The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-01-30

ulSpensary and restriction, at once, and
tnat therefore there would be no result
IL ne had known what was in the bill
ne would have known that the bill speci-
hes that the election shall be on either
one OF these propositions.
Theer was one statement that had
gone all over him, and that was that the
men mad been deceived who had been
asked to support the constitutional
amendment. He would ask if any of
those men were sorry they had voted for
the amendment. (Applause).
Another point. These very men who
now oppose the bill, were lukewarm in
their support of the amendment because
they feared this very thing. (AppIause)
But some say the bill does not secure
prohibition, and therefore there is no use
| in it. But if man can not he nerfect
that is no reason he should not be good.
They said it was unconstitutional. be-
cause it specified Incorporated towns and
Disseminated against the country. But
Missouri had passed a bill and it had
stood the test, that no liquor should he
sold outside of incorporated towns of
2,500
AS to the argument that it was undem-
ocratic because it did away with local
self-go government. But the State does not
leave each township it prosecutes murder
cases and other criminal cases.
One of these gentlemen here said that
it would drive out the dispensary from
small towns. But. if it did, it would
give thees towns prohibition, and that
was still better.
He did not believe the Democratic par
ty would be disrupted if it were to pass
this London bill in toto. Let us see. 1t
is generally admitted that the men en-
gagged in liquor business in the county
are not Democrats. Then the towns Is
it going to disrupt the Democratic party
for the people of the towns to say how
it shall be there? (Applause) That is
a Democratic doctrine.
The Democratic party has always been
found fighting for the rights of the peo-
pie. (Applause) and l say that if the
Democratic party allies itself with the
great moral forces that are back of this
movement, that the Democratic party can
be disrupted (Applause).
When the Governor of this State. elect
ed by the Democrats, has come but as he
has, when all the high officials of the
State, elected by the Democratic vote
express themselves as they have done
and when the leading Democratic daily in
the State has come out as it has. (Ap-
plause), l say the party has gone too far
to take backward step. Great applause).
Mr.. Simms then told a very amusing
anecdote of an old colored church deacon
who was told that there were so many
collections taken in his church it was
feared it would burst the church. He de-
clared he had never seen church bust
ed by taking up too many collections, and
said if he ever saw the ruins of one that
had bust" in this way. he would sit
upon them and sing: BLESSED am de de
dead dat died in de Lord"
80 1 say" continued Mr.. Smms, that
if by any impossible chance this move
ment should kill the Democratic party,
BLESSED is the party that died in the
right.
do you believe that Charles 3. Ay-
cock would favor such a movement, if it
meant the ruin of his party? Do you be-
lieve F. NJ Simmons would? Do you be-
lieve our great Democratic daily, whose
very life the Democratic party is, would
take the stand it has taken?
"No! Instead of doing anything to ruin
the party, they have hailed the dawning
of the brightest day that ever has been
seen in the history of North Carolina"
(Applause).
Mr.. w. T. Dortch: do you say the
News and Observer advocates the London
BILLY"
Mr.. Simms: mot in name"
Mr.. Dortch repeated his question and
Mr. Simms replied: at advocates the
election of men who do want it, CAD
plause).
Mr.. Henry A. Page, of Aberdeen, said
he would confine himself to one feature
of the question. Country distilleries, he
said, had been much lauded, but in his
county, where there We're no saloons in
the country, there was an enormous
amount of drinking and Grim Elm the
country.
He had never heard until he came here
this afternoon of a distillery that obeyed
the laws Of the land. (Applause).
His fifteen-year- old boy had received a
letter from a distiller in his county of
fering four full quarts of year-old
rye whiskey for $3.50.
He told several cases of terrible dcgre-
dalton, and horrible deaths due to the
sale of liquor in his own community.
The distillery, uncontrolled by law and
unregulated, was the murderer in these
cases.
Mr.. w. A. Dunn. of Halifax. said he
was an attorney, but did not come as the
paid representative of any body of men,
because the case he represented needed
no paid representative Not all tn money
in the world could induce him to come
here in behalf of the liquor interests.
He had been a Democrat all his life,
and he believed that the Democratic par
ty was in line with this great moral SEN
timent of this best element.
l voted when l was fifteen years of age;
We learned that in Halifax county. And
want to tell you that don't believe this
movement is going to hurt the Demo
cratic party.
You heard that the constitutional
amendment would hurt the party in Hal
flax But did you hear from Halifax
county in the last election? If you did
not, you We're deaf. Did you hear from
Halifax county when it rolled UP a ma
jority of 5000 for the constitutional
amendment, although the county is nom
inally Republican by majority of 5000