The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1910-10-21
THE PROHIBITION QUESTION
And the Distempered Times in
tennessee.
LBY sILENA HoLMAN.l


enemies Of our prohibition law that Tia,
prohibition question is the cause Of al
the trouble that now seems to be rend-
ing our State asunder. want to say
that this is not true. During the past
two or three years there have been many
questions disturbing the peace Of our
State, dividing neighborhoods, bringing
strife into families and separating life
long friends, and these are the chief
factors Of disturbance, rather than the
prohibition question.
Some of these questions have been a
disturbing factor in the politics Of the
State for a number Of years past, grow
4 ing in intensity, as live questions have a
way Of doing, until the whole State has
been compelled to sit up and take no.
i tice Others Of these questions were
preciptated in the Gubernatorial race
between Mr.. Patterson and Mr.. Cox,
and continued in the race between Mr..
Patterson and Mr. Carmack
But just now all these questions seem
to have resolved themselves into one, the
State administration on the one hand,
representing one side, and those opposed
representing the other side. 1t is ad-
ministration or ranti-administration, that
question seeming to involve all the rest,
with the belief on the part Of many
people that when that question is set
tied all the rest will be settled with it.
A GROWTH OF YEARS.
The prohibition question has been
before the people Of this State for more
than forty years, and our prohibition
law a law of more than forty years
growth, The first law was passed at the
first meeting Of our Legislature after
the close oi'our Civil War, and was ex-
tended by other Legislatures from time
to time, until the saloon had been
driven from the entire State, except
from our three largest cities and one
small mining town 1t was outawed
in these four places in January, 1909,
more than forty years after the first law
was passed.
The question. naturally arises, why
should this thing that has been live
question in the State for more than
forty years cause 50 much greater dis
turbance now than at any previous
period Of its growth? For no one dis
putes that it is one of the causes Of dis
turbances in the politics OF our State.
THE GOVERNOR 70 BLAME.
l will tell YOU 1t is because for the
first time in the history of our State, we
have a Governor in the chair who set
himself against the will of the people,
determined that they should not have
the law.
When the law prohibiting the sale of
liquor within four miles Of a school
house, public or private, Incorporated
or unincorporated outside the incorpor-
ated towns, was passed, and that, too
without vote being taken on the sub
iect, if we had had a Governor who
fought the passage OF the bill, every
step, who vetoed it when passed, who,
It having been passed over his veto,
would not only do nothing towards its
but would pardon every
nan convicted of its violation, the pro-
libition question would have become
,he cause OF as great disturbance over
he State thirty years ago as it is now.
But we never before had such Govern
n. Every other Governor we have had,
IS these laws were amended from time
o time, to cover more territory, even if
to the law, as | doubt not
ONE of them were, accepted the situa ,
ion, signed the bills when passed, and |
made no opposition to them. They
ecognized the right of the people to !
rave these laws, and their desire for
hem, as shown by the election of a
legislature in favor Of the laws.
tAJoRrTY OF THE People WANTED THE Ia
LAW !
When Governor Patterson was elected +
e should have known that an over t
fhelming majority of the people in
'ennessee were in favor Of these laws,
rom the fact that the saloon had been ?
riven from the entire State, except i
lese four places. The fight for the n
lection Of the Legislature was made on g
ais issue, aud the election Of Legisla Il
IRE ia favor Of the passage of the law
bowed that the people wanted the law, a
nd they have a right to have it. II is Il
o more necessary for each separate n
ty to vote on the passage of this law, a
lan in favor of a Law regulating divorce