The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-07-09
State League is Organized
Continued from Second Page.)
league pledges its assistance in all such
lnlo

league pledges its assistance IN all sucn
elections
MIR. McKELWAY ON PLATFORM.
Then Mr. McKelway spoke to the plat
form as follows:
k"This paper which it falls to my lot
to expound, and if necessary to defend
is significant on account OF its omissions
as well as for it's statement of principles
| call upon this convention to remem-
Der that it is a representative, but not a
legislative body. What we say here and
what we do here is of small consequence
unless it be ratified by those whom we
affect to represent, the people of North
Carolina. We who are here have come
up to our capital city at eur own charges
to give our time and our thought to this
great cause, but by that very fact we
are disseminated from those who did not
come. We are some $50 strong, but the
voters of North Carolina to whom we
must make our final appeal are 250,0O0
strong, and while it is recorded in the
Scripture that one shall chase a thou
sand it should not be our desire to
scare the voters from the polls. If we
were to set ourselves to the task of get
North Carolina, it means that every one
of US must influence 500 votes besides
our own to make a majority of one thou
sand votes cast. This should be a sober
ing thought to us all. We could proba-
bly, pass through this convention what
would satisfy the most extreme man
among US, on the liquor problem. But
while. we have the initiative the people st
home have the referendum And this
thought should lead to conservatism of
speech and of action here tonight, with
the eyes OF the State on US.
"And if / may speak word in behalf
of those who to-day turned over their
temporary organization into your hands
for permanency it il our desire that this
great movement may continue to at
tract the conservative men of this stead
fast old commonwe
$50 this platform uiffers from some that
have been adopted by temperance con-
ventions. We have not had a word to
say about the analysis of the alcoholic
stomach. We ave neglected to mention
the familiar figure of the lady at the
punch bowl. The platform is lacking in
that it does not contain TRADE against
the spilling OF good wine on the PROV of
battleshlp 1t has no declaration
against tobacco or coffee or tea or vine
gar. We have put away childish issues
because we arc men. This is a mans
movement, trying to enlist voters who
must be men.
Il think it is significant that we have
been able to read in our newspapers mis-
day the following events A listillery tried
to get into Rocky Mount and succeeded.
A wholesale liquor house tried u get into
Charlotte last night and by the unani-
nous vote of our Board of Aldermen it
failed. The Aldermen of the city of Dur
nam last night ordered the saloons to
close their doors at o'clock in the even
ing and to take away the side doors and
screens, and clouded windows whereby the
saloonkeePer proclaims that he loves
darkness rather than light because his
deeds are evil. The county commission
ers refused to grant license to the saloon
keepers of the town of Roxboro, and one
OF the interesting matters in connection
with this action is the threat to close the
graded school of that town Tor lack OF
the saloon revenue.
THE Watts law provides that Tie coun-
ty commissioners may refuse license ever
when the commissioners lave grant
ed it, and that it gives us a double
chance at the saloon. We can appeal to
Caesar when Festus denies us our will.
We can appeal to the moral sentiment OF
the great country side, the Drawn and
brain and conscience of our people when
the hoodlums of the town vote us down
10. oil fab 81
Let US restrict the saloon where we can
not vote it cut, let us check its power to
10 evil even when we are presently to
kill it as be leve Durham is going to
10. Many a boy will be saved by that
early closing ordinance, many a business
man will make up his mind that .-e does
not care for the whole profane or pious
town to see him drink, when the screen
less frontdoor saloon is the only kind
left. Scotch where you cannot kill
Scotch in order that you may kill
And then we have Charlotte strength
ening it's determination to fight the saloon
and Rocky Mount, determining through
this defeat of its better element that the
time has come for the whole thing to go,
distillery, saloons and ALL We are often
obliged to the devil for raising an issue
for US.
THE first resolution of this platform
calls for the independence of this organ
lzation. We are going TO drive out the
saloons and distilleries from North Caro-
lima, without waiting for the aid or con
sent of any otner nation or State. We
are going to avoid entangling alliances.
We may senl missionaries to Ohio with
it's three dry counties, or teach them how
much better the Watts law is than the
Mann law. But we have our own prob
lens and We understand our own condi-
ditions. independence is a good North
Carolina word. any way.
"And we are non partisan. We welcome
all to our ranks who believe with us
that the saloon and the distilleries are
no solution of the liquor problem at ali.
and that we want to cure the evil of
drunkenness.
SAT the same time this league will ac-
complish very little if it does not secure
for itself the wholesome respect of every
man that wants public office. We must
teach them that the most dangerous thing
for politician to tamper with is the
bar-roOm vote, that it will damn any