The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1908-03-14
Constitutional Prohibition Amendment
Defeated in the Senate.

amendment came to a vote in the
State Senate Wednesday and was
defeated on its first reading by q
yeas to 19 nays; two-thirds being
necessary to. its passage. The
amendment had. successfully pass
ed the House by the required ma
jority on three several days, in
spite of an unexpected and stub
born opposition by small minor
ity, but the main opposition was
concentrated in the Senate, where
the membership was smaller, with
the. above result.
The chief blame for the final
defeat of the amendment was due
to Prohibitionists on the outside
of the Legislature, rather than to
opposition from the liquor forces
or to recalcitrant legislators, and
the chief dereIict among the out
side Prohibitionists was the new
State Prohibition Executive Com
mittee, appointed by Gov. Noel on
Jan. 81, which was never called
together, never held a meeting or
conference at any time to consider
means or plans for insuring the
passage of the amendment or any
other measure pending before the
Legislature, which the old State
Committee and the State Prohibi-
tion Mass Meeting held at Jack
son Jan. 9th had approved, and
which otherwise and generally neg
lected the important service that
such committee might have rem
dered by organization, concert of
action and earnest effort.
1t is not to be wondered at th at
the liquor interests, which threw
up the sponge and retired from
the field as to both Statutory and
Constitutional Prohibition soon
after che Legislature organized,
should have rallied again later and
taken advantage of this lethargy
and Indifference on the part of the
duly accredited representatives OF
the Prohibition organization, and,
after the long and needless delay
of the vote, by the assistance of
ten or a dozen Senators who had
voted for the Statutory Prohibition
bill, succeeded in defeating the
amendment for the present ses-
sion.
Had the Prohibition organiza=
tion of the State had a good, act
i've advisory or steering committee
at Jackson, to keep in close and
constant touch with the true
friends of Prohibition in the Sen
ate and in the House and with the
Prohibitlonists of the State ON the
outside, they would have sec ured
every thing they asked of this
Legislature and gotten it several
weeks ago.
TIE Leader has no censure or
harsh criticism of the Legislature
for what it has done or not done,
on the Prohibition question, not
even of those members who voted
against submitting the amend
ment. Under the circumstances
recited above and considering the
many other important quetlons
demanding the time and attention
of its members, it has done about
all for Prohibition at this session
that any reasonable Prohibitlonist
could expect, and deserves the
thanks and commendation of every
friend of temperance and lover of
law and order in the state.
The vote on the Prohibitio n
amendment in the Senate was re-
corded as follows:
Ayes: Adams, Bailey, Bilbo,
Breland, Burrus, Bush, Cunning
ham, franklin of Dist, Gibbs,
Leftwich, Mahon, Mcdowell, Nc
Gehee, Mcmillan, Owen, Pollard,
Price, Rowan, Sample, Sanders
and Seawright. Total, 81.
Nays: Anderson, Baird. Banks.
Darden, Dean, Engle, Franklin o1
25th, Harrell, Hebron, Key, Lo-
gan, Mcdonald, McLaurin, Pot
ter, Simpson, Simmons, Vance.
West and Whitman. Total, 10.