The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-01-06
AGAINST THE SALOON
Legislation the Anti-Saloon
League Recommends.
In Addition 10 Closing Rural Stills and Saloons,
Ihsy Wish Applicants for LiceLse TO Pr
sent Petitions With M rity Of Votes.

sent Petitions With M rity OF Votes.
The executive committee of the North
Carolina Anti-Saloon League will press
upon the General Assembly the need Of
effective temperance legislation. The fol-
lowing statement is issued:
TEMPERANCE LEGISLATION PRO
POSED.
The following are the features of the
temperance legislation proposed by the
executive committee of the North Caro-
lima Anti-saloon League in session with
authorized representatives of the North
Carolina Methodist Conference and the
Baptist State Convention:
/ Prohibition Of sale of manufacture of
Intoxicating liquors outside of incorpor-
ated towns. Prohibition of sale Of liquor
in towns of less than 500 population,
whether incorporated or not Prohibition
of manufacture of liquors in towns of less
than 900 population, whether incorpor-
ated or not.
The distinction is made between incor~
porated towns and unincorrorated COM
munities because incorporated towns are
organized and policed IT is made also
to protect the rural districts from the
saloon. 1t is made also to protect the
towns and cities from being surrounded
by saloons. The distinction is made in
respect to population mainly to prevent
the evasion of the law by the incorpora-
ton of saloon or distillery settlements.
.. Local option elections in incorporated
towns of more than 500 inhabitants at any
time upon thirty days notice and upon
I,etition of third of the qualified vot-
ers; provided elections shall not take
place oftener than once in two years.
In such elections the question of sa-
looms Or prohibition, or saloons or dis
pensary, or dispensary or prohibition may
be submitted as petitioners may request;
only one question at an election, however.
Prohibition of the importation of Ii
uuors by any means into prohibited or dis
pensary territory.
A. After July /, 1908, all applicants for
license to sell or manufacture liquors
shall present with their application pc
titions in their behalf signed by .. major
ity Of the qualified voters, save in those
towns and cities in which between the
date of the enactment of this bill and
July /, 1903, an election shall have been
held and carried for saloons.
These propositions are clear, and need
no exposition. They look to the sup
preston CT the saloon and distillery in
the rural districts and to local option
elections in the towns and cities in the
near future on a fair and reasonable
basis. There should not be a saloon
in any town or city unless the majority
If the people expressly call for it.
The people of North Carolina are en-
titled to this. They have long been op-
posed to the saloon. They have never
had fair chance in struggle with it.
They have been hampcred by the ignor-
antant vote They have stood in fear
of division. But these things are now
passed. And now that they are passed,
the General Assembly should freely
grant the peoples petition for fair op-
portunty to grapple with the evil that
in their long affliction fastened itself
upon them.
Especial attention is directed to para
graph four That calls for the recogni-
ton on the part of the General Assembly
that the people of Northu Carolina are
moral people. The saloons now exist
not with the consent of the people of
North Carolina, but solely because con-
dition5 have prevented the moral forces
of the State from asserting themselves
in elections against the saloons. Every
intelligent public man in the State
knows that this is true. 1t is but rea-
sorable to ask now that the patience of
the people be rewarded, and that the true
attitude of the majority be recognized.
is it unreasonable to presume that the
saloons should not be opened unless it
is expressly voted by the majority to
open them? 1t is more reasonable to pre-
sumo that the people of North Carolina
desire the saloons-recogniZed as ruin
Gus, as the sources of all manner of
crime-to go on with their work unless
they vote to the contrary? To be sure
he does violence to the character of the
people who holds chat they favor saloons
and that saloons must exist until they
have been voted out. One does not ask
a good man if he loves virtue. His char
acter is answer. One who believes in
the people of North Carolina will say
that the people desire the saloons closed
and he will not ask the people to prove
this, but will bid the saloon men dis
prove it, This is just what paragraph
four calls for. is fair; it is represen-
t''lNV' II 10 leasoudple, IL is only
Just recognition Of the patience of the
moral forces of North Carolina; it pre-
sents them with the opportunity that
they have long waited for. In their
name we ask for this recognition and this
opportunity to vindicate themselves and
those who respect them.
J. w. BAILEY.
Raleigh, N. c., ian. 2. 1903.
The Executive Committee N b.
Broughton, A. ]. McKelway, j. O. Atkin-
son, T. N. Ivey. I. c. Blair, J. o. Oates,
j. w. Bailey, and Q. x. Nmocks, repre-
senting the N. C. Conference, and NJ. L.
Ilesler, representing the Baptist State
Convention