Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1908-03-25
.A GREAT PROHIBITION RALLY.
Continued from page one.

SAOJ 1890 ~
now, regarded as one Of the strong.
holds of the liquor interest in this
State. I come also realizing
the efforts that have heretofore
been and are now being made by
the friends of temperance in
this city and county tc
throw off the bon d age OF
liquor domination under which
they have been living for SC
many years. And before begin.
ming my argument I desire
to express to these friends
my sympathy and appreciation
for the honest and earnest Ell
deavors on their part in this be-
half. I ask again to be permitted
to say that on both sides of the
contest that is now being waged in
this State between the advocates
of the cause of temperance and
those opposed thereto that, I have
friends whom I honor, respect
and love and am glad to claim as
my friends, and in'the discussion
of this question here and else.
where I promise to say nothing
Intentionally that will wound the
feelings of any of them. What I
shall have to say may give offense
to some who are opposed to my
views but 1 feel suae that no one
who, honestly %entertains views
different from mine on this mat
ter, will have good reason for tax
ing offense at anything that I
shall say.
[ regard the question of prohi-
bition as one of the most impor-
tant, if not the most important
question, that the people of this
generation will be called upon to
decide and further believe a deci.
sion by the people against prohi-
bition will vitality affect the
moral welfare of our people fer
years to come. :
1t is important in the first place
that we should clearly understand
the issue that we are called upon
to settle. The friends of prohibi-
tion regard the liquor traffic as an
evil and that the people of the
State are responsible for it's exis-
tence. They regard it as an enc:
my to the State, to the church
and TO the home, and believing
this they contend that the sale
and manufacture of liquor should
no longer be legalized by the State
but that both should be prohibit
ed. The opponents of prohibi-
tion, while conceding that the
liquor business is an evil, contend
that its sale and manufacture
should not be absolutely prohibit
ed but that it should be regulated
by law inlsuch a way that the least
harm will result therefrom. In
other words, the advocates and
opponents of the liquor buiness
agree that it Is an evil, but they
disagree as to what the remedy
should be. On party says, pro-
hibit it, the other regulate it and
these contentious as to the proper
remedy to be applied raise the
issue which the people Of the
State will he called upon to settle
by ballot at the next election.
AS the issue relates to a ques-
ton which is admitted to be anevil
it is necessarily a moral and not a
political question and, as we are
informed, the people everywhere
80 regard it, and as a result there
of we find arrayed upon both sides
of the question men from the diff
ferent political parties Of the
State.
1 desire to remark in the first
place that if we are right in con-
GLIDING that this is a moral ques.
ton then either the advocates of
the prohibition bill arewrong or its
opponers are wrong, for it is i'm
possible for both to be right, [
desire further to say that if this
lie a moral question then it must
be settled and can be settled only
in the forum of the conscience, a
conscience enlightened by inves-
tigation, by study, by reflection.
by mature elaboration and by
prayer. Behind every ballot cast
in this election there should stand
an approving conscience. Being
a moral questian no man has the