The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-01-27

| ,ie hermit stills TO dot the hill
| sides and saloons to ply their de-
moralizing business away from
police surveillance. It Is in no sense
! undemocratic TO Put an end to
these crying evils ut once. In so
doing. the mandate of nine-tenths
of the people living in the rural
districts will he obeyed. Decency
demands driving the stills and sa-
looms away from the country
where, without police protection,
they are a prolific source of de-
bauchery and corruption.
Some of the whiskev attorneys,
who have assumed the guardian
ship of the Democratic party. need
to be reminded that there are party
leaders, getting no fees from whis-
key men, quite as deeply concerned
for the success of the party as they
are. and fully as competent to ruide
its policy, who are more disinter-
ested. These leaders sec that h
duty of the party is to hear and
heed the command given to Moses:
That they go forward" Standing
still and refusing to enact wise
legislation for the good of the peo-
pie involves more danger to
the Democratic party than en-
acting progressive temperance
legislation. These leaders be-
Iieve the principle of forbid
ding stills and saloons to be
conducted away from police pro-
lection is a sound one. They be-
1ieve that the people wish legisla-
ton to close them up. They stand
upon firm ground in favoring such
legislation. Threats Of deserving
the party by extreme prohibitions
lists or extrem anti-prohibitionists
will not affect the pending 1egis-
lation. The wisest men in the
Legislature will, from all the bills
introduced, frame one that will
meet the need and demand of the
hour. It will be enacted. Some
distil1ery men, some saloon keep
ers, some extreme prohibition men
may oppose it and they may leave
the party because the legislation is
regarded by them as too drastic or
not drastic enough. But the bulk
of the people Of the State, who
wish positive legislation against
~. -@ 1-r ~
~servative measure that gives h
promise of better things, as the
people may be educated to demand
them.
Governor of the State, the Chair
man of the State Democratic Exc
cutive Committee, and the member
of the National Democratic Execu-
tive Committee and other party
leaders are less DESTROYS of pro1not-
ing Democratic success than attor-
neys Of h whiskey men? The diff
ference is this: these men who
have been elevated to party leader
ship wish the Democratic party to
be responsive to every demand of
the people that makes for progress,
for virtue, for good citizenship.
! They know that too radical a de-
parture might hurt the party and
might cause a reaction in the pro
gress of real temperance reform.
Therefore, they stand for n conscr-
vatively progressive biIl-one that
goes very far toward suppressing
h gravest evils in the liquor bust
ness, but they 60 not believe that
it is wise to go further at this time
than outlined in the five
ions above ~epitomized. With
that legislation, the way is then
open for every town and city in
h State to regulate the liquor
business as it sees ft-either by
prohibition, dispensary, or high Ii
cense, without the danger of hay-
ing the country stills and saloons
wide open to nu1lify their reguIa-
tions and restrictions.
Az BcxIl1C62
argument against the pending leg
1sIation because it is the only ar
gument advanced against it. This
paper is in favor of effective
temperance legislation becaus It
is demanded from the highest NOR
al considerations. IF such IegisIa-
ton drives the distilIecz and sa-
ioon-keepers and their friends out
OF n Democratic party, we say as
Horace Greedy said about the
Southern sisters: Let them go in
peace" IF the price of their sup
port is to continue the stream of
evil that goes out from them, then
the price is too high to pay for it.
The welfare OF the youth OF the
state, h protection of the homes.
the progress of the schools, the in