The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-10-13
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1909.
Circulation Double That of Any
Other South Mississippi Paper
THE HARVEST TIME.

One or two killings day in Mem
phis, the wide-open city of Tennessee
usually does not attract much attan
ton. The murderers more often thar
otherwise are allowed to go Scott free
albeit some times they are sent to the
work-house for eleven months anG
Twenty-Five days. Recently, however
the murders are becoming a trifle toe
frequent, which moves the CONNER
cfal-Appeal, the whiskey organ for
West Tennessee to remark that this
killing business has got to stop. This
indiscriminate gun and dirk carrying
: has also got to stop"
Memphis is simply reaping as II
has sown. 1t has sown to the wide.
open town." and is reaping the fruits
OF the wide-open town. While other
towns were before the legislature
pleading for charters to rid them Of
the accursed liquor traffic, represent.
atives from Memphis stood on the
of the legislative halls, saying,
~, us alone; we want whiskey and
whiskey traffic; we want wide
zen town, and we want all who are
run out of these provincial villages
to come to us; we will open wide our
gates and receive them with wide.
open arms; let us alone; we are join
"ed to our idol, John Barleycorn, and
we do not want to be reformed" Not
in SO many words, but in substance
this.
Now Memphis is getting what It
wanted. Tennessee was voted dr..
and the cry went up, Memphis will not
obey the law. And all the touts and
gamblers, "gun and dirk" carryers
bootleggers and bunco steerers, rub
out of other towns and cities
where the law is being enforced, made
a bee line for Memphis And Mem
phis grew apace. And Memphis was
builded up. And there are today more
undesirable citizens" to the square
inch in Memphis. than in twice o.
three times the population of other
cities combined. And now Memphis
Is praying for deliverance.
But Memphis wants to be delivered
from the errors of it's ways, but not
from its ways. Memphis wants to
hold on to the sweets of sin, and yet
be delivered from the effects Of sir
Memphis wants to retain the liquor
traffic and yet be spared the daily
curse of the liquor traffic. Memphis
wants the reputation of being a wide
open town, for the trade it will bring,
but it does not want the scum of hui
manity which follows the flag of
widtsopen town. Memphis wants 20
stay Joined to its idol and yet be for.
given.
But that is something that cannot
be done.
AS We sow also shall We reap" is
as true of communities as it is of in
dividuals. Eye cannot serve two
masters" is another truism, apple.
able alike to the community and the
individual If any city advertises It.
self as wide-open town, it invites a
certain class of traders and home
seekers; but it cannot attract the
other class. There are people who
prefer to live in wide-open towns, and
there are people who prefer not to.
The same advertisement of a wide
open town will not, cannot, does not {
attract the two classes of people The t
'ums, boot-leggers, gun toters. dirk G
'arryers, will flock to a wide-open f
own; in droves they will go; and the n
frst move they make is, not so much
o change the laws or make the laws,
nut to elect men who will not enforce
hem. And then the killings begin; :
nd then crime Of all kind begins to =
multiply. And then the people--the !,
God people begin to cry out in their /,
RI