The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1909-11-04
KILLING THE BLIND TIGER.
Rev. R. l. Davis Speech in The Baptist
Church Sunday Night.

Rev. R. L. Davis, Superintendent
of the North Carolina Anti-Saloon
League, spoke at the Baptist Church
Sunday night to a crowded house;
the Methodist and Baptist congrega-
lions uniting for the service. He
read his lesson, the first seven verses
of the thirteenth chapter of Romans,
using the fourth verse as his text:
But if thou do that, which is evil,
be afraid, for he beareth not sword
in vain, for he is the minister of
God, a revenger, who executeth
wrath on him that doe tn evil.
Mr.. Davis said in part, that under
the divine constitution to civil gov
erment every officer is minister of
God for the punishment of the evil
doer; that for to night, he wanted
to call the attention of the audi
ence to the existance of one evil
doer alone, namely the blind tiger
that his character is that of a bad
citizen, breathing the spirit of re-
bellion and anarchy, and in his nature
devoid Of the principle Of citizen
ship that goes to make up a true
democratic government; he is properly
classified with the horse thief and
safe cracker-that the Bible enjoins
all agencies to kill him. Governments
are ordained, courts established and
officers paid for this very purpose
Mr.. Davis also paid his respects to
the citizen, who patronized the blind
tiger, saying that only depraved citl-
zens would aid and abet such a one
in his lawless business by buying his
liquor, and that one trouble with the
enforcement of the prohibition law
was that too many people love liquor
to the extent that they would de-
bauch their manhood by buying it
from the blind tiger.
He further stated that an enlight-
ened, patriotic, liberty-loving cit
izen will oppose them, will do his
full duty on the jury or on the wit
ness stand-that he will tell on the
violator because he has taken a cit
liens oath to uphold the State Con-
stitution and to support the law
that he will do this whether it shall
mean loss of patronage, loss of pro-
perry, criticism or the contrary, and
that only as citizens measure up to
their duty will we be able to enforce
this law.
Mr.. Davis also had something to
say regarding the officers, stating
that many in the state were doing
their duty-some were not-that the
true officer would have respect for
his oath-that it was folly to make
a law and place it in the hands of its
enemies for enforcement, but that
ne did not mean by the enemies of
the law, those who voted against the
prohibition law May 1908, for many
of these said he, are true citizens
and conscientious officers, who are
doing their full duty to uphold the
law and punish the violators rather
he meant the officer, who was SO
lacking in character as to take the
oath to execute law and then do all
in his power to nullify it.
In his speech, Mr.. Davis suggested
that the source of supply for the
blind tiger, namely the interstate
jug trade, would soon be cut off, he
thought in the next five years that
at present thirds of the territory
and nearly two-thirds of the popula-
ton OF this nation were under pro-
hibition law-that the Anti-Saloon
League of America, with forty-fve
active State Organizations, was
working constantly, tremendously
and persistently to this end.
Another way that he proposes to
kill the blind tiger is to quit feed
ing him, patronizing him. Here he
made some strong remarks for total
abstinence, saying that it was the
mud-sill for all the whole prohibition
structure that if dram drinking
was right, dram selling was justified,
but that in this enlightened age,
the church and the people at large
had declared against dram drinking,
and this is evidenced by the fact
that no community will honor or be
influenced by dram-drinkine
preacher.
He suggested the need of further
legislation, that is a Gallon Act, linn.
iting the amount of liquor that 9
person can have on hand, with &
search and seizure clause attached
and making the possession of more
than one gallon on hand evidence OF
guilt.
In his conclusion, he gave a mighty
blow to the near-beer stand, as {
blind behind which liquor is sold
and said that in his opinion We
WOULD howe RI follOw tho ovoro