Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-05-29
GREAT oPPoRTUNITY AND 4
GREAT RESPONSIBILITY.


of every citizen of the state who hon
estly desires the complete and perma
nent overthrow of the liquor traffic
To all uuclouded and candid minds
certain things at this time are clearly
self evident.
|. That the menace Of negro Nu-
premacy being removed, there VIII
soon be two or more formidable politi
cal parties in Mississippi, divided on
vital issues of the day.
>. That the National Democratic
party is distinctly committed to the
protection and perpetuation of the
liduor traffic and that the party in
Mississippi could not, if it were dis
posed, declare war on the traffic, with
out openly antagonizing the position
of the party nationally, and jeopardiz-
ing its success. ~ house divided
against itself cannot stand" is the FIRST
scripture professional politician
learns.
3. That the National Democratic
party is not in accord with q majority
of the people of Mississippi on the cur
rency question nor the tariff.
1t follows. therefore. the race prob
lem out of the way, that the new party
that represents the popular sentiment
on these questions, will i'll the no dis
tant future, become the dominant
party in the State.
Now, nearly all those who have al
ready left the Democratic party and
those who are ready to leave, favor the
suppression of the liquor traffic This
is true of all Prohibition party men,
and of nine out of every ten of the
Peoples party. But the Peoples party.
which has a larger organized following
at this time than the Prohibition party,
while favoring Prohibition, regards the
financial question of paramount i'm
portance. and are looking to those who
have been so long prominent as Prohi-
for the destruction of the liquor traf-
fic. There is no use mincing matters
or lodging the issue. The so-called
Prohibition Democrats the Christian
citizens of Mississippi, if you please
who have so long and loudly proclaim
ed Prohibition to be -eminently a
moral question, and yet remain in the
Democratic party with its whisky rec
ord, its saloon affiliations and its pledges
to perpetuate this murderous traffic,
are on trial to-day as never before.
Yes, gentlemen, ministers of the Cos
pei. church deacons and Stewards,
Christian laymen of all the churches
it is you who are on trial in the eyes
of God and men and not the cause of
Prohibition or the Prohibition party.
Both of the young political parties
now struggling for the ascendancy
need recuits and need wise and patrl-
otic leadership, such as could be fur
nished by ProhibitionistS who are still
clinging, conscience stricken and self
condemned, to the whisky soaked Dem
ocracy. BY casting their fortunes and
influence with the Prohibition party at
this time, they could make it fOrmida-
bic and in a comparatively short time.
the dominant party in Mississippi,
which would mean the permanent over
throw of the liquor power i'll this State,
and pledge of coming success IN the
Nation. Or, by uniting with the Popu
list party, which is also pledged to
Prohibition in Mississippi, they could
demonstrate their sincerity, shape its
policy and insure the success OF Pro
hibition in the State, and at the same
time direct this young and growing
party safely along other lines of need
ed reform.
To do neither, but remain allied with
"a party which, as you know, is the open
ally Of the liquor power, is to give the
lie to all your past professions on the
liquor question and proclaim to the
world that you care more for your af-
filiations with liquor party than you
do for Prohibition or the right. Aye
more; to remain where you are at such
time as this, is to proclaim your un-
concern and lack of sympathy for the
toiling industrial masses of our com
mon country who have grown FESTIVE
and well-nigh desperate under the
multiplied wrongs of class legislation
secured by the allied money power, of
which the corrupt and CONSCIOUSNESS
liquor monopoly is a prodigious part.
Verify, it lisa great opportunity to do
the right thing and the wise thing, and
God knows, when our country is verg-
ing on the very precipice Of bloody
revolution, with troops called out in
three States to quell labor troubles
which the old party barnacles in Wash
ington are doing nothing to correct
it carries with it great and solemn
responsibility. How many Prohibi-
tionists will respond to the Executive
Committees address to meet in Jack
son next Wednesday, June 9th, and
prepare for action How many?
- Once to every man and nation comes the mo-
ment to decide
In the strife of good and evil on the good or evil
side.
Co.., ali