostitute, and strong fac
tor in all corrupt combines. We
declare that no christian or humani-
tartan Or patriot can consistently sup
port the saloon by word, vote or act,
and that it is the part of patriotism
to hold public men to strict account
for their completely with this great
public enemy.
2: We believe it is the right and
duty of the State to legislate against
the traffic in alcoholic beverages, and
to enforce laws duly enacted, and we
unhesitatingly affirm that good results
have always followed wise Legislation
when faithfully enforced.
3. We reaffirm the declaration made
by the first State Prohibition Conven-
ton July Goth, 1881, and frequently
repeated, "tAat the cause of PrOhibi
ton should not he entangled with
party politics. Without disturbing the
party affiliations of any citizen, we
ask his support in this great reform,
which should be sacrcdly enthroned
above the contests for mere place and
power. We do affirm, however, that
intcmperance should not be counte-
nanced in public officials and that no
drunkard is worthy of our support"
+. We are gratiticd at the vantage
ground for prOhibitiOn secured by our
new State Constitution. The old pro-
vision that all revenues derived from
licenses should be appropriated to the
school fund, does not stain the purity
of our present organic law. For years
we declared it unwise and unpatIiotic
to raise revenue for schools out of an
evil and that no eople have the NOR
al right to license sin to obtain the
elements of an education. In re-
sponse to our appeal that wrong has
been rightcd-that unhOly alliance
has been broken. We feel assured,
also, that under the suffrage section
of our eliminating, us it
does, large numbers relied upon to
sustain the saloon--we have it in our
power to give the protect ton of pro-
hibition to our entire State, and we
here and now pledge ourselves to
unremitting effort to attain that end.
5. We are pleased ard encouraged
at the large results achieved under
the efficient operation of our present
local option lava measure emimently
right in principle and enacted by the
legislature in response to the united
and intelligent voice of the friends
of reform throughout the State BY
its provisions very large part of the
commonwealth has been redeemed
from the curse of the saloon, while its
cducativc influences has been extern
sive and potential.
6. As ''mOraI reforms depend pri-
hidIIIS upon lIIttlllScIl ColN lCllOnS Ill
the hearts of the people," we urge a
diligent and earnest agitation of the
principles of Prohibition in all our
communities. We have every thing
to gain and nothing to lose by public
discussion.
Z. We insist that prohibitory laws
shall be administered with the same
fidelity and impartiality as other Grim
inal statuets. Laws do not admins
ter themselves. Bound by solemn
oath, officers should SEQ that all stat
utes are equally enforced, without fear
or favor. To this end we urge the i'm
pOltance of organized effort in. each
county in oraefsst TO see tofife Trompt
and pr9ptFI epspreSnanfs&of Flaws
against fke aiqabt +ffA file tWhisky-
selling eifJiIifafs should have no more
consideration than those guilty of lar
ny;rarson or ma6Sialglffer BY or
gained and auth9Hzed rco operation
we can haze he laws enforced AZ de |
linquent ls&p officers reEn5ssd, ~ r..
8. That LIS 9nf unaIke al sasalr-
pose and<s9DstsftC taiHl,> sol atehIed
from the begiaifihg of BIS nfuyfnient,
to SECURE the blessing IS OF RT6hibition
for OF sratire State. We enteIA ito !
have IT mEsaftetl securely upon our
statute4h eR4lropetl iWpnsC Con