The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-05-07


auor town IN The state that does noi
seek to push is on&4nes~ mt" eNeE1
locality possible. The mails sre ftooi-
! I'd with the most ~ailuring ard ifaxiitns
I oTers soliciting orders And csHse-
o1~uTIx one liquor towu becomes a
I menace - the whole state.
Another reason why the traffic
should be- dealt w4th b. the State a. .
/ whole - because tas sale 81 liquor =
4 great moral question and one ihaf
the state can handle better fnan 2
1 single community. There * always IN
every community a class - the iqAoF
traffic effects which are silent anu
voiceicSz a. - removing IL from their
midst. VIZ the women and children.
often designing liquor men VIII spend
Earge sums Of money 70 corrupt voters
- carry a local election and the or
gained liquor dealers association VIII
combfne its efforts with millions OF
money to back those who desire IL
faSten the saloon upon the town or
community. NJ community can now
hght the liquor tram single handed
and alune-EIthout lighting a power
full organization behind il.
; Then again the state possesses
the lay-makIng power and has the
power Or the whole State with lis
courts. solicitors ana judges TO make
its laws effective. To say thai II
can not upp-eSs the liquor traffic 50
u IL fItA8aaAEa8Z6 a. fNfA~ ~ A++&N 1&8
not enforce lis laws are moral queS-
tions. H. To- say hat state government
Is q failure
4. Then again the state apar from
the national government. is the only
riehtful ~law-making and being
composed OF many counties, represents
tn sentiment Of a large area OF coun-
try. 1t therefore is the only body
that can submit a great constitutional
question To all the people d its
&c. : 80 Esa
nicipal organization which would
ignore or set aside the supreme viii
of all the people. is nothing short Of
anarchy. lawlesSneSs ana a violation of
the great principles Of Americanlsm
Of majority rule.
A. Then again the right Of n soNer-
eign state 10 pass upon a great moral
question which affects the whole State.
is by common consent conceded. The
state therefore regulates the question
Of marriage and divorce: the question
of poligamv or a plurality OF wives,
the question Of gambling and lotteries,
the question of marriage between the
races. of prize fights. bull fights, OBJ
scene exhibition, houses of prostitu-
ton, etc.
No municipaIitv or county has 4
right to settle for itself any Of these
great questions because they affect or
relate To the whole state.
The object or purpose Of prohibi-
ton is to protect its citizenship as
far as it can be done against II
business which ruins and corrupts he
morals Of its people.
To give to a community the right or
privilege to engaEe in anything that
is immoral for a tax consideration is
to put a premium upon laWlessneSs
and crime. Nc state can do this with
out lowering til" standard Of moral
right.
Since the people govern themselves
it is true that they may have a cor
rupt government, bad laws. and low
morals. Righteousness exalteth a
nation but sin is a reorOach to any
people" when the righteous rule
the people rejoice. but when the wick
ed rule the people mourn
The saloon has been denounced and
condemned by every religious body il.
the land. The State regards it as one
evil by putting upon it enormous tax
es and by the incorporation Of church
es. and schools. No other business
would stand the treatment given to
the liquor traffic. and when it opens
wide the door for the propagation of
the business it invites crime and the
corruption of the morals of its citi-
ZenShip. There is no safe nor sane
method of dealing with the liquor
traffic but to restrict it to proper and
legitimate uses. To grant to one
police regulated town what it refuses
TO another is to grant rights and priVi-
legeS to some which it refuses to 9TH
ers and necessarily soOner or later
Will create opposition to such q law.
For q father to give privileges to
one child which it withholds from an
other Will create q rebelliOuS attitude
to the fathers rule.
Some Objections Considered.
]. 1t is argued other States will ship
it into our borders. Why not there
4 QUO boz " t1o- a4 10000 III
fallacy of this inc Of argument is
seen on its face. Louisiana runs a
State lottery, why not let US have one
in North Carolina and keep the
money here?' Then again the State
can protect itself by taxing the rail-
mously for handling it. Texas taxes
the express companies with a $1,000
license tax.
The harder it is to get liquor the
less of it will be used. Then the state
can impose heavy penalties for selling
it and also hold the party responsible
for the damage it does as does the
law applying to Union county.
2. you interfere with the %individu-
than in many other things and other
ways. He may play the foo and kill
himSelf-he may become a counter
feiter or fOrger, a rObber a Wrecker
of trains. but he has no right to i'm
pose his and hellish business
upon other folks. Some folks Will do
wrong in spite of God, the State, so
ciety, law or what not, but let not the
State open wide the door for his
meanness. The law is not made for
a good man but for the lawieSS.' Shall
a great State 80 into copartnershIp
with Il business that is morally
wrong? There may be a few towns
for the sake of money who would sell
out its manhood and morality for gain
but it is only an evidence of the low
standard of its morals and Orpora-
tons must answer here to q higher
cour than human BE not partaker