Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-05-12


pure and undefled Democracy in the
State.
The various lodges and subterfuges |
resorted to by the Lottery and its
to deceive the people, at
different stages of the long and mem
orable struggle. is clearly and forcibly
set forth in an article copied on first
page of to-day's paper from the New
Delta.
The LEADER desires now to briefly
direct the mind of the reader to anoth
or aspect of the subject. That was
what appeared to he the utter hopeless
ness of the undertaking when the
movement for the overthrow of the
Lottery was inaugurated. Compared
to it the destruction of what remains
of the liquor traffic in Mississippi
might be considered a holiday frOlic
and the overthrow of the money power
and whisky combine of the nation
common place campaign. The New
Delta well observes, that people outside
of Louisiana could form no just con-
ception of it's magnitude and the diff
culties encountered by the anti-Lot-
teryitcS in their brave and heroic eff
forts for the honor and emancipation
of their State from the Lottery's
clutches. Much has been attributed to
outside sentiment which constantly
grew in strength and potency as the
fight progressed, and to the passage of
the anti-Lottery postal law and the de-
cision of the Supreme Court sustaining
| it. which caused the withdrawal of the
| Lottery amendment before the election.
But it was really due to the efforts and
agitation of the Louisiana anti-Lottery
League that the anti-lottery postal law
was secured and outside sentiment
crystalized.
When the anti-Lottery League was
organized soon after Gov. Nichols
spurned the Lottery's bride for the
| levies, there were scarcely a cOrporars
guard of people in New Orleans who
would dare be heard to whisper a word
against it. The insolent, purse-proud
gamblers with their S20,0OO,OO0 year
of ill-gOtten gains, were well nigh the
undisputed monarchs of all they sur
veyed. They had the press muZzled
and some of the Pulpits. When the
New Delta, edited by G.. Harrison
Parker, jackson raised boy, of whom
Jackson and Mississippi should ever
! feel proud. was started as little four
page evening daily, it could scarcely
| find place amid its cold and uncon-
genial surroundings for standing room.
1t was boycotted by the merchants and
| business men. the news agents and the
news boys, and considered as much of
meddleSome intruder as a Prohibi-
ton paper was in Jackson ten years
ago, or a religious daily would be in
Vicksburg at the present 1t literally
had to hew it's way into public recogni-
ton, and this the gallant and intrepid
Parker did with a nerve, ability and
incisiveness never equalled in South
ern journalism.
In the Legislature there was brave
little band of one-third of the Senate
headed by the dauntless leader Murphy
j. Foster, and one-third of the House
by the equally intrepid Dan Gallery
The little handful of fanatics" "a ia
miliar characterization to Prohibition
lists, were sneered at and jeered at by
the Lottery lords, their papers and
political tools as beneath contempt
| For time, break after break in the
levies of the rich riparian parishes
seemed like the Great Father of waters
himself was arguing for perpetuation
of the Lottery. Only the moral cour-
age which comes of heaven-born con.
viction and a patriotic love of State
like love for mother, could have stood
! resolute and unblanched amidst such
untoward surroundings. The very
heroism of the little band of anti-Lot-
| terry reformers was enough to challenge
the sympathy and admiration of every
person outside of Louisiana who could
appreciate so noble virtue.
But the heroic Elijahs who stood al
first for God and country against such
odds, soon found that their proud old
State had four hundred and many
times four hundred loyal sons who had
never bowed the knee to the Lottery
Baal The right began to assert itself
and wrong was quickly put on the de-
fensive. From the time the State Far
mers' Alliance, which held the true
democratic doctrine of death to all
monopolies, and equal rights to all
and special privileges to none," met in
Baton Rouge and formed an alliance
with the anti,lottery forces of New Or
leans and other portions of the State.
the doom of the Lottery and the corrupt
political ring which represented it, was
sealed. Every preacher in the State
worth the band ON his hat, from DIR. Pal
mer down, for the once, became a poll
tician, and the preachers and the farm
ers became the best fighters in the re-
form army, all being aided, cheered
and encouraged by the true and de-
voted daughters of the Pelican State
Let us in conclusion sum up some