The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1904-02-12

awhile the vote IL the Nississip
III Hous,. ON the question OF the
submission Ter the electors OF n
prohibition amendment TO the
Constitution shows a majority oil
- To 80, it still falls short OF the
two-thirds majority required. IL
/. true that the vote is not wholly
test one. and lhe PrUhibItionisis,
il il predicted. will secure large
-r support on the final test. None
the less the sentiment in Jackson
now seems TO he that the amend
n.nt will fail. 1t will certainly
not fail without very lively strng-
gle. "a both sides are very determ-
med and active.
The matter il watched with the
deepest interest throughout the
Southwest. for no state OF this
section has shown itself recently
more a leader in legislation than
Mississippi. 1t has taken the lead
and set the example in the most
important political movement OF
the day. To il We owe the suffrage
laws which have got nd OF the
dangerous illiterate negro vote.
Under the leadership Of Senator
George, il established a new suf-
frag- system, followed by Louisi-
ana. the two Carolinas. Virginia
aud AIabama Its poll tax pro-
vision has been adopted by all
these States, and even by Texas,
and while il can not claim TO be
the inventor of the primary, il is
largely responsible for the new
and improved methods which have
brought the primary into so much
greater favor in the Southwest.
In the matter of prohibition also
ii has been leader, and the avs
tenn of local opinion adopted In
Mississippi has been extended FUR
ther than in any other State and
has accomplished more in the way
Of suppressing the sale Of liquor
than even Maine has been able to
with the most stalwsrt State pro-
hibition law horne on it's statute
book for nearly seventy years.
Local option in Mississippi has
spread To Louisiana and Texas
and won over 10 the cause OF tenn
p-rance over hundred counties
and parishes ia those States. In
Mississippi itself sixty seven of lie
sevsnty-fve counties have stopped
the sale of liquor. II is TO reach
the eight obstinate counties that
the prohibition amendment is pro-
posed. 4
There are among the Prohibit
ionists many who doubt the wis
dom Of the amendment, and point
To the experience of other States
in the matter. The rule every
where has been the same-when
the people of community favor
prohibition there is no difficulty /
in enforcing it. but where there IL !
opposition and il IL forced on them |
il requires even greater power
than the State possesses u accom- |.
pIish any good result. This y the
experience Of Maine. which has
been followed by prokibition will
o'.the wisp for more than half q
century, making its punitory laws
stronger and severef with every
year, YET. accomplishing yery>little
good. and only spesmodically. So
complete was the failure u the
law in Vermont that the Republi-
can party split on the issue. and
prohibition has been modified
there after many years trial.
Kansas, Iowa and other States re-
port tho same failure. Prohibition,
il has been found, can be enfoTced
only With the greatest difficulty
and al the expense Of other eQunl-
ly important matters. 1t takes the
entire energy % the State " keeRAI
the barrooms cIueel = d. "a run3
down "blind tigers" and the. Law
officers find all their time taken I
up in this work, 70 the saorilioe Of
other equally important matters.
Moreover, the Issue olQost iaevft-
ably becomes mixed upEwith poll
tics which il always = misfort-
une, for there ere NO HnaavE i0-1'
poTtaRk i2pee before. thesnpQple tpl
have &6l4p6 tooo -
" or inrohisf. uast tnaooon1n3o3
4 III =