The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-02-24
THE NEAR BEER QUESTION
SAYS 1T CAN'T BE PUT ASIDE
WITH AN IMPATIENT WAVE
OF THE HAND.

ing recent issue of your valued pa
per one not familiar with the facts
might get the erroneous idea that
the much discussed NEAR beer" ques-
ton had been settled. We are of
the opinion that the city fathers
recon without their host" If they
think to put this matter aside with
an impatient wave of the hand.
They are not dealing with infants or
lmbeclIes, and our people are in no
mood for trif1ing when it comes to
a thing that so vitality concerns every
man, woman. and child in Terrell
county. Nobody is getting "hysteri-
cal' or indulging in sickly sentiment
tally, but from expressions l have
heard on ever hand l make bold
to say that the near beer" propo-
s1tton will never be settled in Daw-
son until there is a clean sweep of
the whole business.
Il am not mad. most noble Fes-
tus; but speak forth the words of
truth and soberness." Things have
come to pretty pass in Dawson, the
democratic capital of the democratic
county Of Terrell, one of the most
important sections of the democratic
state of Georgia, when city officials,
who are nothing more nor less than
men put in office to execute the will
of the people, absolutely refuse to
listen to a speaker sent by the
sovereign people to plead their cause.
Upon what meat doth this our
Caesar feed that he hath grown so
CREATE" The persistent efforts of the
councilmen to shift the response
bility for the sale of near beer"
onto the legislature would be anus
ing If it were not so outrageous.
Even women and children know bet
ter than to believe that, and l am
quite sure intelligent people cannot
be put to sleep with such twaddle.
The poor old legislature will have
troubles enough of its own, and for
pity sake don't try to shove local
affairs on its burdened shoulders.
People who read know very we'll
that other towns are knocking out
near beer" without much ceremony
on no other ground than that the
citizens have found that it is a dam
nable business for any community,
and are determined to have none of
| it. Milledgeville very promptly set
tied the problem by fixing the license
at $4,000. A prominent judge of
the state seems able to keep it out
OF his judicial circuit without the
help Of the legislature, to say moth
| ing of the good work of nearby
| %nUnc fhof hanH1inCy tho
without gloves. Editor Mcintosh of
the Albany Herald. one of the brain
lest and most conservative men in
the south, speaks a great truth when
he says. Every town or city is
what its~people rake it, and its char
acter and moral status are reflected
in the men chosen to rule over it
and admfnister it's affairs. And
every voting citizen shares in the
responsibility.
We beg. to differ with those who
charge our prohibition men with
moral cowardice. and hold them re-
sponsible for the existing conditions.
There may be some "near prohibi-
tionists" who are always ready for
any sort of a compromise that
feathers their own nest" but the
majority of our voting citizens are
unalterably opposed to alcohol i'll
any shape or form, and have stood
nobly against every effort made by
whiskey men. We heartily commend
them for the spirit of peace and
good will they exhibited when. to
! avoid heated campaign, they &C
cepted in good faith the terms made
| by the candidates who went into
Office on the solemn promise that the
prohibition law should be enforced.
That the compact was broken is no
fault of any real prohibitionist, and
should weaken nobody's trust in hui
mainly. 1t was simply misplaced
confidence. 1t has been a dearly
soon be forgotten. Handing in po-
lite requests on silver trays is the
nicer way for gentlemen to deal with
gentlemen, but it is not always eff
fectiye. Some men and measures
must be fought with fire, and this APP
plies with peculiar force to every
phase of the liquor business. The
prohibitionists might well learn les
son from the advocates of the saloon,
who, with united front, yield not an
inch Of ground, but level their guns
on every citizen and official who dares
to stand uncompromisingl for pro-
hibition. The liquor power never
sleeps, and as often as they are de-
feated just as often do they rally
their forces for another attack If
near beer is tolerated no prophet
is needed to tell what the end must
| be. 1t is but the entering wedge
made by those who would move
heaven and earth to put whiskey
back in Dawson. On one side the
mothers, wives and daughters. with
the representative business men of
Dawson, stand for the moral uplift
that would make Dawson fit place
to rear our children. Against these
stand a handful of determined OFF,
Gals, aided and encouraged by whis-
key drummers who make 1t conven-
lent to drop in occasionally to "see
how the land lies"