Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1912-09-26
THE PROPOSED
REPEAL OF OUR
PROHIBITION LAWS

| One of the great parties in Tennes-
see, in convention assembled Just re-
Gently declared for the repeal of that
part of the Four Mile Law affecting
the cities of Nashville, Memphis and
| Chattanooga. The candidates running
on that platform will work and vote
| for the repeal of that law. Should
they succeed in controlling the legisla-
! ture, the laws passed by the legisla
ture of 1909 will be repealed Should
they be repealed, it will be the first
backward step taken in the history of
the temperance movement in Tennes-
see. Do the friends of the Four Mile
Law want to see that first backward
| step taken? Do you believe if that
step were taken it would stop there
One of the strongest liquor papers in
the state came out just few days ago
with this comment on that plank of
the platform of the party it gave its
allegiance to. If liquor is a good thing
for Nashville, Memphis aud Chatta-
nooga, why is it not good for the
smaller towns If it is bad thing for
the smaller towns why is it not bad
thing for the citiesr And that is the
whole thing in nutshell. There is
not reason for repeating the laws in
the cities that does not apply with
equal force to all the towns of the
state. There is not reason for hav-
ing the law in the smaller towns that
does not apply with equal force to the
cities.
Early in the year. when the ques-
tion of party policies for the coming
campaign was being discussed, one Of
the strongest liquor men in the state,
discussing the ''cant and hypocrisy"
of bis liquor allies in con6ning their
"fervent patriotism as relates to act
ion on the liquor laws, to only four
counties of the state, said: ''It should
be settled, not in four counties, but
in ninety-six. Another liquor paper,
commenting on the remarks of this
politician, said: "We do not believe
that the people Of Nashville, Memphis
and Chattanooga are in any wise of
superior mould to those of other parts
of our proud sovereignty, and they
should not be accorded rights under
the law denied to others. Already
candidates are in the field with the
tag of "party nominee" on them who
are declaring openly in favor of the
repeal of the entire law, and the res
toration of the licensed saloon to all
the towns in the state
Do you not see the inevitable trend :
If the legalized saloon is restored to
the cities. it will be followed sooner
or later by the restoration of the sal
oon to every town and village in the
state, if the liquormen get and keep
control of the state. That is what they
want and what they would demand,
should they control the legislature.
The passage of the law in 1909, ex-
tending the Four Mile Law to the en-
tire state, was but the inevitable out
come of tie sure and steady growth
made by the law since it had been put
on our statute books in the early sew
enties Up to 1909, it had driven the
legalized saloon from the entire state
except from those three cities, and one
small mining town. No state in the
union having state wide prohibition,
had so nearly driven the saloon from
the entire state before the passage of
law giving the state entire prohibi-
tion, as lad Tennessee Georgia had
more than thirty wet counties, when it
took up the fight for state wide pro-
hibition and won North Carolina,
Mississippi and other states had each
good number of entire set counties,
when they took up the fight for state
wide prohibition and won. Tennessee
had only the four wet towns.
There is not doubt but that Ten
nessee, as a whole, wants the state
wide law. 1t was passed by legisla-
ture elected on that issue, majority
of both the Democrats and Republicans
1t was sustained by the following leg
islatures, no really serious effort be-
ing made to relaw. ~
Coming down to the real question in
the case, it is this: Shall the state
rule the cities, or shall the cities rule
the statel 1t is matter of general
knowledge that it is the negro vote
that holds the balance of power in the
cities and carries them in favor of dis
order and misrule. So in the last an
alysis, it brings us to the question.
Shall Black Bottom Rule Our Slater"
Will the people of our state vote for
the men who have declared in favor of
the repeal of our lawsY Can you afford
to UNDO the beneficent work of the
years gone before, and legalize vice
that is the cause of more sin and
shame and sorrow than all other things
Can you again bring on
Tennessee the stigma of licensing and
by law that which debauch-
es it's citizensS Will you do it, Or
will You not the rather elect men to
Office who will stand by our laws and
their enforcement For the sake of all
you love best in this life and the life
to come. I urge you to stand by our
laws, -,. .....