Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-04-21

to very little, except to vote. Party
policies are formed on New York. ALI
ancemen begin to see this and Prohibi-
tionists have known it long time. l
have very little idea of the amount of
Third party sentiment in the Alliance.
There must be good deal here and
there in spots have only one we'll
defined thought and that is. whenever
Prohibitionists and Alliance men come
together in Mississippi on safe plat
form, inside or outside the Demo
cratic party, they will carry the State.
When the State Alliance declined to
declare against the whisky monopoly,
it made its way hard. Whether they
have changed enough to help crush the
greatest corrupter of the age and the
most colossal monopoly, do not know,
not being of the order, but | rather
think that they have changed some
within year"
I'm your opinion, would the division
of the whites into two parties in Mis-
sissippi jeopardize white supremacy ?"
81 agree with the Vicksburg Herald
on that question. The Constitutional
Convention was called to make it pos
sible to have democratic govern
ment in this State, and there is no
democracy where there is no choice
Our form of government requires a
constant appeal to the intelligence and
conscience of the voter. In the very
nature of the case one party cannot
promote the education and the purity
of the people. The experience of the
Southern States with the one party
idea ought to carry an important les
son. Maryland solidly Democratic and
Iofo1ooA;N,1
cratic and a defalcation, Tennessee,
Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas. Louisi-
ana, Mississippi, all undoubtedly Dem
ocratic and all with heavy defalcations.
Pennsylvania,reliab Republican, joins
the solid South in defactations. 1t is the
play of one party against another that
purifies politics. Under our present
Constitution negro rule is impossible.
People ought to be honest in politics as
in other things, If | believed in the
Ocala demands, as | do not, certainly
would not vote and work with people
who denounce them. The time has
come, it seems to me, for the cultivation
of true democracy and for the exer-
else of individual conscience in poll
tics. If this cannot be done with safe
ty, the Constitutional Convention fail
ed of its duty. l have no fear of the
results of division.
Your opposition to the Sub Treasury
last year has been construed by some
as unfriendliness to the Alliance. Have
you anything to say about that?"
Not much. believe in the value of
the Alliance. | fully believe in the
main principles of the order, and I
know that the reserve forces are in the
PnnnfrU / Cinplxy do NOT hn1iauo IN,
the Sub-Treasury and propose to be
candid on that question, as on all Others
That is all, as to the Sub-Trea sury. |
felt further, that a reform movement
that ignored the main thing, suppress
sion of the liquor traffic, was not what
we wanted. | have little doubt that
the Alliance will see the right thing to
do in good time.
''Have you any objection to giving
your views of the Dramshop law adopt
ed by the late Legislature ?"
"None. 1t is the best law we ever had,
because it amounts, in most places, to
Prohibition. 1t gives saloons a very
narrow foot-hold anywhere. 1t, is, in
fact, device for the destruction of the
business piecemeal. 1t will about de-
stroy the traffic in Mississippi. l
much prefer straight forward legisla-
ton, but | won't quarrel with those
who want to begin at the tail end to
cut off the dogs head Ny idea would
be to begin at the other end, but the
new law is very nearly up to Prohibi-
ton and give the Alliance credit for
much of the good in the law
upon the whole, the outlook for re-
form nationally and in Mississippi is
good. Just how improvements are to
come, whether through new parties or
by bringing the old parties to their
senses, don't know and it don't much
matter. One of the most hopeful signs
of the times is the participation of the
laboring-people in political affairs and
the readiness of great many good
men to act ON their individual judg-
ment in politics. Put all the people
to work on any practical problem I'M
trammeled, and if they don't come out
right in the end, it will be because
government by the people for the peo-
pie is failure Let me add a remark
about the dram-shop law. Wherever it
does not destroy the traffic, it will make
it worse by creating a monopoly in the
hands of a few men and the high Ii
cense will popularize it,"