The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-02-14

the Committee on PropoSlllohS anu
Grievances, had reported this Dill.
There were two principal objections to
the bill. One was that it took away local
self-governnent, and the other was that
it Disseminated against the people of
the country. but these people themselves
were the ones that were crying out for
this very discrimination. They were
begging for a law that would let their
children go to school without being
disturbed by drunken men on the road.
The people had sent us up here to
make this discrimination against them,
His people had sent him up here to do
this very thing.
When he was Solicitor for his Dis
trict. he prosecuted so homicides, and
nearly all were due to whiskey. and
country whiskey at that.
The gentleman from Hyde had struck
the keynote, as he always did, when he
said that the thing for the members to
do was to ask themselves which was the
right thing TO dc.
But he disagreed with him when he
had said that the gentleman from New
Hanover, had not a heart or soul big
enough to get into this thing with him.
That gentleman was a big souleC, big
hearted gentleman, and That he was
courageous as well was evidenced by the
fact of his standing up here and OPP
posing this measure. But he thought he
was wrong
As to the question of submitting it
to the vote of the people, many things
were done without being submitted 10
vote of the people. The gentleman
from Allegheny had just introduced
bill calling for a bond issue, and yet
not a man in this House had suggested
that that question be submitted to a
vote of the people. you can take the
peoples money, but you cannot deprive
them of their morning nip Moreover,
we had just elected a United States
Senator, and that was not submitted to
a vote of the people.
Mr.. Smith said that was provided by
the Constitution adopted by the people
themselves.
Mr.. Newland replied that this very
Constitution had been recently changed,
even so as to disfranchise some of the
people.
Mr.. Newland asked Mr.. Smith if he
had rot voted to gerrymandcr the town
of Wilmington and put white mayor
and aldermen in power.
Mr.. Smith referred Mr. Newland to
the Journal and then said that if he
had voted for it he had done so in order
to give the white people what they
wanted
Mr. Newland: Yes, and I stand now
for the wishes of a large part of the
white people of the State, and the good
women of the State. (Applause) |
would not give the "Trip of my finger for
any movement that the good women OF
the State were not back of" (Applause).
| Mr.. Newland then replied to the gen
| tleman from Yadlin by saying he did not
! believe, if the manufacture of liquor
should be forbidden the distillers, they
would consume the liquor in their own
! families, but would stop making it.
AS to politics, Mr.. Newland hoped
! that nc member of the House would
| vote from a political standpoint, but ac-
cording TO what he believed to be right.
| 1t was not political question at all. The
people were not going to so back on a
party that relieved them of a burden of
which they were intolcrably weary.
| Mr.. Newland closed with a powerfully
eloquent plea for the passage Of the bill.
MR.. MURPHEY'S SUBST.. Ute.
! MIR. Murphcy then sent forward his
! substitute bill, and stated that he WOULD
discuss it at length in the Committee of
the Whole. He merely said that his
substitute preserved to the people their
sacred and indisputable rights.
GENERAL BRYAN.
General Bryan sent forward an, amend
ment TO the Watts bill, to insert the
word monopolize" instead of "rcgu-
! late"
He said he wanted to speak on that
| section of the Constitution which SAID
/ that pcrpetuites and monop0lies were
| contrary to the sense of a government by
! the people. The title of the bill was a
misnomor. 1t did not regulate the traf-
| fic in liquor, but monopolized it.
He declared that the bill was not pro-
hibition at all, and that no one need
think he was voting for prohibition
when he was voting for this bill
AS to Wilkes, there were 16 whiskcy
distilleries, 10 of which were conducted
| by Democrats. He was here TO repre-
sent these men who had been branded in
the committee as pcrjurors.
| The eX-chairman of the Democratic
Executive Committee, W. w. Barber, had
told him there were 500 men who made
brandy. This bill would completely
ruin all these people.
He spoke of the fact that Wilkes made
| a great deal of liquor, but drank very
| little of it, selling it TO the prohibition
counties. This raised a laugh.
Another big laugh was raised when
General Bryan got to talking about the
churches and said they had good preach
| ing in the country still; while in the
towns and cities they "worshipped God
scientifically"
| He recalled the fact that Mr.. Watts
| had said that the bill was drawn up by
| Governor Aycock and Senator Simmons.
Continued on Sixth Page)
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