The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-05-08
THE ALABAMA PRIMARY.

Alabama, as Louisiana, is Democratic,
and as in Louisiana primary elections
are held in that State between Demo
cratic factions for party nominations.
At the recent primary election the
nominations were for State and other
officials, including the Governor.
In this gubernatorial contest the can
didates were Col S. D. Mallory of Sell
ma, and w. D. Oneal of Florence.
Mallory is an advocate Of Statewide
prohibition, while Oneal made the tight
for local option. He is nominated by
majority estimated at ten thousand.
Upon the announcement of this result
the ants and the newspapers who are
opposed to prohibition, State, local or
otherwise, have INDUCED in iubilation
remarkable, especially evidenced by the
press of New Orleans, notably the Plea
yune. And there follows an unneces-
sary indulgence in criticism of the pro-
hibitionists, for instance the Plcayune;
"Those persons who claim to be NOR
ally and spiritually perfect are prone not
only to set themselves up as standards,
but to seek also by the use of physical
and political forces to make all the bal
ance of the population like themselves,
and although they have the experience
of past ages to teach them the lmpossi-
bility of changing human nature, they
seem to be so blinded by self-righteous-
ness and vainglory that they are able to
learn nothing that can benefit themselves
or the rest of the world
The prohibitionists do not claim to be
perfect morally or otherwise, nor are
they prone to set themselves up to be
standards. 1t may be said, and this
statement is subject of proof, that many
of the most radical prohibitionists in
Shreveport and in this section of the
State are persons who lay no claim to
be morally or spiritually perfect, bet are
men who although not aligned actively
with churches and ministers, are in
favor of prohibition for the reason that
the purpose of prohibition is to curtail
and minimize as far as possible the evil
of the saloon with all its curses and all
its woes.
In Alabama and in other States such
men may be counted by the hundreds
and the thousands, and these are the
men who are the most persistent and
determined opponents of the saloon.
But if the apologists for the saloon
rejoice over the defeat of Mallory, why
should not the Statewide prohibition
lists delight over the nomination of W.
D. Seed, Statewide prohibitionist, over
Perry Thomas, local option candidate
for Lieutenant Governor.
1t was not a test of strength of pro-
hibition and local option, because Oneal.
had the support not only Of those who
favor local option but the saloon ele-
ment and their friends rallied to him
as being, from their standpoint, the
lesser evil than Mallory, pronounced
Statewide profiibitionist.
After all, the disparity in the vote for
Mallory and Seed may be explained by
Onea1 being the more popular than NAL
Tory, and Seed had greater number of
friends and admirers than Thomas.
In brief, the issue of prohibition must
be settled in the Legislature. While the
vote cast may be construed as being an
expression of opposition to prohibition
being incorporated in the Constitution
of the State, it is yet to be decided
whether the repeal of the statute now in
force will be secured.
At any rate, this assertion may be
ventured The open bar room or in a.
general sense the saloon will never re-
turn to Alabama nor flourish as in the
days before prohibition.
1t is only a question of time when this
evil must and will be suppressed every
where.
The saloon of the past and the present
is doomed.