The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-02-14


classes of people,"
Mr.. Benbow: Il do.
Mr.. Curtis: "Do you have any people
that get drunk in your county,
Mr.. Benbow: Yes.
Mr.. Curtis: well, does it benefit the
families of those people,
Mr.. Benbow then went on to show how
the traffic benefited every one in the
county. 1t was a business with them
just like raising tobacco.
He said it was not a political question
in his county. and that he was simply
asking what his people had told him to
ask. He had always voted with the
Democrats in local measures, and he
asked the same of them. A member or
this House was not here to represent
his own conscience, but his constituents.
Mr.. Benbow then made strong plea
for local self-g government, saying that
all he asked was that his people might
be allowed to vote on this question Ac
cordingly. he would support the amend
ment of the gentleman from New Han
over.
MR.. SMITH.
Mr. Smith then sent forward his sub
ments, regulating the sale and manu-
facturc of liquor on the principle of local
sells government
MIR. Smith then spoke to his substitute,
and said that a great deal had been
said for the bill now before the House
that was misleading. It had been said
that the committee reported the Watts
bill favorably by a vote OF II to 4. But
l. ho+
meeting, one gentleman after another had
gotten up and said that they cast their
votes for this bill. for it was the best
thing then pending; but they wished it
distinctly understood that they were not
committed by that vote to the support
Of the Watts bill.
The gentlemen who support the Watts
bill had derived much encouragement
the day before from the remarks of the
gentleman from Hyde. But that gentle
man had just come from home, from
temperance community. and he had not
had time to look into the matter at all.
He was simply expressing his scnti-
ments upon the subject of temperance
and everything that he had said, and
that had been so much applauded, could
be equally as truly said of this subst-
tute.
The substitute did as much for tenn
perance as the Watts or the London
bill.
Both Of these bill made a very unjust
discrimination between the people of the
country and the people of the towns,
and the discrimination was against the
town people Nothing is done for tenn
pcrancc iii the towns. And it put prohi-
bition upon the people Of the country
without any chance to change il.
If it is the purpose of the bill 20 en-
force moral ideas upon the people of
the country, why rot enforce them upon
the people of the towns.
And that enforcing Of moral ideas and
governing the rights of people 10 OK
crcise the dictates of their own CON
sciences in moral questions was the very
principle that brought on the Spanish
inquisition. He read from the Constitution
OF North Carolina on this subject.
But he considered that the burden Of
obtaining license should be upon The IL
luor seller The right to sell liquor
was not a vested right. 1t was a privi-
lcge granted by the State, that is, by
the people. Accordingly, there was . sec
the applicant for license, to secure &
majority expression Of the will of the
people of the community. That was
merely another way of the State rant
il A. the license. and it was concession
TO the temperance forces of the State.
He then dwelt strongly upon the great
principle of government by the people,
again reading from the Constitution At
this point he grew very eloquent, and
was literally app1cuded. He hoped that
the members from Mecklenburg would
in this matter be actuated by the same
principles that brought into being the
e, cat Mccklenburg Declaration of indie
pendcnce. rs it possible that this great
principle, so often bathed in blood, is to
be voted down here in North Carolina
IL the house of it's friends. Don't vote
against this sacred principle of self
government If it can be voted down for
good cause, it can be done for bad
cause"
He referred to the times of Fusion,
when this principle was voted down, anG
asked if we wanted to see those scenes
re-enacted. ANY party that tampcrs
with this sacred right of the people will
be rebuked sooner or later, and it ought
to be- I say this, Democrat that l am"
He believed it would reyolRtionizc
Gates county in three years, dtd how
many other counties he could 2 ,t tell.
But in many of them the cry SSould go
up that the people had been denied self
government.
Had we forgotten the great slogan,
Equal right for all and special privi-
Ieges to none?" If Thomas Jefferson
were to visit this scene today he would
think the British were in the saddle
again and he would denominate tn>
gentleman from Iredell as a genteel Tory
of the rankest type, and the cities pro-
yided for as aristocratic municipalities,
or municipal aristocracies.
Mr.. Watts asked Mr. Smith if he had
not voted for the appointment of School
Dad. - popuhIican counties that