The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1908-04-23
SOME PLAIN WORDS.
EaiEcr Poe, Of Progressive Farmer,
Writes a Strong Letter.
IN INSULT TO THE FARMERS RESENTED
fha farmers Will Net Take The Place
Gi lsnsran, Negroes for the
W;,ishey People.

made to State prohibition in North
Carolina, but there is cne matter
about which I can no longer keep
silent, and which, it may be as we'll
hat must emit from my review,
as am less inclined to treat it dis
passionately.
| refer to the statement which
liquor dealers have made over and
ever again. in substance if not in
words:
"The strength Of the liquor inter-
ests is in the country. We admit
that you prohibitionists will carry
the towns, but we are going to
sweep the rural districts. We used
to have the negro TO stand by wh;s-
key and save it in every election, bu!
while we haven: got the negro any
longer. we have got the farmer ano
We are banking Gil him to take the
negroes place"
This is the claim, farmers of North
Carolina. that the liquor men have
made from the beginning Of this
campaign. What do you think of it?
What of this studied and oft-repeat-
ca insnls-that the farmers, the III
.eiiigent country people of North
Carolina. belong body and soul to
the whiskey sellers. and may be
counted upon to step into the poor.
ignorant, venal ncaro's shoes as the
great refuge and standby of the
liquor instesests?
For this reason, il for no other,
tie farmers Of the State should re-
double and then redouble again their
efforts in behalf Of prohibition. Let
the country vote be so decided, so
overwhelming, that never again will
friends and hirelings of the saloon
,iare insult the sturdy farmers of
the Old North State by such a re-
lection upon their manhood and
:.lair honor.
# was the farmers of North Caro-
ina who won immortal renown at
AecklenburE Court House. 1t was
the farmers Of North Carolina who
gave to Alamance and Moorc's Creek
and Kings Mountain their undying
fame. It was the farmers of North
Carolina largely in the Civil War
who won for North Carolina the
glory Ct being FIRST at Bethel and
last at Appcrattox." To say the
sons Of such aires have now de-
generated into the willing slaves of
saloon keepers and whiskey interests.
and that they may be counted on to
take the negro's place as the tool
and cats paw Of these Inen-this is
a SANDER, which, Is their spokes-
,.lan, | can not too bitterly deny nor
appeal to them too strongly to hurl
back at its originators.
A few months ago stood on the
Old battle ground at Lexington,
Mass, and saw the statue OF the
nloughman there that marks the
spot
Where once the embatt,.d farmers stood
And fred the shot heard round the world"
To the farmers of North Carolina
| would nov appeal to repeat the
deed of their fellows in Massachu-
sets a hundred years ago and more.
4 worldwide movement is now OIL
against internperance and its powers
Of darkness. On the other side of
-artl. the Celestial Empire of China
is making q determined, heroic effort
10 shade off the CALLING chains Of the
opium habit, one the worst forms of
;,itemperance. In far-away England
lie Growth Of temperance sentiment
IS only less pronounced tran here.
II, cur own land, North, South, East
and West are agitated as never be-
iore.
But North Carolina, remember, is
the first State in the present tenn
perance revival to vote by ballot on
prohibition. In ali the other States
the question has been decided by
lerisiative act, and now the whiskey
interests are claiming that North
Cardinals vote will show that the
people, that the country people, are
not behind theis movement Of their
headers. North Carolina, therefore,
is the touch-stone. Its voice is
eagerly awaited in all parts of Amer
lea, the reverberation may even
reach to Europe and Cathay. and if
orr rural population will but exert
itself to the utmost, it may be said
Of North Carolina in 1903 as it was
of Massachusetts, in ITS, that
Here once tic embattied farmers stood
And fred the shot heard round the world"
Seen in its large significance,
therefore, the May Goth election af-