Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1912-07-04
SHALL THE
LIQUOR QUESTION
Be SUBMITTED?
By Silena M. Holman.

There are few people in the state
who would like to see all our prohibi
tory laws repealed, and the saloons re-
stored to every town in the state.
There are more people who would not
want them repealed as to the smaller
towns, but would like to see them re-
pealed as to the cities. / think not
many expect TO see either done. For
the sentiment in favor of the Four
Mile Law in Tennessee is very strong
1t has been growing stronger ever
since the passage of the first measure
In 1876, designed for the protection of
one school, year by year, down to the
final elimination of our fight for a
clean state, in 1909, when the law
was extended to cover the entire state
Hopeless of securing repeal of the
laws through direct methods, the liq-
uor men are agitating the submission
OF the question to vote of the people
OF the entire state, hoping in this way
to secure what they have no hope of
securing through direct act of the
legislature And few temperance
men, who believe the laws would be
more easily enforced, should a good
majority of our people vote for the
state wide laws, are in favor of the
same thing. ,oi.
In the first place, were the question
submitted, and tho people to decide
by vote of two to one to retain the
laws the liquor men would be no mole
law abiding than they are now, as has
been shown over and over in cities and
towns and states that have voted liq-
uor out by large majorities. The same
lawlessness prevails among them in
either case, and only the fear of big
fine, Jail sentence or the rock pile,
gains from them even a semblance of
law abiding citizenship
The fight against the liquor traffic
is on, not only in Tennessee, but in
every state in the United States, and.
indeed, in every country in the civili-
zed world. Even wine drinking
France and beer drinking Germany
have taken up the fight against the
liquor traffic, and all other civilized
nations are doing the same There is
nothing in the future more certain
than that the drink traffic will, ere
many years, be outlawed throughout
the length and breadth of Christen-
dom. We have outlswed the traffic in
Tennessee. 1t would be supremest folly
our work to do over again. For should
the liquor men win, the battle for
state wide prohibition would be re-
newed on the morrow and would be
until the law is again on
our statute books, thus greatly pro-
longing the strife over the question in
our state.
According to the last census, there
n, ,a nj hort on O00 noopooc II, TapnnaSno
over twenty-one years of age, who
would be entitled to vote in this elec
tion No one doubts that ten to one
of them would vote for the saloon
Our righteous laws should not be plac- ,
ed at the mercy of such an element
And then the big corruption fund that
would be sent into the state to tempt
the simple, the weak, the vicious,
whether white or black, would be de-
lnoralizing to the entire state, and
menace to the best interests of our
people in many other ways.
But worst of all the wild excitement
that the agitation of the question over
the state would engender, the enmity |
and strife and bitterness it would
arouse, the arraying of neighbol
against neighbor and friend against |
friend, who would be found on either
side of the question, the heart burn
ings and unrest and hard feelings it
would arouse, to say nothing of the
expense and worry of a great cam
paign. would render the submission of I
this question an untold calamity to the
people of our state, whichever side
should win.
Truly, it would be an evil day for
Tennessee, should our people elect
pledged to the reopening of
the liquor question, either by repeal
ing the laws as relates to our cities, or
by submitting them to vote of our
ln /