The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-02-03

1A@NG+t I 49, LtAE E&AAE2flA&AA A&E AE-
mocracy OF the county"
a little later on during his speech, Sen
ator Brown asked Mr.. Reece: How
many stills are there in your county"
SIR. Reece: About forty
Senator Brown: N wonder Yadkin Is
Republican" Laughter.
Dir. Reece: Those distilleries bring in
5000. 600 10 the county. We have no ether
| source Of revenue in our county"
Senator Brown: Can they net be
moved into the towns"
Mr.. Reece: There are no towns for
them TO move into" GaughteD.
Senator Brown: DO YOU mean there
are no incorporated towns in Yadkin?"
Mr.. Reece: There are two or three
little towns of under 500 people. but they
won't let the distilleries come in" Tire
mendous applause ana laughter.
Then it was suggested that the Watts
bill made no provision as to sizo OF town.
Mr.. Reece then said they could not be
in the towns because it would bring them
too close to the schools. and he went on
to speak Of the splendid schools Of Yad-
kin. if it was a Republican county.
Finally, he simply brought the house
down about his ears by saying: What
1 cant see is why anyone should want 20
Jdht q di5tIIitES rum tAe to0ltIE, mere
| no one can see it. and put it into a town.
That is perfectly absurd"
Mr.. Curtis came up with his inevitable
question: DO you think. if it came to
an election in Yadkin, those distillcrios
would treat and bride voters with Ii
quor?"
Mr.. I3cece: Il believe they would. and
| believe that some of the Prohibitionists
there would buy liquor, too, and bride
| votes with it. And some Of these people
who nave been squalling here today
would buy liquor and buy votes for pro
hibition with it."
Mr.. Curtis: you speak of your good
schools that would not allow a distillery
near them. How do their -neighborhoods
compare with those where the distillcrics
are?"
Mr.. Reece: where liquor is sold at
retail from a distillery, the influence is
very BAD. But most of our distilleries
are enclosed, and the doris are kept lock-
ed. and no one but a revenue officer is
admitted. Absolutely no liquor can be
sold at most of them.
Mr.. r. N. Simms, of Raleigh, said that
much had been heard Of the amount of
money coming in from the distilleries. But
he had testimony to show that Yadgin
county cost the state So, 300 more than
it paid in, and that Wilkes, of which so
much had been heard. cost the State
5000. And so it was in every liquor
making community, there was pauperism.
Mr.. Simms said he came as a Democrat
10 Democrats, hat he had always been
a Democrat, and hoped he would not nave
to be a prohibitionist, that it would be
enough to be a Democrat.
He then read a letter from Mr.. Wood
house as follows:
In a conversation with you some time
ago We discussed the hopeless condition
Of Yadkin county as a political unit in
State government, and also the posi-
bility OF a cure. Now, since the very
remedy you prescribed has been brought
before the State Legislature, and since
l have talked with many Of the best
citizens and leading Democrats of the
county, l will write you in regard to that
remedy. l find an almost universal
opinion among the Democrats here that
there should be some restrictions laid
on the manufacture and sale of intoXicat-
ing liquors. Yadkin and some of the adj
Joining counties are noted for such man.
ufacture. There are several counties
here almost in a solid body that are
especially famed for still houses Re
publicans and poor folks. Each of the
counties referred to was at one time
either Democratic by majority or about
equally divided. The change to Republi-
can majoritieS overwhelmingly large, was
brought about by no other factor than
the government STILL and if that could
be wiped out in the country it would 90
more to restore the Democratic party to
power than any other one thing. There
Is: Gnnt hor cj5a To tho rl1cStion-th no moral
side, but I shall not follow that into de-
tails. / think it is the duty of all hon
est and good citizens to rise up and in
one universal chorus proclaim an eternal
doom for the abnorninable liquor traffic.
Aside from that-asidc from the fact that
is a bold and public enemy stalking
through the land, seeking whom he may
deVouT', it behooves all good and true
Democrats just now to make a terrible
onslaught against the greatest enemy TO
their party. The Republicans of this and
other counties use the distillCgies as
recruiting stations for their party, while
tho young office-seeking Democrats arc
the volunteers who go to swell their
lumbers. Why, some one has said that
the Radical distiller breeds Republicans
like the cider jug breeds gnats. l can't
think of a more apt comparison.
"a majority of the best Democrats in
this section heartily endorse what is
called the London bill, lately introduced
in the Legislature. We should be glad
to have that and nothing short Of II
will give the needed relief. Can you not
help us get it?
Very respectfully yours,
"T. B. WOODHOUSE."
That came from a man who was inter-
estod in the schools of the county, of which
so much has been said.
One Of the gentlemen who had spoken
had said that the temperance people did
not know what was in the bill. He
showed that he knew very little about
the bill himself, for he said that there
was a trick in the bill, that it called FOR
a vote on all three questions, prohibition.
dispensary and restriction, at once. and
that therefore there would be no result.
sIf he had known what was in the bill,
ne would have known that the bill speci-
fies that the election shall be on either
one Of these propositions.
There was one statement that had