Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-04-17

BILLY for same year was S2l9,522, ,ZOo.-
13. In other words, our annual liquor
bill is greater by 81, ,501 ,S02,951 than
all the dutiable merchandise and tar
itf taxation of one year put together.
II only half of what is here asserted
by these high authorities were true,
the suppression of this traffic should
he the ''first concern" of every Chris
tian citizen, humanitarian and patriot
in State and Nation and make this
the dominant issue in American poll
tics. That it is all true, as verified
by facts easily accessible to all, and
the experience and observation of
thousands, should be sufficient to
arouse to sleepless vigilance and ac-
tive hostility every lover of God,
home or country. TO take any 9th
er view of the subject and longer de-
lay action, is to trifle with great
and solemn responsibility.
1t goes without the saying that the
greatest hindrance to the accomplish
ment of the desired end is the culpa-
BILE Indifference and lack of united po-
litical action on the part of the friends
of reform themselves.
To the conicientious and unpreju-
diced student of the subject,
TIE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY FOR PARTY
ACTION
in the settlement of the liquor ques-
.tion must be apparent. The liquor
traffic, as it exists today. is a creature
of law. 1t is recognized and protect
ed by the laws of nearly every State
of the Union and of the Federal Gov
eminent. These laws have been pass
ed by political parties which are ma
nipulated by, and are friendly to, the
liquor interests.
To all sincere Prohibitionists of
Mississippi, who honestly desire the
destruction of the liquor traffic, but
who have hitherto not been able to
see the necessity for party action, we
wish to address few candid words.
Let us
LOOK AT TIE MATTER JUST As IT Is.
After years of lahorious and eXpen-
sive effort, local Prohibition has been
obained, price meal, in most of the
State. The Democratic party of Mis-
sissppi, which many have fondly but
enormously persuaded themselves is
"a good enough Prohibition party"
though petitioned time and again by
non partisan Conventions and other
bodies to give the State statutory and
constitutional Prohibition, has retus-
cd to do so. The Constitutional Con.
vention of 1890, composed almost
wholly of Democrats, refused to pro-
hibit the liquor traffic in the new Con
stitutiOn, or even go so far as to SIM
ply declare the common groggery IL
nuisance; and the Democratic Legis-
lature of 1892, right in the face of the
demand of the Non-P Partisan Prohibi-
ton Convention whose indictment of
the liquor traffic is above quoted, un-
tremendously killed bill for State
as July l, 1894. The last January ses-
sion of the same Legislature refused
to submit to a vote of the people OF
the State Prohibition amendment to
the Constitution, though earnestly Pc
titiOned to do so by another non-par-
tisan Prohibition body. Even so mild
a measure as a county local option
law, which only conceded to a major
ity of the voters of county the sim
pie democratic privilege of saying fOi
themselves whether they wished the
traffic licensed or not, was extorted
from Democratic Legislature only
after years of non partisan effort, and
granted at last, confessedly, simply
as matter of expediency to avoid
impending party disruption. SO much
for the record of the Democratic party
as relates to State laws for suppress
ing the liquor traffic.
Now let us consider briefly
THE SUBJECT IN SOME OF ITS NATIONAL
ASPECTS.
Under the United States Constitution,
Congress alone has the right to regu-
late commerce between the States and
with foreign nations. No State can
prohibit the importation of liquors in
to it's limits from another State or
from foreign power. 1t cannot even
prohibit its sale, after beng imported,
without the consent of Congress, if
sold in the original package. A large
amount of what is known as blind
tigerism, with which many Prohibition
counties of Mississippi are afflicted, is
due to the case with which liquors
may be imported into such counties
under the Federal interstate com
merce laws, which Congress alone has
power to amend. Again, the National
Government maintains an army of
revenue officers and collects over
$100, 100000 by taxing the manufac-
ture and sale of this traffic which is
conceded on all hands to be the source
of so much evil. These officials issue
Federal permits or licenses for the
sale of liquors in Prohibition States
and counties, thus encouraging the
establishment of "blind tigers" and
throwing the vast prestige and inhu-
ence of the General Government
against such State and local laws in
stead of lending its cooperation for
their enforcement. Under the foster
ing legislation of the two old parties,
GIGANTIC LIQUOR MONOPOLY AND
POLITICAL COMBINE,
of titanic strength, has grown up
which neither of these old parties dare
to seriously offend. The farmers and
other industrial classes knock in vain,
Al, I a.