The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-02-10

/ left to vote of the people. A care
| full canvas would show that q majority
was not in favor of Il dispensary The
right to local self-government should
never be denied. He was acquainted
with the political situation of Guilford
and the step would be ill-advised at
this time The election two years
hence might depend ON Guilford county.
1.-THE dispensary was being agitated i'll
many other counties. If the dispensary
was established in one county there was
| no reason why it should not be establish
cd in ALL He thought the effect Of
such a course would. be to break up
the Democratic party.
Major Stedman's speech was able and
lconciliatory He viewed the question
as dangerous to the Democratic party
in this State. He was not advised as
to the merits or dement's of a dispen-
sary. Opinion was divided But he
thought that with three distilleries near
Greensboro dispensary would be hurt
ful. There were no better men i'll the
State than those who We're present to
advocate dispensary. But equally
good men opposed it. Nearly all the
men of Greensboro whom he
met were opposed to a dispen-
sary unless it was to be voted on by
the people. 1t was hard for any man
to refuse to sign a petition presented
by his pastor when told it was for the
moral good of the community To talk
of petitions was like picking up pebbles
at the foot of the pyramids. 1t was the
principles of the party not petitions that
should be considered. To pass a sump-
tuary law without submitting it to 2
vote of the people was abhorrent to
every principle of the Democratic party.
1t was abhorrent to the genius of the
American Republic. 1t could not be
kept out of politics. To adopt such
principle would defeat the Democratic
party in North Carolina by 100000
votes. He had never lived in town
where there was so little drunkenness. I
The town was moral, sober and pros
porous.
If il was assumed that the fight of the
Democratic party was finished, a mis-
take was made. No decent man OPP
posed morality. But sumptuary law
should be left to a majority of the
white voters
He declared that to report the bill
favorably was contrary to section Bill /
of the Code which required notice to |
be posted for thirty days before appli-
cation could be made for the passage
of any law effecting an entire commu-
nifty. Such notice had not been given. !
The section of the Code could he !
repealed but not by an illegal act. If
legal, then it was against Democratic
policy.
Judge McRae appeared by request to
give an opinion as to the legality of The
4,
and had taken 4 part in the pronllga-
ton of its doctrines. He did not think
that the publication of the notice had
been sufficient and legal. He sustained
the view of Major Stedman.
Rev. Mr.. Wood speaking for The dis
pensary, said that to argue that it would
hurt business was to argue that q drunk 4
Ell man was worth more to business than
a sober man. Greensboro was a pros
porous town, but it would not be urged
that its prosperity was due to its open /.
saloons. The reason the advocates of /
the dispensary We're opposed to having |
it voted on by the people was thai the !
same class of voters must vote on il as
the Assembly was seeking to eliminate.
There was no heat, no bad
blood and no strife over the matter.
An election was not wanted because it
would cause strife. He occupied pc /
culiar position as a preacher in adyocat- |
ing the sale of whiskey in any form.
but the wild beast was at large and
it was conceded that he could not .
be slain outright. One drinking place I
in a city was not as bad as a dozen. /
DIR. Egbert w. Smith spoke for the /
Trembling with feeling, he
declared that fraudulent petition had
been presented. that names had been
signed four or five times. The fraudu- !
lent series of petitions were a shame. |
He had come expecting to be treated |
He declared that he ac- |
quilted the gentlemen of the other side
of anything wrong.
Mr.. Moses III. Cone interrupted and
said that fraudulent was strong
term, very strong term.
Rev Mr.. Smith said he did not APP !
ply the term to those present. There was !
4 dispute as to the payment of tax and
the chairman interrupted that the COM
mittee did not care to hear the tax
question: discussed.
The speaker continued that the sen
timent Of the town was for the dispen-
sary, it was greatly stirred up over the
matter. He had consulted numbers of
men acquainted with the workings of
the dispensary and all favored it. He /
represented the religious and moral SEN
timent Of his town. As to the political
phase of the question he thought that
now the agitation had begun it would
do more harm not to pass the bill than
to pass it.
Judge j. q. Bynum for the dispensary
said he did not propose to discuss the
moral or religious side of it. Like the
gentlemen of the other side his mouth
opened for pay. Replying to Major
Steadman said that it was not proposed
TO prohibit the sale of liquor but only
to prescribe the method of sale. He
argued that the sale of LIQUOR came UNI
der the police powers of the city. If a
mistake was made as to the legality
the courts could settle it. The advocates
of the dispensary would risk the issue. /,
The best element of the business men