Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-11-10

these matters. and others which might be
named. the people of each county in
Georgia by local option determine what
is best suited for that county in its
peculiar situation. Fon many years
local option has been the fixed policy of
Georgia as to every matter of internal
regulation which affected county The
regulation and control or the prohi-
bition of the sale of intoxicants was
recognized 80 years ago as a proper
subject for local option. This view was
urged by those Democrats who ia
vored prohibition, and 1t was at the in
stance of those who wished to diminish
the evils of intemperance that the local
option law was passed. In 1882 1883, 1884,
and 1885. as the representative from
Clarke county, 1 supported the local OPP
ton bill introduced by Hon. Charles r.
Pringle, each time that he introduced
1t, and stood by the proposition when it
was defeated as well as when it finally
passed. Before the long four years fight
which finally ended in the passage of
Mr.. Pringle's local option bill was con-
cluded. on my own, motion. I had passed
special local option bill to be sub
mitted to the people of Clarke county.
ALWAYS FOR LOCAL OPTION.
I did not support local option for any
reason other than because was a
Democrat, and 1 believed then. as / be-
Iieve now, not only in the right but in
the ability of the people of a county to
govern themselves by regulating, accord
ing to their own judgment, the conduct
of their internal affairs. stood then, as
stand now, for the immutable, imper-
ishable, ever essential principle of local
self government and home rule If the
two cardinal principles of Thomas JEFF
ferson. that local self-government is the
essence of democracy, and that all just
laws derive their powers from the con-
sent of the governed, were true and as
scented when he proclaimed them, then
they are still true. No lapse of time, no
change of condition, no specious ar
gument, no hypocrisy, and no amount
of unmerited abuse can destroy an inn
mortal truth. Certainly none of these.
nor all of them combined, should be suf-
fered to deprive the humbest citizen of
his rights as a freeman and Democrat.
Convinced as 1 am by mature expert
ence that local option affords the best So
luton of the liquor, and proud as I am
that every fiber Of my being is democratic
to the core, 1 am prouder still that the
issue which has been raised lin this cam
pailm affords me the glorious privilege
of being at once the champion of the
peoples rights, and an advocate of a
law whose morality shall be placed upon
the highest plane, and which can be eff
fective because it rests upon the consent
of the governed.
NOT A WHISKY MAN.
with contempt, of which their small
souls are incapable of understanding, I
hurl back into the teeth of the hypo-
critics who have made it, the SANDER
Gus charge that / am a whisky man.
invite the attention of all faiirminded
men to my record as legislator. solicitor
general and judge OF the superior and
appellate courts, and 1 fearlessly invite
a comparison even of my personal life
with that OF my detractors.
Ny personal views as to what course
should be pursued by any particular
county under local option are. of course.
outside of the issue. and my frankness in
expressing them on some occasions in !
the past seems to have been so abused
and purposely confused and misrepresent-
ed as to becloud the great issue which
have presented. that / shall make no
reference to them. My individual ideas as
to details of regulation are utterly unim- !
portant when compared with the great
underlying democratic principle of gov
eminent for which l am contending. AS
fellow Democrats we might disagree as
to details, but If we are Democrats at
all we stand together in favor of the
principle OF local option. 1 am not max
ing any appeal for support to law-break-
ars nor seeking the votes of the GRIM |
inal class. i want to make an appeal |
TO the hearts and corsciences of the
thoughtful citizens and taxpayers of this |
great old state, 10 the fathers and the
mothers. and to the young men who are
frank and straightforward and honest
and not sneaks and hypocrites. ask
the careful consideration of every man.
no matter what his calling who desires
safety of life, liberty and property, and a
government of law, decency and order. |
And since / am criticized for preferring |
the regulation of the liquor traffic by
local option rather than by the prohi- |
bition Legislation now in force in Geor-
gia, 1 ask you patiently to compare !
the two laws and the effect of each. I
am not opposed to temperance, l am not
opposed to regulation, ! am not opposed
to prohibition In a county that wants
prohibition. / put my canvass upon the
highest plane possible for a mortal man, |
and that is we should have this great evil
controlled, and think 1 propose some |
thing better than what you have. Under
the local option bill If the majority
of the voters of a county voted against
the sale of Intoxicating liquors, then it
became unlawful for anyone to sell. bar
ter or exchange for any consideration any
alcoholic. spirituous, malt, vinous or In
toxicating liquors. This was a sincere |
and real prohibition bill, and the law
could be enforced, because it had be-
hind il the public sentiment of the COM |
munity, and a consciousness even on the
part Of the minority that the will of the
majority should by rights be the law.
Under this law 40 counties in Georgia |
adopted prohibition as their method of
police regulation in regard to the liquor
traffic, and when the people thus made
the law for themselves it was fairly well
enforced.
They felt an interest in its enforce
ment because il was their law. The |
right of the people to rule was the great
underlying principle in the local option
bill, nor was there then any question
that the people had sufficient intelligence
to decide the question for their best in
terest not only materially but morally.
I revolt at the thought that after 80 years
of advancement along every line of gem |
eral intelligence, and after millions have |
been spent in this state for popular ed |
ucation, as well as for the maintenance |
of the gospel, that our people have now
sunk to so low a scale that they are |
considered less worthy and more incapa- |
BILE of discharging the duties of citizen |
ship than they were 80 years ago; espe-
cially when we consider that by the
passage of the Acknowledgement law we
have illuminated at LEAST RI vary largo