The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-10-16
.,rIclL NTTITuDE ON TEN
kNpi.,.r II UYPOCRITICAL.

.##F -
...,.Qce and temperance
IT'S attitude is one Of Any
"- ...-.\otes. Something over
.-. there was a great contest
at- ... ~ shut up the saloons
" ...rtain metropolis. 1t was
..~-.st as had been Waged
..... fv temperance forces in
wilson. Greenville, Kinston
a .-f.ces and had the support
,lae whO stood against the
.r. IfQuOr traffic. 1t was a
.-. which men ought to have
.#-.r convictions and to have
... consideration of political
t .. IL. enter. The Democrats
....ffun divided according
...-5lffons. Those who be
..- best to nave saloons voted
and those who believed the
--a.rl be closed voted to close
There was no attempt on the
..rE Democrat to make it 4
question or to gain political
-herefrOm. At the outset
...- contest two or three leading
.....4n- in Asheville joined hands
49,. tho temperance forces to secure
..4 r,.rt the saloons, but when cleo
.l.t. came it was found h a the
...rrfeane machinery of the whole
.r had been actively at work on
.. side Of the saloons, and the Re
..1r.4u vote was cast almost solidly
sine continuation of saloons in
..t..fH4. This was not done because
any convictions which the Repub-
....n leaders had One way or another,
.r~ as they saw hat the Democratic
..mb4rs of the legislature from Bum
gamble We're advocating the closing
f-4I41n~. they thought it was q good
.r.orunitv to make political capita,
for the party by joining hands with
the saloon people. With such a com
ffra+ion. and a divided vote on the
,ar- of the Democrats and a solid
Republican vote for saloons, the sa-
..ous won. The Republicans soon saw
that they had made a political mistake
nv Joining hands with the saloon men
in Asheville. No political party in
North Carolina has yet found
it to be a paying investment in any
community to permanently line itself
UP with the saloon forces.
A year passed by. The time for
The campaign of 1906 rolled round,
and what do we find h Republic
cans in Buncombe county doing?
Finding that the sentiment among the
country voters even in their own party
was hostile to the attitude they had
taken on the liquor question in the
city Of AsheViIle st year when they
We're tools and agents of the saloons.
they Jumped clear off the track and or
the purpose of trying to gain votes
from the temperance people they de-
earpl i'm their count convention in
favor of submitting the question of
whether there should be saloons in
Asheyille to the vote of all the people
IN Bunc0mbe county. thus taking away
from AsheVille the right to determine
its policy as to the liquor question
and transferring it to the whole
county. There are some good men in
Buncombe county who believe that the
FtgA' t'01bS "
IN the matter of the liquor traffic in
the whole county, in Asheville as we'll
as elsewhere. and it was with a view
to induce these people, some of whom
ara Democrats, to vote the Republl-
can ticket that this new policy was
adopted. It is gratifying to know
that this transparent scheme of hypo-
afA- 1 1870 vol tnl1n
perance man in BuncOmbe county.
II by any misfortune the Republican
nominees for the Legislature could win
upon this new issue there is no as
surance that they would even try
H. do what was promised. 1t is posi-
lively certain that nine-tenths of the
Republican politicians in Buncombe
would sell out the country temperance
people to the city saloon people if
.h"y saw there was any political adj
vantage in so doing just as they did
d Year ago in the anti-SalOOn election.
lArE declare one day in Buncombe
mat they cannot abide anything eX-
1egt open saloons. that it is the only
solution. and they used their whole
L0.tt ItiCnlnefy 10 lie
power Of the saloons. On another
oaE IN another county they denounce
Democrats for shutting up saloons
ana make their appeal entirely on the
7I9uhd that if they got power they
would repeal the Watts Bill and per
""l stills and saloons to operate il
every cove and valley n village il
"'7 state, and, presto change, about
."7 lme Won think you are finding
'"j Where they stand they come out
I'D Buncombe county. and declare
''- Jney are not only opposed tc
.''''hS in Asheville, but they are ir
'+'9f Of giving the voters of the re
"'o country districts the right to
10y whether they shall exist o. not
In the county seat.
with such dishonest and dishonor-
'''e methods of dealing with this
"'Idl question. is it surprising that
' ''4E Of voters in the State has
."S confidence in the Republican
+"@, In GuilfOrd and in Randolph