The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-05-16
THE PROHIBITION QUESTION.

The Louisiana Anti-SalOOn League
is sending petitions through the
State for signature calling on lndI-
vidual members of the General AS
sembly to vote for a bill for a State
wide prohibition election.
In Shreveport Monday night the
president of the league and DR.. }. b
Lawrence, formerly pastor of the
First Baptist church, spoke in the
interest of the movement.
Even among the members of the
league, however, there is said to
exist opposition to any attempt to
inject the question into the present
.ession of the Legislature.
1t is to be hoped that that opposl-
ton will prevail in the league. If it
does not, at least the members of
the Legislature ought to make 1t
clear that they have no desire to
see the issue raised at this time.
In the ten months State campaign
the liquor question was deliberately
excluded. At its inception the pres
ident of the league addressed letters
to both Judge Hall and DR.. AsWell
soliciting their views on the ques-
ton. Both took strong ground
against the injection into the cam
paign of the Statewide prohibition
issue. Both went on record against
Statewide prihibition. Both stood
for the Democratic policy of local
option. Mr.. Michel conceded with
them.
1t is difficult to see, therefore, any
excuse for raising the issue now
when the campaign was fought on a
definite exclusion of the question
and when the Legislature is con
fronted with a series of serious
problems that will demand its whole
time and its deepest thought, if they
are to be solved in the interest of
the public welfare.
Ii prohibition bill at this session
would only serve as disturbing
and harmful factor. There is not
the slightest reason to believe that
it could come within any reasonable
distance of passage through the two
houses, and its introduction would,
therefore, be entirely without justi-
fication.NeW Orleans States.
The attitude of the States is in
keeping with the spirit of the gu
bernatorial campaign when the pro-
hibition and the saloon issues were
eliminated as a distracting and dis
turbing element.
The Caucasian is fully agreed with
the States that the agitation of pro-
hibition would only serve as "a dis
turbing and harmful factor in the
progress of desirable enactments by
the Legislature, but equally injuri-
Gus and distracting would be the
proposed bills for Separations. and
the bills for the regulation of the
saloons, and the bills for bottle
houses, and the bills for dispen-
saries.
The agitation of prohibition and
of the saloon, in any guise submit
ted, should be relegated to the Leg
islature two years hence, and yet, if
the advocates Of segregation and of
regulated saloons shall persist in
urging their schemes of law, the
prohibitionists and anti-saloonites,
in self-defense, will not rest passive
and Inactive, and there will then be
precipitated in the Legislature a
disturbing and a harmful factor
that will operate to the detriment of |
Governor Halls administration and
to the whole State, which being now
In the extremity of distress should
not be harassed with unnecessary
legislation, with prohibition or the
saloon as the disturbing and harm
full factor.