The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1899-01-21
AN INTERESTING COMMENT
On the Prohibition Question from Mr.
W. M Dubard

On vne fFOnlDltIOH UuesttOu IT'D" W r.
| W. NJ. Dubarl.
Editor Sentinel: 1.-The letter of Judge
Roane, ia your last issue. should be
read and pondered by every citizen Of
our county who feels any interest in
tie public welfare. The statements
which he makes can be easily demon
Grated as true by any, who will with
unprejudicd mind enter upon the in
vestiyation. The difference between
the present period of soberuess and
safety and that, when the open saloon
with all its d-rnoriIizng influences so
largely dOmlnt,cd the community, Is
so apparent that the most casual OBJ
server can not fail to discern it. That
so many have been ,nisled as to the
true condition, is due to the fact that
they have accepted AS true the STATE
ments OF those, who are opposed 10
prohibition and in many instosces
actual sympathi2'rs with any oondi-
| tion, calculated to bring prohitition in
to disr-pute. 1t is not TO the credit of
prohibitionis!s that they have not al
ways bee d ready to refute the erroneous
statements as vigorously and etfective-
ly as should have been done.
. That as much whisky' Or more
whisky or almost as much whisky" is
=, being sold now, as when we had the
open saloon, and that drunkenness pre-
walls to as great extent rs then, has
been one Of the favorite charges made
by the -prohihitlonists. This and
kindred statements OF \ more or less eX
travagant character, have been as.
sic rously urged upon the people. The
blind tiger has been played for al, he
Is worth. He has been painted in Al,
his ferocity. and seeing an occasional, 2,
victim lured to ruin in mis- bloody, hid
den den. some people have been so
moved by pity or fear, as 10 petition to
Urn him loose on the street-license
" = TO Kill and destroy Without let
..rHGct::
And who are those who have 50 plo-
iuenty espoused the cause of The open
saloon, and so gre @phicaIy pictured the
impotence and failure of prohibition,
Is It not true That in the main il is
That clas: Without whose dircc, or in
direct and or encouragement. the blind
tiger could not live. Remember cili-
z'ns OF GIenaGa cluntI. thc men who
come to you with whisky petitions are
representatives Of thr enemies Of pro-
hlbltion. who not only do not wish it to
succeed, hut have done and will do all
IN their power 10 make it failure.
Prohibition has been Il success. One
can not traverse our streets and travel
our public Highways. coming in con-
Lhrt with the crowds of sober. we'll
hammered people. as he will, and fail
10 see it. Take the week next pre-
cecding the Christmas holidays. for ex-
ample. 1t has been generally observed
that it was one Of tLc best business
weeks Grenada ever had Surely
-reattr crowd for a "nole week never
throngcd its streets. There was not a
single case Of drunkenness. or an un.
pleasant incident so far rs | observed
or heard. The same is true of the two
days OF the negro fair during The holi-
day week. Now ask any fair minded
man, if this could have been true with
open saloons. We all know it could
not.
That some whisky has been sold in
Grenada. much Of the time stree pro-
hibition Oegan, is freely admitted, but
that IA great deal has been sold, except
'or few short periods Of time, we do
not believe. One Of those periods dur.
ng which, it was sold most freely was
Just prior to the Christmas of 1897.
What happened many will remember.
Another period was the few weeks pre-
,eding the late Christmas. Something
vas about to happen-in atwinkling al
most, Grenada had one citizen less, and
I any blind tigers remained, they have
urely retreated to the farther recesses
II their dens.
The recent fight before the SUPER
'isors court was great success for
prohibition. It is we'll that Judge
aoane calls attention to it, and notifies
he people that he is still at their ser
ice in this great cause. He and Mr..
dcLean deserve and will receive the
'ratitude Of the people. The great
majority OF best citizens throughout
he county are with them. l think I
now them-know something of their
lopes and aspirations for the future of
heir children, and the sacrifices thay
re making for their training and ad-
ancement and in the light of what
now, have no fear that they will
i've their voice and vote for the open
aloon, through the influence OF which