Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-05-29
The Liquor Record of the Old
Parties Reviewed.
The Democracy in Open League
with the Liquor Power.
Thorough Organization of The Pr"hiBi-
lion Party the Necd of the Hour
\ State Convention Called for
"Wednesday, june 9Th.
To the rrohibiiienist> of Mississippi

70 the ProhbitieniSt> Of MsSi>sippi
The State Executive Committee oi
the Prohibition party of Mississippi
with Il view to securing the thorough
and effective organization Of all citi-
zens of the State in sympathy with the
objects and principles of the National
Prohibition party, have deemed this
an oppol tune time to address you and
present some of the most impor-
tant reasons for party action.
The last partisan Prohibition
State Convention held in Mississippi,
composed of men of variant political
affiliations and religious crceds, ar
raigned the legalized liquor traffic in
the following
STRONG AND SIGNIFICANT LANGUAGE
We affirm that the saloon is an un-
mItigated moral. social, financial and
political evil. 1t is at war with all the
religious forces which tend to build
men up into better lives. It breeds
every social disorder and wars persist
emily on the home and all organized
society 1t wastes the living of dcpCn-
dent women and children and destroys
the productive energies of the people.
1t seeks to control for corrupt purpos-
es political parties. 1t enslaves many
public men, subverts public justice,
dcbauches the public conscience, trains
its patrons to perjury, and Is the i'm
placable enemy OF both church and
State. We declare that every effort to
regulate the traffic 10y license laws has
been failure. That while the law
fOrbids any one to engage in the traffic
who is not of good moral character. the
business has drifted into the hands of
the very worst class of men in the
country. mostly foreign born, and
without love for American institutions.
And. further, in the main, efforts TO
enforce the provisions of the laws
against the traffic have failed for the
reason that the corrupting influence
of the saloon reaches the inner courts
of Justice and subverts all law. The
license system has built up a great
monopoly in our midst which SStrOng-
, er than law, contrary to all sound
principles of government and repug-
nant to the spirit OF free Institutions
High license we condemn as a snare
and a delusion. 1t has had only one eff
feet 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 il
under ban of law, to turn the whole
power of the State against it as com
mon enemy, not only bad itself but
/ the ally of all other evils which atflict
! society; the habitat of the thief, the
gambler. the thug. the prostitute, and
strong factor in ali corrupt combines
/ We declare that no christian or hu
manitarian or patriot can consistently
support the saloon bywOrd, vote or act
and that it is the part of patriotism tC
/ hold public men to strict account
/ for their completely with this great
public enemy.
a deliveranco published within the
past few weeks over the names o
MississippianS, prominent in bOtl
Church and State, denounces the H.
quor traffic as she greatest ecd Of H'
age"
Indictments similar to the tore
going by Prohibition conventions
temperance societies, church confer
ences, conventions, associations, etc.
might be quoted by the scores anC
hundreds. We quote from but on'
other here, which presents in anothe
phase, some conception of
TIE MAGNITUDE OF TIE QUESTION
FINANCIALLY
According to the most reliable sta
tistics Obtainable, the people of thi
Christian nation spend every year. 70
bread. 1908, GOO, 900: for meat, 1913,
600, 900; for sugar and molasses, $3.50,
600 900; for cotton goods, T22O 200,
600; boots and shoes, $3.50, 200, ,QO0i 70
education, SS5 ,O00,OO0i for missions
(HQme and Foreigu) 5,500,O 900; an'
for liquor, direct cost, Il 200, 900, 900
The liquor traffic costs every yea
more than our whole civil service, GU
army, our navy, our Congress, intlud
ing internal improvements ant
pension bills, our wasteful lOca
Governments and all National
State, county and municipal debts
In fact, this country pays NOR,
annually for liquor than for ever.
function of every kind of government
The two leading political parties il
the last National campaign made tht
tariff the chief issue. The total valu,
of dutiable merchandise imported int
the United States for the fiscal yea
11ot ,v,e Il-S 6Tl SlI. tha tnto