The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-16

| sented by Mr.. Wood contained many
names which were signed to the Pc
| tition under the mfsapprehenslonSlon
| that the distillers had agreed TO the
| increased tax, and that he had also
"a petition which had been signed by
/ a majority of the voters. He de-
| clared that the people were i'm favor
of the continuance of the stills and
| that the election which had been held
was as fair as elections usually are,
and that the people had voted by
large majority for the saloons. lie
contended that the increased tax
would be so burdensome as to require
| the distilleries TO close, and that the
| town without the revenue of the Stllls
would have TO forego improvements
which We're already under way and
would interfere with the schools OF
the town.
The Watts bill had been twice made
III issue in, Mcdowell. said he, III the
last election. 1t had been made an
issue In the convention. DR.. Nor
chew had become a candidate under
protest. He was opposed by Or.
Price, the president of the anti-salooh
ieague, because he had been PERSONAL
~, as nearly every other prominent
man in the town. a friend TO the liquor
men. No man ever made truer
fight, said he, than DR.. Morohew. The
regular Republican candidate nad
been beaten by the temperance peo-
pie trying to beat DR.. Morphew. Ihat
clement had put out an independent
candidate, who was a Republican,
former dis.iller put out of business
by the Watts law The Independent
had carried the temperance votes but
ne had pulled more votes from the
regular Republican candidate than
he had gained from the Democrats
md consequently DR.. Morphew)~W was
The only Democrat elected in the
county He charged that Mr.. Wood.
Who ran a Democratic paper had
voted for DR.. MorDheW at the end but
mad given him no support and had
not put his name up with the other
andidates at the top Of his paper.
Mr.. Pless stated several times that
ne was a prohibitionist personally ana
was fighting simply against the tax
| feature of the bill on behalf Of one
client TIe was asked whether he
| would favor the bill if the taxes were;
| eft as they We're. and finally said he
would be Indifferent but not in favor
! Of 1t as he did not think that the peo-
| pie wished to do away with the bar
| rooms: that they had settled that mat
| ter definitely at the election held I'M
| der the Watts act
Referring to his petition. Mr.. Pless
! showed that it was signed by the
| mayor. who is an elder in the Pres
| bvterian church" by the postmaster,
| the railroad agent. and a good class
of citizens.
Mr.. J. J. Neal. ex-sheriff spoke
against the BILL saying, that he had
| lived years in Marion when 1t was dry
and when it was wet and he could sec
| little difference in conditions. He. too.
| denied the charge that il vas q speci-
/ Ally corrupt place.
\ The committee was about to vote
/ the bill unfavorably when Mr.. Byrd.
who said that he represented the dis
| oilers, the wholesalers. the retailers
| and the graded schools, asked for and
/ got a hearing. He referred to condi-
tons prior to 1891 when the town
was full of blind tigers and there were
/ only seven hundred people in the
4 place, not bank a factory or a
school holding over four months. as
| against FIVE factories. two banks, q
| nine months grade school and fifteen
| hundred people. If the distillerlc3
were run out. said Mr.. Byrd. it would
! be necessary TO impose a tax of S1.5O
i on the 500 of property and $500 on
the poll. Mr.. Byrd was going on
finely into d peroration in which
/ Washington Lee, the declaration OF
| Independence the Spanish war and
! snow flakes on the mountains were
making a pretty il complicated picture
1 when one of his friends stopped him
/ to say that the committee had little
time and he bowed and stopped.
DR.. Price then smoke for the bill
and at the end OF his remarks. which
!! included a eulogv of DIR. MorpheW' 8
| democracy. Mr.. McNinch expressed
/ his sympathy for the advocates OF
the bill and offered to go to them al
any time in an effort to create pro-
hibition sentiment. He then re-
4 newed the motion for an unfavorable
report. which carried without a dis
senting voice.
An Oyster Cock tail.
4 The matter OF the increase In the
oyster tax, in which nothing was done
on account of the absence searching
for his boy OF Mr.. Beasley. was being
heard at the same time as the Marion
bill in another part of the Senate. the
speeches In that discussion &c some
times drowning the LIQUOR fight in vol
umn. Senator afterwards said tha'
1T was an "oySter cock tail
liquor on one side. oyster on other.
| FUNDS FOR HOLDING COTTON.