The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1911-07-28
Tax Assessor.
The Texas Election.

IuS WHISKY lultdtStS anu Jtle anu
Prohis have no great victory to boast Of
in the Texas election. There is very
little encouragement to the opponents OF
Prohibition in this fight. The Memphis
Commercial Appeal indicates this fact
and arrives at some very rational con-
illusions with the exception that it is
not willing to admit the influence OF the
whisky organization and the saloon in
the battle of ballots. This organization
is stronger and its influence as great il
not greater than that of the women in
securing votes. An impartial opinion
must concede the relative strength of
the two forces.
Looking at the matter, il possible,
from disinterested point of view, Pro-
hibition is gradually and substantially
gaining strength. From all the grounds
OF calculation this becomes the most
reasonable conclusion. Five years ago
it is more than probable that the vote
for Prohibition in Texas would have
been much smaller than it was last Sat
urday. In 1887 in Tennessee the amend
ment, which meant Statewide Prohibit
ton, was largely defeated The senti-
ment has grown in this State, and it is
to. be safely estimated that the same
amendment now would be much
stronger If not altogether in favor with
the majority. AS it is, Tennessee has
Statewide Prohibition through the ex-
tension OF the four mile law, and while
it has not been as thoroughly effective
in the cities as il should be by any
means it cannot be denied that the
sentiment has grown.
As far as local option is concerned,
The Commercial took the ground from
the start that local option, although
Democratic view, is not a satisfactory
means OF securing the desired result.
The local option proposed by the fol-
lowers OF Governor Patterson was in
reality local government with very little
option or local self government, because
it abridged the rights Of the citizen to
single election. and practically it was
not local option. The local option OF
Democracy means the rights of local
self government, and the rights OF local
self government cannot be limited to
one election The voice OF the people
may not be properly registered in a
single election. Either one side Or the
other may control through irregularities,
and the right to correct this mistake is 9
denied by the local option feature pro-
posed to the four-mile law.
The local option practiced in Kentucky
and in other States, known as genuine
local option, is the Democratic idea of |
local option, and yet, with its continual
turmoil and strife it is very unsatis-
factory solution of the Prohibition ques- =
ion. I
The idea has always been very clear
o us that Prohibition is not necessarily q
/ political question, that the existence
IL the saloon is a crime and menace II
o the peace and happiness of mankind q
md therefore Prohibition is not sump- q
uary legislation Hence the conclusion e
hat Statewide Prohibition does not q
Interfere with the tenets of Democracy. a
Accordingly, to our thinking there is =
My one Prohibition and that is the =
'rohibition that permanently withholds n
be saloon license and complete Prohibi- "a
on will be the withdrawal of the Gov cr
license. Local option is not g
1t is only crust. \.
The evil that whisky does whisky th
nd its kindred beversges-is attribu- tn