The leader., 1902-01-22
STATE PROHIBITION.
The Governor Recommends IL
aud n Bill Introduced.

The Governor Recommends 1t
and n Bill Introduced.
Yielding to the petition of the Mis-
sissippi w. c. T. u, headed by Mrs.
Harriet B. Kells, president, and to
what is unquestionably an overwhelm-
ing preponderance of the Prohibition
sentiment of the State, Governor Lon
gino last Wednesday sent a special
message to both houses of the Legisla-
ture, authorizing them to pass, during
the special session, a bill prohibiting
the sale of intoxicating liquors in the
entire State. That afternoon Miss
Belle Kearney, the gifted Mississippi
w. C. T. U. worker and one of the
vice presidents of the national organ
ization, was invited by the House to
address the Legislature in joint ses-
sion in the Hall of the House of Repre-
sentatives, which she did.
Referring to Miss Kearney's address
the Clarion Ledger says:
Speaker Russell, and her address last
ed about thirty minutes. She stated
that she had visited every state and
territory in the Union, Mexico, Can
ada and portions of Europe in the in
terest of temperance, receiving many
honors and courtesies, but the greatest
honor of her life was the privilege OF
addressing the Legislature of her ma
tive State.
From the standpoint of argument on
that particular side of the question
Miss Kearney's address was amasterly
effort Regarding the local option
laws, she said that they were unsound
! IN principle, delusive in theory and un,
sa. isfactory in practice, making crlml.
mails Of men and bringing misery and
unhappiness everywhere. Local OPP
ton. she said, means license, and every
license law passed is betrayal of the
peoples trust. 1t gives only seeming
protection, the dry counties being
flooded with liquor shipped in from
the wet counties, and often the officers
make only the most feeble efforts to
enforce the law. Referring &c the
blind tigers, Miss Kearney said that
| the blind tiger is an evidence either OF
completely or of cowardice on the part
of citizens or of officers, and that the
only solution of this phase OF the
question is to elect officers who have
nerve and principle enough to make
continued hunt for the offenders.
In answer to the argument often
made that high license contributes tc
the prosperity of community by low
ering the taxes. Miss Kearney said that
money thus obtained is like man. in
railroad wreck who loses his life in
an effort to save his hat, and that it is
salve which will soothe the infamma
ton but will not heal the sore.
Miss Kearney said that prohibition
laws are now successfully in force In
Maine, Kansas, New Hampshire, Yer
mont and Indian Territory, and she
appealed to the Legislature to try it in
the statutory form for two years, anc
| then make it constitutional III it prove:
a success. The concluding appeal was
strikingly eloquent.
At the afternoon session Of the
House following Miss Kearney's ad
dress, Representative benson of Law
renee, introduced bill providing that
sit shall be unlawful for any person to
| sell, barter, or give away to induce
trade, any vinous, alcoholic, malt, in
toxicating or spirituous liquor in any
quantity whatever"
The bill further provides that viola
ton of the law shall be punished by a
fine of not less than S25 nor more than
$500 and by Imprisonment of not less
than one week nor more than three
months in the county Jail. Persons
now engaged in the liquor trade are
allowed to continue until the expira-
ton of their license period. All local
option acts are repealed and the bill
provides for prohibition of the most
absolute sort.
The same bill was introduced in the
Senate the following day and referred
to the Committee on Temperance.
The measure is framed under the di-
rection of the Mississippi branch of
the Womans Christian Temperance
Union.
The LEADER rejoices that Gov. Lon
gino has seen his way to recommend
such bill, and sincerely hopes the
Legislators will get together now, as
they should, and pass it. The liquor
traffic for beverage purposes is wrong
in principle, eternally wrong, and the
State should wash it's hands of all com
plicity in the Infamous business. AS
for the objection to forcing Prohibi-
ton by statute on unwilling commu-
mites, such argument applies just as
we'll under the operation of the local
option law, to towns and cities, a ma
jority of whose voters do not want Pro-
hibition, but it is an objection that has
been disregarded and ought to be for
the benefit of the people as a whole,
and because the liquor traffic is fun
damentally wrong in principle.