Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1912-10-15
POLICY MAKING GOOD
SO SAYS THE GOVERNOR or
NORTH CAROLINA.

i NORTH CAROLINA.
Less Liquor is Being SoId-Taxe
i Have Not increased-Less Hypo-
] crIsy than in the License States.
wv. w. Kitchen, Governor of NortI
Carolina.
You ask me for information concern
ing the following charges which yo,
say the liquor men of your state max,
against the prohibition law in Nortf
Carolina, and I answer as follows:
AS to non-enforcement, know of DC
case in which the law has not beer
enforced by the courts. Hundreds
| have been convicted. You understand
| OF course, that 1t is more difficult 10
enforce the law in some communities
than in others, the difficulty being in
securing evidence, but / have every
reason to believe that our officers gen.
orally, are faithfully trying to do their
duty and that in all cases where wit
ness can be secured, with the proper
| evidence, those who are violating our
| liquor laws are prosecuted and con-
| yicted.
As to disrespect for the law. There
| is opposition to 1t, but | think no dis
respect except by those who violate
| it. II there is any other disrespect, II
is confined to those who oppose it and
wish to encourage efforts towards its
repeal.
AS to the liquor sold: There is far
less liquor sold in this state now than
before prohibition. There is less
drunkenness and less crime, far less.
eliminating violations of this law.
Whether there is increased consump-
ton of injurious drugs, 1 have not in
formation. As to bankruptcy in cities
and towns, there is not word of truth
in this. On the contrary, our towns
like Gastonia, Durham, High Point,
Greensboro. and Charlotte, which had
local prohibition before the adoption
of our state prohibition law, are among
the most prosperous. if not, the most
prosperous towns in the state. AS til
increased taxes, it is probably thaN
some few communities, owing to theS
failure to receive high taxes from thes
sale of whiskey, are compelled to COLI
lect more money from other sourcesl
But the tax rate in the state at large
has not increased.
AS to decreased business: Therei
has been no decrease in business OIL
any kind except the whiskey business.
Our towns and our state, including the
country districts, are on the upward
grade, developing their resources, in.
creasing In wealth, building school.
houses and churches, and going for
ward in every line, which would graft
ify good citizen and a patriot,
AS to corruption of officials: know
of no corruption whatever of officials
and believe there rs no truth in that
charge. If any, it is not attributable
to prohibition.
AS to social hypocrisy: There is no
more social hypocrisy than heretofore;
no more in prohibition territory than
n open saloon territory, and not an
UGH il this state, in my opinion, al
asre il generally IL the states ghera
seil. rrohibition vag
adoLtea By the people OF this state hv
a large majority. 1t has met the ex-
pectations of its friends. 1t is my
opinion that it has been as success
full as such law has ever been in any
state. 1t has not entirely relieved the
state from whiskey or drunkenness
no state law can do this, probably no
law of any kind can do it, certainly
not in this generation. But our state
prohibition is making good.
The Evil Of the Saloon.
An American social reform journal
Jas this to say of the evil of the H.
tensed liquor traffic:
1T is not chiefly that the saloon ia
4 political evil. not chiefly that drunk.
enness is abhorrent, not chiefly that
1t interferes with work and business,
not altogether, that it makes so much
misery for SO many, but that at last
we are seeing that the saloon and in
temperance are the enemies of souls
that have infinite worth and the de-
stroyers of bodies that have cost such
care. We are at last seeing how ut
terly illogical, even imbecile, 1t Is to
spend thousands Of dollars on schools
and churches to produce fine souls and
thousands of dollars of sanitary cit
les and streets and houses and safe
guards to grow healthy young man,
and even to spend thousands more to
restore criminals to manhood, and
then to allow on any corner an insti-
tuition which destroys both body and
SOUL"