The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-03-15

driven away the saloon, but the still
house has kept a-running and, while it
claims not to sell liquor, the neighbors
all tell me that anybody who wants
liquor gets it, and it is the meeting place
for the toughest citizens in that neigh
borhood and corrupter of the youth
I'm mighty glad that the Watts bill will
run the stills and saloons out in the
country. If we must have them any
where we ought to have them located
where policeman can arrest the pro-
prietor every few days unless he walks
mighty straight. l think the town folks
ought to drive out all the saloons and
substitute a dispensary.
Il was a-hoping, too, that the bill to
make all the bar-rooms shut up shop at
eight o'clock at night would pass. That
was a monstrous good bill and the House
acted white in passing it. / watched in
the Senate and in the papers to see how
the Senate could introduce some 'Sena-
torial courtesy or other humbug to kill
it, and sure enough they found it. l tell
you a Senator who wants to kill a good
bill can most always do it by invoking
las the saying isl some big sounding
name. He hardly ever takes a sledge-
says he is going. to kill it. Oh, no. he
puts it to rest just as quiet and loving
like as a mother puts her baby to sleep,
and nary a Senator said he was opposed
to shutting up the saloons at eight
o'clock, though, if all l heard is true, ::
would go mighty hard with some of them,
if they could not get out to get their
drinks after eight o'clock and enjoy the
social dram in the wee small hours. But
none of them said that. The argument
that seemed to put that bill to rest with
the General Assembly of North Carolina,
was that it ought not to invade the right
of home rule. That was the parogative,
or some other high sounding word like
that of the towns and cities to say each
for itself when its grog shops should be
shut up, and that it would be high
piece of business for the State Senate to
be legislating for the whole State was
surprised, too, that not one of them adj
vocated submitting it to the people.
That expression was not used in the de-
bate. They Just said that the exclusive
'parogative' of the town to control their
own affairs must not be fetched by the
Senate, while in a dozen ways about
other matters they did not hesitate TO
invade what they called this sacred
'parogative' of the towns and cities.
Now if it is a sacred 'parogative' of the
city of Raleigh to say when it's saloons
shall close" continued the Old Codger,
as he took an extra strong pull at his
pipe, I'm in favor of requiring every
candidate for alderman or mayor to say
where he stands on this 'parogative.
Shall the saloons of Raleigh be closed
at eight O'Clock at night?' If they want
me to vote for them on the ground they
are for reforms, then I want them 70
tell me how they stand on the eight
O'Clock closing hour.
ana there's another matter" said the
Ola Codger as he looked into the fire re-
hectively, that 1 want the reform can
didates to put an end to. It's not a mat
ter | like to talk about, but shutting
ones eyes to evils don't wipe them out
III is better to speak out plain than to
let them ruin the morals of the city.
Raleigh is cursed with dens of iniquity
run by this and that womap of whom
the scripture says her whose feet take
mold on hell There is plenty of law to
smut up these houses which debauch and
destroy our young men. If all ] hear is
true they even corrupt politics and take
hand in legislation. What Raleigh
needs is a city government that will shut
up these houses, prosecute property
owners who rent their houses for in-
moral purposes, and policemen who viii
put an end to public solicitation on the
streets, and officers who will deny license
to hack drivers who are the agents of