Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-10-17
TEXAS. MAINE AND PROHIBITION
BY Bishop W. A. cANDLER.

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In 1884 the State of Maine put into
the constitution of that commonwealth
section prohibiting the manufacture
and sale of intoxicants within its limits.
Three years later-1SS7,-the State of
Texas refused by a very large majority
to embody in its constitution similar
provision. This year elections on the
issue have been held again in both
states, apd both contests have been
drawn battles. The large majority IN
Texas against the prohibitory amend
ment in 1887 has been reduced to few
thousands. and the large majority in
Maine for the prohibitory amendment
in 1884 has been about wiped out. The
returns as officially published in both
states show the voters about equally di-
vided for and against prohibition by
constitutional amendment. But this
does not mean that the prohibition areas
in Texas will now be wet" or that the
prohibitory law In Maine will be instant
ly repealed. Quite two thirds of the
people of the United States are already
under prohibition, and the number thus
living in dry" areas will be larger rath-
er than smaller with every passing year
But the campaigns in Texas and
Maine and their results have some les
sons to teach which the people of Geor-
gia, as wei las certain 9th err Southern
States, will do well to consider. Cd
1t is to be noted that the character of
the voters who favoured prohibition IN
both Texas and Maine was distinctly
higher and purer than that of those who
voted against prohibition. The gam
bling elements, the men who were most
familiar with the "red-light districts" In
the cities, the distillers, the brewers, and
the ''ward-heelers' were practically
unanimous in their support of the cause
Of anti-prohibition. The revelations
made by a legislative investigation in
Texas since the election show that these
immoral forces did not hesitate to bride
voters when they could, and that other
wise they corrupted the ballot On the
other side were arrayed the churches.
the ministers, the educators, and all the
better classes morally. They bought no
votes, but made their appeals to reason
and conscience
We are likely to see the same sort
Of lineup in Georgia Shall the virtue
and intelligence of the state be subject
ed to the will of the vicious and ignorant
and lawless? In the days when our
state was rescued from the horrors of
the reconstruction period this was the
issue, and then to the question decent
men gave but one answer. Can any 9TH
er answer be given now?
CD The brewers and distillers spent
large sums of money to buy votes in
both Texas and Maine. This was shown
as to Texas by. sworn, testimony before
the Committee of Investigation, appoint
ed by the Legislature. 1t has been pos
itively and frequently charged that the
same methods We're followd in Maine.
and no one has dared to deny the charge
1t is evident that the saloon is still
in politics, and that its incurable I'M
scrupulousness persists everywhere And
If the liquor interests can succeed in
repeating our prohibition law, they Will
be in politics more than ever. Those in
terests fought the passage of the local
option law when it was enacted, and in
every local option contest under that
law their money was freely used for
open saloons. Now they profess to favour
local option; but they do not favour pro-
hibition under any form, by any method,
or any where. If they could, they would
repeal the prohibition of the sale of
liquor to minors, on Sunday, and on
days of elections, and near schooI-houses
and churches. ThereDCis not a spot in
the country nor day I'm the year over
which they would have prohibition ex-
tended If they could prevent it,
In this connection 1t should be said
that our statewide prohibition law re-
pealed the local option law, and now If
the prohibitory statute under which we
live were repealed we would not have
even the local option law to fall back
upon. Let no. man be deceived about
the real issue involved However poll
ticians may undertake to distort or dis
guise the issue, at bottom it is an is
sue between open saloons and prohibi-
ton.
And we may look for the distillers,
brewers, and bar-keepers to put much
money into our elections in Georgia in
order to secure their nefaTious ends.
They are trying to whip the forces of
prohibition by states. They put much
money into the elections in Texas and
Maine, and they have more to spend in
other states in the same evil cause. 1t
is vastly important to elect no man to
Office who is not unquestionably an UNI
purchasable man; and this is especially
true with reference to members of the
General Assembly. The Senate being a
smaller body than the House of Repre-
sentatives it is less expensive TO buy
votes enough to achieve their ends in
that branch of the Legislature than in
the House, but both houses must be
bought If the whiskey interests are to
succeed. The liquor interests would have
secured a great power to obtain votes
in both houses of the Legislature, if they
could elect a governor favourable to
them: for a governor can threaten and
reward with patronage a certain class
1of Legislators and make them do what