The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-20
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Richmond News-Leader writes that
paper that Liquor legislation in North
Carolina is killing the Democratic
party" and that 1.-The trend of poll
teal affairs is unpleasantly and
ominously like it was in 1892. when
the Populist movement began to
gather strength" The writer is evil
denly a Republican, for he closes his
article as follows:
AT that time the Democrats had
been in power for twenty-five years,
and they had become drunk and de-
bauched with their long-continued
domination of the State in every de-
partment thereof, and by their legis-
lation and the establishment of rings
and combines at every court house,
and their utter disregard of the rights
of the people, they caused a revolution
and in 1894 the fusion of Republicans
and Populists carried the State by
$1,000 majority
He bases his prediction upon a re-
fact that whereas the Democrats in
1892 had become drunk and de-
bauched" now they have become so
sober and so devoted to temperance
that they, are to be swept out by
like tidal wave. The causes that are
TO "kill the Democratic party are: l.
The Watts act 2. The Ward act; 3.
The Union county local act which
has very stringent provisions enforc-
ing prohibition laws; 4. The action of
the Raleigh Aldermen in refusing to
call an election upon the petition or
men who are not legally qualified to
vote if an election We're called. The
next step toward the "killing" is to
come in the fight to defeat the re-
election of Senator SimTons because
he is the author of both these acts
Ward and Watts laws), but the cor
respondent is candid enough to say
1.-THE weakness of the opposition lies
i'm the want of leader who will make
the fight AS to senatorial contest,
If either or all of the distinguished
gentlemen who have been named as
probable opponents of Senator SIM
mons should enter the race, how
would that kill the Democratic
party? All are good Democrats,
standing upon the Democratic plat
form. and the party will not suffer
whether Mr.. Simmons is reelected or
some other good man is chosen.
The correspondents contradicts him.
self as to predictions of repetition OF
4 he
IF Senator Simmons can force his
opponents into the position of oppo-
sition to the temperance people ana
their warfare on liquor and the IL
o,,or interests, he will be reelected
without any serious trouble
If the temperance legislation is as
strong as thus Indicated how can 1t
contain the seeds of Democratic de-
feat of the same sort that defeated
the Democratic party in 1894? There
was real difference of opinion among
Watts act but the minority accepted
it and most of them have come TO
approve it, The same thing is true
of the Ward act If the correspond
ent is correct in his figures, wisdom
is justified of her children" and these
acts have done more good than their
supporters dared to hope. He writes:
Before the passage of the Watts
law there was an average OF hfteen
hundred whiskey distilleries in this
State After the passage of the watts
law the number of distilleries imme-
diately decreased to two hundred and
fifty; and since the passage or the
Ward law there are not more than one
hundred distilleries throughout the
State"
That is a record that is the crown
ing glory of this legislative decade IN.
North Carolina! And yet in the face
of this progress and betterment, a
correspondent tells the Virginia peo-
pie that this legislation is going to
cause a revolution like that seen in
1894 and the Democratic party is to
be corpse Folks who know the real
sentiment of North Carolinians re-
gard such Jeremiads as absurd. To
any Virginians, who may be planning
to come over to attend the funeral,
we give this word: Stand at the head
of the corpsei 1t is liable to kick into
kingdom come all who would SO far
forget their personal safety as to
take a stand near the heels of that