The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1907-05-04
ANTI-PROHI
ARGUMENT
A NUMBER OF GOOD POINTS
THAT ARE WELL TAKEN
Reasons Advanced Why the Phohi-
bition Issue Should Not Be Voted
On This Sumrner-Direct Causes
of Prosperity in Other Cities

Editor Times
AS you have so generously opened
The columns of your valued paper for
the free discussion OF the whiskey
question on both sides of the argu-
ment. and as the prohis have Occur
pied so much space, / desire to say
few words on the opposite side of
the al absorbing question.
To my mind there are several reas-
ons why an election should not Be
called to decide this question in
Washington county this summer. AS
If IS State election year we will
have the two primary elections on
this one score, and city election
besides, and it costs a great deal of
money to hold elections Consider
ing this expense with the fact that
the next Legislature will make the
State as dry as a chip, this extra ex-
pense could very we'll be dispensed
with If we want to inaugurate any
public movement that calls for adj
ditional taxes, the great cry that is
at once raised is, we are heavily
burdened now and cannot stand this
extra expense. Why then, saddle
this extra expense on our people?
Many of the most conservative anti
prohibitionists believe that the next
Legislature will rule the whiskey traf
fc out of the State, and this belief
Is shared by all the prohibition;sts
The writer is not a sa1oonist; he
is III no way connected with the Ii
quor business, and wishes it under
stood by all your readers that the
sentiments expressed in this letter
come from a heart and mind that
IS as patriotic and true to Greenville
as is possible to be. We are told
by the active workers for prohibit
ton of the wonderful advances
that have been made by different
cities throughout the State since the
saloons have been ruled out of them,
and the advancement made has in
every instance been laid to the fact
that these towns and cities were
made dry, and the prohibitionists
would have us believe that the won
derful progress made by these diff
ferent cities could not have been ac-
comp1ishcd had the saloons been al
lowed to remain in them
But, really and truly, is prohibi-
tion the cause.
The writer believes not. Take any
of the cities named for their wonder !
full advances. Did they have the de.
when they went dry that |
they have now, and did these de |
come because they went
dry? Will a railroad extend its
cut off by going in a round about !
way the towns that are wet? No, I
and II has been the development of
the railroads, and not prohibition
that has improved these towns that
are so grandly declaring the good
results accomplished through proh;-
Dition. Take Greenwood. for an in
stance. and this instance will apply
gone dry. Sixteen years ago, when
his Gem City of the Delta went
Try did it have the railroad facilities
t has now? Did it have the connec-
ions with the outside world that it
las now? No fairminded man will
;ay that the railroads had nothing
20 do with this advancement made by
ler, and the railroads did not go to
Greenwood because it was dry
own.
The prohibitionists do not have a
word TO say about Gulfport, which
own has made more rapid advance
nent than any three of the towns
mentioned by them and Gulfport is as
vet as the water of the Gulf of Mex
co. Why has Gulfport made such
IN advancement? The answer is be-
,ause her railroad facilities and wat
r front have been improved at the
ost of thousands and thousands Of
Iolars, and prohibition or whiskey
las not been the cause of its rapid
.rowth. Why don't our prohibition
workers mention Gulfport? The
.cho repeats the question, why??
1t IS common runror on our
treets that some of our biggest and
most prominent planters are fighting I
or prohibition SO that they can rnE c
irritable blind tigers on their plan I
atoms, and keep their negro labor
rs at home. If prohibition rule
,revails we will not only have blind T t
igers IN our own city, but in the {
ounty as well. It is said that only {
II United States liquor licenses are {
ssued in Bolivar county. Only Az, \
ut what will be the number in Wash !
ngton county? Il
There is only one way to effectual-
prohibit whiskey and that Us to
top is manufactures We can, how +
YER, restrict the 'evil' by putting a J