The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1915-01-07

a pair of shoes but he has no money.
Nov / am not. defending the I'M
lawful proceeding | am about to pic
ture. / am only calling common
event into our conversation to Illus
trate a disputed point. The old far
mer takes his own corn to crude lit
tie sill he has made with his own
hands on he banks of brook that
runs through his own land. He manu-
features few gallons of raw whisky
which he means to sell to his friends
or neighbors.
IAN officer of the national govern
ment comes along. If he catches the
old farmer at his STILL one or two
things il In ely to hap. Zen. Either the
farm n IS shot, W re resisting arrest
or ie tai n - 10 'ieOn. The
old wife does rot get shoes or dress.
Hundreds of feTenue officers are
searching the IN )nr.tains of the South
for omonshiners. They are finding the
moonshiners. TIL ~ are sending the
moonshiners to the penitentiary. Why
is all this dangerous business being
done?
at is being done because the moon
sinners are cheating the national gov
eminent out of the tax laid upon the
business of manufacturing whisky. 1t
is money matter only. Now, if
moonshining, acrime against the ma
tional treasury. can be held in check
reduced almost to nothing, cannot the
manufacture and sale of all kinds of
liquor, when made crime against the
conscience of the people, be prevented,
practically, altogether.
Another thing: The criminal laws
of the United States are enforced
Criminals are in terror of the Wash
ington government. Although | am a
Democrat, l believe in strong ma
tional government-in a government
that good men love and bad men fear.
A Warming to Washington.
Besides, if the liquor business is
broken up by an amendment to the
Constitution it will mean that large
majority of the voters of the United
States have ordered that it be broken
up. Then let any administration in
Washington at it's peril give it such
orders of the people merely perfume
tory obedience. That administration
and the political party it stood for
would be turned out of office at the
first possible moment and kept ont of
office until it was honestly humble and
truly penitent."
what is the value of the property
that is being used in the manufacture
and sale of liquor?" Gov. Patterson
was asked.
81 don't know; hundreds of millions
of dollars, no doubt" he answered..
THE slaves of the south were proper
ty. In prohibiting the owner shipof
slaves, the national government spent
hundreds of millions of dollars and
gave thousands of human lives to
compel the enforcement of its laws
and proclamations.
"My father was a Confederate SOL
der am talking as Southern
man. Slaves were property South
ern planters lost their slaves. Their
homes were burned. Their fields
were ruined. Their towns were de-
stroyed But the law of the majority
prevailed. No Southern man wishes
to restore slavery. He thought it was
right but doesn't want it back.
1.-THE prohibition amendment will be
ratified by every State of the South.
Kentucky, a center of the distilling
industry, would give majority of
$4,000 If a vote could be taken. The
Southern people are religious nat
urally. Also they are imaginative.
They are more spiritual than material,
Face them with a moral question and
they will instinctively take theright
side.
Moreover, the South is inhabited by
persons of old Amerisan stock; where
such persons predominant. North and
South, there is a predominant senti-
ment for prohibition.