The leader., 1902-12-10
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATION ON
THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.

The jackson Bureau of the New
Orleans Picayune, on the day the
call for State Prohibition mass
meeting was given to the press,
contained the following interesting
resume of legislation in Missis-
sippi on the liquor traffic for the
last fifteen or twenty years.
John Barleycorn is like Ban
quo's ghost. He will not down.
In one guise or another he seems
ever to challenge public attention.
For some months several newspa
pers in the State have agitated a
State Dispensary, which PROPOSE
ton has, in some quarters, met
with vigorous opposition. A
proposition was recently made in
some newspaper not to destroy
the liquors seized under the Dins.
more Law, but to ship it out of
the State and sell it. This propo-
sition is being opposed in the
press for the reason that the State
has no more right to traffic in IL
quor dealing than individuals.
The local option law has been
in effect in Mississippi since 1886.
This means that counties by vote
may outlaw the saloons or permit
the sale of liquors at the will of
a majority of the qualified elect
ors. A local option election may
be ordered by the Board of Super
visors of any county upon petit
ton of one-third of the qualified
electors of such county. If the
election results in opposition to
the saloon no other election shall
be ordered within two years. An
effort was made in the constitu-
tional convention of 1890 to estab-
Iish State Prohibition, but it fail
ed to receive the sanction of con-
stitutional provision. 1t failed,
however, for the reason, perhaps,
given by many delegates, that
while they favored Prohibition,
constitutional Prohibition had
not been an issue in the canvass
for nominations as delegates to
the convention. For ten or fifteen
years more than four-6fths Of the
counties of the State have, nv vote
of the people, outlawed the sa-
looms. In fact, at different times
at least IS of the Is counties in
the State have by popular vote,
been in the dry column. The ag-
itation for State Prohibition in
some form or other has been in
dulged from time to time, and in
dications are that it may be made
an issue in the campaign for State
and Legislative officers when the
campaign opens up next year.
The opinion has been expressed
by Prohibitionists that they are
tired of having part of the State
wet and part of the State dry; and
that they would like to have an ex-
preston from the people on the
subject and abide the result of a
majority. This could very easily
be done, it would seem, by a vote
in the primary which would act as
instructions to the members of
the Legislature and the the Gov
ernor, by placing ON the primary
ticket For the Dram-Shop'' or
Against the Dram-Shop." 1t
is quite likely that if the State
Executive Committee should be
petitioned by the Prohibition
leaders to place this question be-
fore the electors of the State in
the shape indicated above, that it
would be its pleasure to do so.
This would bring the matter to a
definite test and no doubt the Gov
ernor and members of the Legis-
lature to be nominated next Au-
gust would religiously adhere to
the will of the majority, AS voiced
in the primary. This would be
statutory Prohibition if afirma-
tive action were taken.