Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-04-24

13. In other words, our annual llquOl
bill is greater by 81 ,501 ,S02,951 thar
all the dutiablc merchandise and tar
iif taxation of one year put together
1t only half of what is here asserted
by these high authorities were true
the suppression of this traffic should
be 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 he sufficient tC
arouse to sleeplcss 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 trihe with great
and solemn responsibility.
1t goes without the saying that the
greatest bindrance to the accomplish
ment of the desired end is the culpa-
bic Indifference and lack of united po-
litical action on the part of the friends
of reform themselves.
TO the conscientious and unpreju-
diced student of the subject,
THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY FOR rARTY
ACTION
in the settlement of the liquor ques-
ton 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 lis
LOOK AT TIE MATTER JUST As II Is.
After years of laborious and eXpen-
sivc effort, local Prohibition has been
obained, piece meal, in most of the
State. The Democratic party of Mis-
sissippi, which many have fondly but
erroneously persuaded themselves is
"a good enough Prohibition party
though petitioncd time and again by
partisan Conventions and other
bodies to give the State statutory and
constitutional Prohibition, has refus-
ed to do so. The Constitutional Con
vention of 1890, composed almost
who'll V 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 GroSGery a
nuisance: and the Democratic Lcgis-
lature of 1899, right in the face of the
demand of the Non Partisan Prohibi-
ton Convention whose indictment of
the liquor traffic is above quoted, un-
tremendously killed bill for State
Prohibition law to take effect so late
as July /, 1894. The last January ses-
sion of the same Legislature refused
to submit to n 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 major
ity of the voters of county the sim
pie democratic privilege of saying fol
themselves whether they wished the
traffic licensed or not, was extorted
from a Democratic Legislature only
after years of non partisan effort, and
granted at last, cOnfessedly, simply
as a 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 its limits from another State or
from a foreign power. 1t cannot even
prohibit its sale, after being 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 ease with which liquors
may be imported into such counties
uu6ar the Federal iutar State com
merce laws, which Congress alone has
power to amend. Again, the National
Government maintains an army of
revenue officers and collects over
800, 900 by taxing the manufac-
ture and sale of this traffic which is
conceded on all hands to he 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 infiu-
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,
A GIGANTIC LIQUOR MONOPOLY AND
POLITICAL COMBINE,
of titanic strength, has grown up
which neitherOf these old parties dare
to seriously offend. The farmers and
other industrial classes knock in vain
at the doors of Congress for recogni-
tion of their interests, but brewers