The gold leaf., 1910-03-03
For Local Option.
MOVEMENT In OPPOSITION TO
PRESENT PROHIBITION
LAW Is LAUNCHED.

Sees It-Adheres to Princi-
pie ofLocal Self-Government
To Mr.. William C. Lyon special
staff representative of the Charlotte
Observer, we are indebted for the fol-
lowing account OF the speech OF Mr..
W. A. Self delivered here Saturday
at big mass-meeting OF citizens OF
Vance and adjoining counties called
to protest against the prohibition
law and in favor OF q return to the
Democratic principle OF local self
government, or local option, in deal
ing with the liquor question. Appre-
ciating the significance OF such a
movement and the probable import
ance and bearing OF this meeting tthe
initial one OF the kind to be held)
upon the future politics OF the State,
the Observer sent man here to see
and hear and study the situation as
he found it and report first hand.
The report was published in Sunday
mornings paper. 1t follows:
Henderson, Feb. 26.-Answering q
call issued sometime ago, the citizens
of Vance and surrounding counties
filled to overfowing the superior
court room in the Vance county
court house today to listen to pow
erful speech by Mr.. W. A. Self, of
Hickory, advocating the repeal OF the
prohibition law as it stands on the
statute books of North Carolina and
substituting a provision for local
self-government or local option.
The sentiment of the crowd in at
tendance was unmistakably in favor
OF the movement and many were the
expressions OF disgust at the opera
tion of the prohibition law as it stands
| at present by those who attended the
| meeting as expressed about the
| streets during the hours of the morn.
| ing prior to the meeting. 1t can be
said to the credit of the men who
called the meeting for this date that
| they were not the class of people who
| clamor for "wet" towns. Some oi
the men who are behind the move,
| ment are men who never knew the
| taste of intoXicants and it may be
truthfully stated that not man in
the large gathering today showed a
sign of being in the least under the
| influence of drink.
REPRESENTATIVE GATHERING.
1t was representative body of the
sturdy citizenship OF this section.
These men expressed themselves as
considering or at least hoping that
this was only the beginning of con-
certed action all over the State to
abolish the law as it stands and re-
store to the people of North Carolina
the right to say in each locality what
the sentiment in their particular sec
tion is in regard to the sale and man
ufacture of whiskey and to be gov
erned entirely by that sentiment re-
gardless of what other localities may
desire.
The meeting was formally called
for noon, but owing to the interfer-
ence by the session OF superior court
| now in session it was necessary to
await the adjournment Of court and
the speaking began shortly after one
o'clock.
Mr.. Colin MacNair Of Henderson
read the call for the meeting and in
troduced the speaker amid the ap-
| plause of the audience. 1t had been
stated by a newspaper some days ago
in an editorial in regard to the meet
ing that such meeting would be
detrimental to the cause of prohibi-
| ton, and that the movement should
be "squelChed.
MR.. SELF SPEAKS.
Mr.. Self began his speech with the
statement:
MY fellow-citizens: From the ap-
| pearance of the crowd assembled here
in my opinion it is about time the
'squelchers' began operation" Con
tinuing the speaker said: "Wefought,
we didn't run away aud we have lived
to fight another day. If maiorities
never made mistakes, this meeting
now would be out of order, but ma
| jorities were mistaken before and
| from the growing sentiment OF the
State at large it is evident that the
majority made a great mistake when
this State was carried two years ago
for prohibition as the statute pro-
vides.
81 am not here to advocate law les s.
ness, but to advocate the repeal OF a
statute that has caused lawlessness
throughout the State. | am not ad-
vocating liquor, but | do object to
prohibition poison. We were defea ted
before because at the time it appeared
that it was the popular movement to
advocate prohibition. 1t is much
easier to drift with the tide than to
take up arms and go against it; it is
easier to go along with the crowd,
but the men who love ease are not
the men who made the civilization of
today.
FAVORS HOME PRODUCT.
''It has been demonstrated that We
are going to have whiskey in the State
as long as it is made elsewhere and |
am in favor of having the home pro-
duct If we must have it. They have
put law upon US that says We cam
not have whiskey except through
their so-called 'legalized medical de-
pository.' They go farther and say
that the so-caHed Iegalized medical
depository stpurchase outside the
State.
"This law has been enacted by the
Democratic party, whose fundament-
sal r1riuoiplo is opnoaad IN the manner