The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-23

Politics and Prohibition.
Leading prohiHitiouists in Clarke coun-
IS. where the dispeusary system IS in
force. express themselves as against mix
ing politics and prohibition. They say
The best possible results have been OBJ
tanned through tho local option law and
they don't want any further legislation
on the liquor question. Among
them are ministers. lawyers. busi-
ness men and others. and fl
is fair 30 assume that before ex-
+ pressing any opinion on this important
/ subject they save o. very careful consid-
Grafton. They have seen what local OPP
ton has done Tor the cause Of prohibit
,iou in the state and they know what it
has done for their own county. Their
views. therefore. should have considera-
Die influence IN determining the issue
which the popuIsts have thrust into the
campaign in this state.
The popuIsts want a dispensary law,
like that in South Carolina. In that
state the law has been made
a great political machine II is a ma
chine which Senator Tnlman has
found very useful in retaining his grip
upon the state. The dispensary officials
are his friends, and doubtless they are
very active in promoting his political in
terests.
The populsts with the aid Of the prohi-
bitionists hope to get control of this state.
and if they should, they would, in all
probability. establish just such a political
machine as that which Senator Tllman
has in South Carolina We would not then
have prohibition. We would not have
even the degree Of temperance we now
have. We would have drunkenness and
a large measure Of misrule. Even in the
counties which are now committed to pro-
hibitlOn there would be blind tigers" in
the vicinity of every settlement and in
every town.
There are now 1O2 counties which have
declared for prohibition, a great ma
jority Of the whole number. Every
once in a while the prohibitlonists
get control Of another county. Very soon
all the counties. except a few in which
are the larger towns. will be practically
free from the liquor traffic. Why not
then adhere TO the local option law. which
has been productive of such good results?
Why undo the work that has been done?
The establishing Of a dispensary system
would be undoing that work-would be a
step Observation-Disclosures a dispensary sys-
TEN would introduce liquor in
10 every county. And gen
eral prohibition law would not
advance the cause of temperance. 1t
would simply encourage the selling Of in
toxcants surreptitously. A general law
would not be and could not be enforced
especially in the counties in which pub
lie sentiment was strongly against it,
The prohibitionsts are no doubt sim
cere. but they are not practical. They
think it their duty to insist upon a law
against the liquor evil, and they would
feel their work was done If they secured
such law. They would expect of course
the law to be enforced. but If it was not
they would not consider they had made
a mistake, even II there was more drunk
enness and strife than before the law was
enacted.
The wiser plan is to let well enough
alone, and we are satisfied that practical
people all over the state win take that
view OF it. In time, under the local option
law, about the whole state will be com
mitted to prohibition, and then we shall
have prohibition in fact. because it will
rest upon an educated public sentiment
The populists are not prohibitonists
They have adopted prohibition and nomi-
mated prohibitionist for governor simply
to get the prohibition vote. What could
the prohibitionists expect of them if they
should succeed in getting control of the
state? The real friends of temperance
would make a great mistake if they
should lend assistance to the populists