Mexico weekly ledger., 1908-02-13
TEMPERANCE IN TENNESSEE
The story Of Psg-Lsg Dawkins and
Els cOnstitutisnal Rights tOla
in Graphic style.

Referring 10 the overwhelming SEN
timent in Tennessee against saloons
the saturday Evening Post says:
The slste has been wiped so clean in
Tennessee that little can be done ex-
cept to write the obituary, pronounce
the customary eulogies an6 carve the
epitAph. Let no upkindly word be
said. De mentuis nil MIST bonum.
Better than any man 10 Tennessee
Peg-leg Dawkins knows how this Gala
NIFTY occurred. All Of IL he saw, much
OF IL be q Peg-leg drove a thriving
trade in the Turkey Trot Precinct
until that cranky legislature Of 1871
passed q fool law which prohibited sa-
looms within four miles Of incorporat-
ed schools outside OF chartered towns
This invasion Of personal liberty Peg
leg resented bitterly. He announced
that the law was demonstrations, and
he "ht It." Hesold whIskey mesrily,
In spite OF Turkey TFot Academy,
and argued the folly OF sumptuary
laws. BE stood ~ sQuarely on bis
constitutional rights as a one-legged
mrn could stand on anything. And his
little lawyer advised him that the Su-
preme Court would never sanction the
repeal OF Magma Charta. This sound
ed reasonable to Peg-leg.
But a preiudiced jury convicted
him, In spite Of his lawyer, and utter
ly regardless Of q misspelled word in
the Indictment. The whole proceed
ing wa shametul-and Peg-leg always
maintained that somebody corrupted
the Supreme Judges to decide against .
him. His lawyer advised that they
could never put him In jail-"that,s :
what the writ OF habeas corpus is for. q
But they are a-doln' It," complained ,
Peg-leg. And the lawyer had TO admit ?
that much. p
Wen sue 'em for damages.n q
- that said Peg-leg. l..
Sixty days is q long time to spend in !
Jail, especially when a horse-thief in !,
the next cell kept suggesting to Peg.
leg that he had better climb up on his
constitutional rights again. u
When Peg-leg got out be moved his
'alOon-exactly four miles and three !.
inches from the Academy. Then be
bis eye and remarked that she a,
NEW a thing or two, hi
This did very well until a bunch OF
laYseeds took a notion to set up a sa
chool on the other side Of him. And N
be worst Of 1t was they hired q little
Ilue-eyed Miss from Nashville to come IN
own to teach the children. IAN it nv
ooked like every blamed fool in the NJ
ounty went plum crazy about them en-
anglin' ribbons e'her'n, and that h
inkY little hat she wore" l..
Teacher had to pass bis place every CO.
corning. She hurried By on the other {
de OF the road and kept her eyes up- tw
the ground. Some sparkin' young tn
Hers. began keepIn' her company and diC
e her past my place in safety" IL
oked awfully funny to Peg-leg for a ros
bile. lee
One morning two Of his best Gus haI
'mers lounged in and remarked, mo
Wall Peg-leg, we reckon you had cal
'en shut up shop; 'twon't do fer bus
iss PearlF 10 be a.seein', all OF Da
ese drunken niggers settin' aroun' be
- - /,
Il was here fust-" Peg-leg OBJ pas
tied. e
Don't make no difiunce-the law No,
MT say nuthin' bout which one ord
9 here fust-you're in less'n four on.
lies O. that school, and you got to Is
Ia,
MY lawyer say ali,
See here, Peg-leg, better not stand Dun
your constitutional rights-you poll
ne tried that oncet. Moreover, con- SO
buttons amt no good in this settle gest
ef they NEEDLES with Miss Pear now
5 school. You gotter git.n ton
got. he got a surveyor to TO b
ate him . place in a thickly-settled IT
ghborhood where no school could Mr..
with bis constitutional ever
hts. Then he set to work building ed d
o q shanty. take
he very next day some NEEDLE We
fellows come along and began Pc
asuring Of the ground right beside fscir
shanty, and driving down a stake arou
zee corner 81
WHISKY ile brings business re- brew
rked Peg-leg affably. "WeII have best
'wn here after q while.n tain
.ho WILL" the man answered. ST
What kind o. store you goin' TO gasp,
az" asked Peg-leg. keg |
Amt goin' to be no sture-goin' to him
schoolhouseithe trustees Of Happy ID
low has been thinkini about it fer actio
q spell" drive
sg-leg hustled OF to see bis lawyer. tne I
said a lot about sfnjunctlonsn sure
9nand.uosaas, uN them