The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-01-30
ONCE AGAIN TEMPERANCE
And LIQUOR FORCES MEET
Speeches of Rare Eloquence Before Most
Distinguished Audience.

judgment and reason to organize the yir-
tue that the people are trying to put in
practice. am here merely to tell you
of the very great interest the people Of
my community are taking in this matter.
Mr.. Cooper, of Wilmington, said he had
been elected mayor of his town by the
liquor men, greatly against his will. His
people, the majority of the better class,
wanted the London bill.
Mr.. Morton asked if the majority of
the qualified voters of Wilmington would
ask for prohibition.
Mr.. Cooper: THE majority of the bet
ter class of the people would"
Mr.. Morton pressed his question.
Mr.. Cooper then recalled that Mr.. Nor
ton had with difficulty been elected to
the Senate two years ago on this very
question.
Mr.. G. w. Tillett, of Charlotte said he
came, paying his own expenses to plead
his own cause, not representing any in
terests. (Applause.) Sixty years ago his
father as a steward of the cross, was
battling against this very evil. 81
would to God he could have lived to see
the line of battle now drawn up against
it, and verify believe we have got them
on the run" he declared
He was proud to belong to that church,
numbering $4,000 people in the Western
Branch alone, the great Methodist
church. which was now begging officially
for temperance legislation at the hands
of the Legislature.
He was proud to belong to the great
Democratic party and he had spent
large part of his life combating this very
proposition, always saying that this
question could be settled in the Demo-
cratic party He had been asked when
the time would come. He believed that
when the sun rose today, the time had
come.
Yes, the liquor men had made threats.
John Smith, running a saloon, could con-
troll the votes of a crowd of negroes,
whom he could lead against any, PROPOSE
ton of this kind. But, thank God, that
vote was out of the way.
''I believe" ne cried, "that I have a
majority of the Democratic party with
me in this" (Applause)
He recalled how four years ago the
Senator from Mecklenburg had said in
this hall that he had pledged to the liquor
men that this question should not be
brought up. He believed that never
again would these seats belonging to
Mecklenburg county be occupied by any
man who would make any pledge to the
liquor men of the community. Cap
plause.)
AS to section five of the bill, and the
argument that it was illeg i in putting
the burden of proof upon the liquor men,
he would say that, while some one had
once said that the strongest thing about
liquor was that it made sick fools of
the men who did not drink it, he had
noticed that the strongest thing about it
was that it gave so much trouble to the
men who did not drink it,
Most of the courts in the land had de-
clared the liquor question a quasi-nuis
ance, and if it was a quasi-nuisance.
then it was legal that the burden of proof
should rest upon the liquor men. who
should show a reason why they be al
| lowed to maintain quasi-nuisance.
Mention had been made of law-break-
ing in the prohibition States. 1t was the
liquor men themselves who broke the
law and caused all that trouble
Mr.. l. c. Mewborne, of Wilson, repre-
senting the Liquor Dealers Association,
spoke next. He said he was not oppos-
ing these bills because he fafored intem-
perance, but because he believed that
evry locality should dcde this question
for themselves.
His objection to the Watts bill was in
the first place. that it forbid the dis
| tilling of liquor outside of Incorporated
towns. In his county there we're many
good farmers who manufactured their
own grapes into wine and brandy, not for
sale, but for their own consumption
| This was an Injustice to these farmers,
some of them among the best citizens in
| the county.
The same objection could be applied
! to the London bill. And that went
| farther, and said there must be no dis
pensary in towns of less than 1000 peo-
| pie. There were many dispensaries In
towns of less than 500 people, and this
provision would drive out those dispen-
sares altogether. Therefore, those -os
the committee who favor dispensaries In
small towns should oppose this part Of
the bill.
Before passing any law the sentiment
Of the people affected should be de-
termined, and the only way to determine
this was to let each locality regulate its
own affairs.
There was no saloon in North Carolina
that could not be stopped by the vote
of the people in the neighborhood. Thers
was no law in North Carolina whereby a
man could get a saloon license without
the consent of the people of the COM
munity.
Mr.. Curtis Suppose every man. wo-
man or child in a town Is opposed to
issuing license and the commissioners
want to grant it, can they not do it?'
Mr.. Mewborne: Yes. but those COM
missioners are answerable to the people
is it not to be supposed they will carry
out the wishes OF the people who elect
Them
He considered that there were ample
laws now on the statutes of North Car
(Continued on Fifth Page)