Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-01-09
,ROOKHAvEN, MISSISSIPPI, TUESDAY, JANUARY g. 1894.

Va
, form, and it is not necessary to
aver any particular kind of liquors
sold.
"Of the many and severe pen.
alties for violation of the statute
| need not speak. So you see the
whole spirit of this Legislation is
to put contempt upon the iniqui-
tous business and to render it pos
sible for the people to abate, if
not destroy entirely, its evils
"What has been your success
with this statute -
"Why, either by local option
elections or petitions, all the sew
enty-fve counties of the State are
rid of the traffic except eight or
nine. Some counties like Lau-
derdalc and Lowndes, have driv-
en- the business out by preventing
applicants from securing the nee
essary majority petition of legal
voters.
"What effect will the recent
decision of the Supreme Court on
, the Monroe county election case
have on Prohibition ! >
"Altogether favorable, l should
think. The court decided that
the board of supervisors did not
properly scrutinize the petition
Of onc-third of the voters of the
county asking for the election. If
unqualified electors signed the pc
tition, and the necessary one third
did not appear, of course the cleo
ton was not legally ordered and
held. So if the municipal author
tiles of jackson have granted Ii
cense to any man, without care
fully scrutinizing the petition and
eliminating all names obnoxious
to the law, they have acted lille
gally and said license ought to be
vacated. We are not afraid of
the qualified electors. 1t is the
unqualified, generally, who favor
liquor petitions. Hence our quail
flied suffrage has become the
mightiest weapon in the hands of
Prohibitionists.
"Speaking of Jackson suggests
the question, what is contemplate
ed by the friends of Prohibition
here -
"The purpose is to continue
the fight against the open saloon,
and at the earliest practicable
day have an election in the coun-
ty. There can be no doubt as to
the result of such contest. II
is seriously doubted had the pc
titions been properly scrutinized,
as the decision of the Supreme
Court demands, if there would be
a saloon today in this capital city.
The reason alleged by some is
that as heretofore there had been
no sharp contest, the necessity
did not arise. The law declares
that the petitioners must be quail
flied voters, and the board is in
duty bound to ascertain that fact
beyond doubt, even if no ques-
ton is raised or opposition ex-
pressed. The statute is manda-
tory. The law provides also that
the applicant should have a char
acter certificate, upon which the
board, sitting as court, must
pass impartially. 1t is hardly,
therefore, a proper thing for a
member of that court to be inter
ested in the business and pass up
on his own application. Nor
would it seem that an applicant
who, having been engaged in the
business and indicted for viola
tions of the law, was proper
person, in the eye of that law, to
have a new grant of privilege to
defy its authority and spurn its
sanctity. There are indictments
against every saloon-keeper in
jackson doing business six months
ago. The court records of this
county for dozen OF more years,
if carefully studied, might mate
rally aid to better municipal
administration. But the question
will be easily settled when the
good people of the county have
an opportunity to speak on the
subject. AT one term of the court
years ago, there were seventeen
indictments against one saloon
keeper, on several of which he
was convicted, and yet the guar
dians of the public peace decided
that he was suitable person to
conduct that business and renew
ed his license.
"Will any additional Legislation
be asked for at this time -
lI +ln,,.l NV. l.