The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-08-14
WILMINGTON. n c.
TUESDAY AUGUST II 1906


The governor prefaced his remarks
by a few well directed words, express
ing his pleasure at being present in
the meeting. He also made a defense
of his position in regard to the liquor
traffic, and proceeded with a direct
attack. He objected to local option
on the ground tina the community will
not practice what it breaches, using
Wilmington as an example.
The above is a paragraph from the
Industrial News account of Governor
Glenn's address to the Friends at their
annual meeting at Guilford college last
Thursday.
We will be candid enough to admit
understand the meaning Of the gov
errors allusion to Wilmington in con-
nection with his remarks on local
option. We cannot see what grounds
he had for citing Il city as one COM
posed of people who do not practice
what they preach, unless it was con-
sidered an Opportune occasion to make
a fling at the people of the chief city
OF the state just because some two Or
three years CO., at a local option cleo
ton, when the question was "dispen-
sary or saloons, a majority of the
voters declared in favor of the latter.
Surely this city practices what it
breaches. On q question Of saloons or
d~ispensary its voters decided in favor
of the former and saloons have been
maintained here ever since. What does
the governor mean, then, by citing our
city as an example of the people not
practieing what they preach On this
question?
Again we say we can't see the point
of the remark. 1t is true Wilmington
has more saloons than any other city
in the state. 1t is also true that she
has the largest population Of any city
in the state, and because Of the fact
that she is 4 large seaport she has a
different local and transient population
from any other city in the state. There
is no other city in the borders Of the
state of like conditions. These facts
are not taken into consideration by
those people who delight to hold our
city up to public gaze and to the e
ecratiOn of many as the city with s.
many saloons.
Notwithstanding the fact that we
have so many saloons here, it cannO:
be successfully cOntradicted that our;
is one of the most orderly cities in the
state-much more so than some which
have, under local option, substituted
the blind tiger for the open and police,
regulated saloon.
Why should the governor have select.
ed our city out of the several in the
state which still have open saloons tC
audience? His speech in which he dc
this injustice to our city was made
very short while after he had been tC
WadesbOrO, where there are saloons
for the purpose Of aiding in the detec-
ton and prosecution of the men VIII
had taken part in one of the most law
state, and just three days after a moi
in the town OF Salisbury, where there
are saloons also, had defied the stat
and committed q triple murder at III
very gates of the court Of just &c. VIII.
did he not point to Il of these as II
example instead of to our city? No sucI
crimes as were committed in then
could ever be perpetrated in this city
This fact was demonstrated lSsS thd!
two years ago when u local militar.
company, by the display Of courage an
determination. individually. OF its of
ficers and men in the ranks, shove
that they knew what their duty wa
under such circumstances and that the
were ready 10 perform that duty at 1t
call of the state.
When Governor Glenn made tina
u~ncalled-for and un~warranted fling Il
the people OF Wilmington he u hav'
forgotten that the state was saved sue
a blot, as has been put upon it il
Wadesboro and Salisbury, by the coil
age and devotion to duty Of men in til
city which he holds up to public gaz
as one in which the people do no
practice what they preach.
The people of Wilmington preach Law
and order and submission to those il
authority and they practice it and en-
force the principle against any the-'
may be who are inclined to violat'
such principles.
Our remarks above are not intende;