The leader., 1902-01-22
PLAYING FOR TINE.

In the House OF Representatives last
Saturday, Mr.. w. S. McAllister, rep
resenting the saloon county of Madi
son, introduced the following resolu
tion, which was referred to the Com
mittee Oh Liquor Traffic:
Whereas, all enlightened men recog
nlZe the Importance of sober habits
and temperate lives in the mental and
moral evolution of man, and should be
ready to promote them to the realiZa.
tlon of a more benefcent society and
government, therefore be it
Resolved, that in order to enable the
Legislature to take intelligent action
upon the question of statutory prohi
bition, that the committee on liquor
traffic are hereby instructed to make
dillgent and impartial inquiry into the
operation of statutory prohibition in
those states of the American union
where these policies have been in
force for years, gather, collect and
compile such information, data and
statistics as have a relative bearing
upon the subject, and, further, to as
certain if such policies have increased
the revenues, abated the evils of intox-
ieating drinks and tended to the gen
eral advancement of the moral welfare
of society; that in view of the claim
made, that the people of Mississippi
are almost unanimous for statutory
prohibition that said committee take
cognizance of recent editorial in the
Brookhaven LEADER-the leading stat
utory prohibition organ of the State
which advised against pressing the
question upon this session of the Leg
islature, and ascertain to what extent
this editorial voices public sentiment
in the premises, and also of the recent
action of the North Mississippi Con-
ference, which likewise condemned
statutory prohibition and ascertain if
this action reflects public sentiment in
the premises, and further to make
comparisons of the two respective
plans of constitutional and statutory
prohibition from the information thus
derived and if the same be favorable
to either of the plans then for said
committee to make recommendations
accordingly.
The above will strike the intelligent
reader as simply a play for time-the
adroit tactics of an opponent of State
prohibition, who is seeking by becloud-
ing the main issue to delay as long as
possible the saloons day of doom.
AS to Mr.. McAllister's allusion to
THE LEADER, which he is compliment
airy enough to refer to as "the leading
statutory prohibition organ of the
State;' giving him credit for sincerity
we are compelled to conclude that he
has never read said editorial, and
must have gained his impression from
hearsay or garbled extract. The
whole trend of that editorial published
in our issue of January y was in
favor of statutory and constitutional
prohibition, and non action on the
question at this time by the Governor
and Legislature was only advised in
the contingency that it we're found
impracticable to unite the Prohibi,
tionists themselves in favor of such
legislation.
The editorial closed with the follow
ing paragraph, which, in view of Mr.
McAllister's resolution, we wish to
here emphasize:
$50 far as The LEADER and it's editor
are concerned, we are ready today, to.
morrow, or any other time to join with
our fellow Prohibitionists of Missis
sippi in an honest, aggressive and
united effort to secure State and Con
stitutional Prohibition. We are still
willing to spend and be spent in such
noble cause; but we have had quite
enough of leading forlorn hope and
fighting before legislative bodies for
prohibition against saloon advocates,
Prohibitionists and church leaders all
combined Verbum sat"
The Legislature now has bill for
statutory prohibition and prohibi-
tion amendment to the Constitution
before it, and it should pass both.