The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-04-17
WILL STAND BY WATTS LAW.


enacted by the last Democratic General
Assembly? Since the Morning Post, in
spired thereto by selfish liquor and other
Interests, has opened war upon the Watts
law, this question has become a pertinent
| one. The Windsor Ledger of this week
says:
"We were asked the other day what
would be the attitude of the Democratic
State convention on the subject of the
Watts bill The man who undertakes to
| speak for that body assumes great deal
| 1t will do its own thinking and acting.
But we will be much disappointed if the
convention does not endorse that meas
| ure, We do not believe it will weaken
1T. 1t may strengthen it. That is our
opinion and our prediction"
One thing ought to be plain to every
Democrat: Whether wise or not. consid-
cred from political point of view, the
Democratic Legislature enacted the Watts
law, in response to the petitions of tens
CT thousands of Democratic voters. They
thereby incurred the ill-will Of the rev
enue-doodles, distillers who ran little hell
kettles in mountain coves and out-of-the
way places, rural saloon-keepers, and
their hackers and supporters. Prior there
to, with few exceptions, the little distill-
ers, nearly all of whom violated the in
ternal revenue laws, had been converted
into a cchort Of Republican bush whack-
ers Those interested in such liquor bust
ness arc already mad with the Democrats.
If the party tries to buy them back by
promising to repeal the law, by straddling,
by compromising, by stultifying itself,
what will be the result, viewed now. sole
ly from the standpoint of vote getting?
It vii! lose more votes from the temper
ance element than it would gain from dis
tilers, saloon-keepers and their sympa-
, thizers. Then why should the party
commit disqualification for nothing?
But there is a higher ground than mere
| ly getting votes, important as that is. No
party can long remain in power unless it
has character. Parties are like individuals.
They cannot be ''wshy- washy' and main
| lain the respect of the voters. After ma
| ture consideration, upon the initiative of
some of the wisest party leaders in the
| Then was the time for its opponents to
speak out, and SOME true Democrats did
earnestly oppose it. But when the ma
ljority spoke, they acquiesced in majority
rule. That's Democracy. The law was
based upon a sound principle-one that no
body need feel called unon to apologize
than justified the expectations of its
friends and has produced none of the re-
suits feared by it's opponents. In fact
NEARLY all who at first opposed it. now
leither believe the law was wise or favor
giving it a fair trial. 1t is justified by its
Operations. Why should anybody wish to
repeal it or change it?
There is division of opinion in North
lCarolina among good men as to the best
way to regulate the liquor evil. In Raj
leigh, for example, there are good Demo
crats hostile to prohibition and to dispen-
sary regulation. They think bars with
thigh license preferable. But if there is
one, not interested in the whiskey bust
ness or seeking to get UP ''hullabaloo''
for some Interior purpose. who favors
Iinfhcting saloons and stills upon people
in Wake county, who have no police pro-
4 l..ctTn ho hoe, Iyr,,f ,aA Tl,n
Watts law does not stand for prohibition,
for dispensaries, for license 1t forbids
making OF selling liquor except in places
| where police protection is afforded, and as
10 such places it RENTS the policy entire
| " to the vote Of the people. Is there any
thing wrong about that? Under the
| watts law, Washington has saloons,
Gol6sboro prohibition, and Raleigh a dis
| persary. The people in these police-pro-
| tccted places have settled the matter as
they chose under the Watts law as pro-
| yided by Democrats.
Let the Democratic party declare that
| it will take a back-stcp in this progressive
legislation, and in every neighborhood and
school house and church there will thun-
der indignant protests from the good peo
pie OF the State. They are terribly IN
Earnest in their resolve to mitigate the
whlskey evil, and they will brook no at
tempt to permit the establishment of
It'll and saloons away from police protec
ton, where their children are tempted to
jecome drunkards
There will be no step backwards. Re
orms do not go in that direction and
his Is the mightiest reform that has
ouched this good State in a generation
We are proud that the Democratic Leg;s-
ature showed the wisdom and the virtue
20 enact it, We are glad to believe that
t has the courage and civic Righteousness
! o stand for it against all assaults, no mat
or from wha+ source. If it loses some
yotes thereby, so be it. 1t viii gain from
| sther sources. Help and dehverance viii
ome" from those who put the safety OF