The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-11-09
Mr.. Rives on Prohibition

Editor Dawson News: The legislatTro - :
met in extraordinary session to enact nrobihiH aS
laws for Georgia. Now l believe in p robibitoA
of all posons save when prescribed by a con'n
tent physician for bodily health of humans Ipe
alcohol is of the deadliest of posonssecaongg
only to cocaine and morphia-that is taken inGi
criminately by the layman without interyentinn rs
the doctor; therefore, its use should he nrobiI!OL
and SO far any private right exists we-tbot w.
each NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. all individual 49,
to anything inimical to the good of all tho r} 9'
bers of the government when the first governrn-
was formed But, like Paul says in the fire. ~
his epistes to the Romans, eve have winkeS ~
the ignorance that allowed broken law and 90 AZ
the ancents better-justifed the infractio1 S nc
all law by the ease with which the laws on intovj
cants have been evaded. The remedy lies at bo
in the county. From 1850 the ordinaries Of S
eral counties in the state have had in their dscTe-
ton the granting or Withholding the license ~
sell intoxicants. If they knew had reason IN nv
lieve that the person applying for license 7ro
not of good moral character they had a right to
refuse to grant the license. And while Leaders ~
prohibition have busted themselves with eectir
members of the legislature they have left to tb
interested in obtaining licenses the election az
ordinaries, who alone had the right to grant IL
cense, and to the same crowd the election of 7
P's and sheriffs, who alone have the right betwoo
sessions of grand uries to enforce prohibition laws
And in matters of discretion the ordinary is sn
preme No court of appeal will disturb Iowor
courts discretionary right. Some people-the ma
jority-think that an ordinarys bond is for tho
purpose of compelling him to carry out the law
where his discretionary powers are concerned hn+
he is there, like the other judges unbound His
bond is for the purpose of protection to estates
of deceased persons, of minors and insane pnr
sons and to the seeing that such minor officers as
constables have good bonds He be sued here
if derelict but in the matter of license to any,
thing-liquOr, pistols anything else-his dis
erection governs, and ordinaries ought to be men
like the discipline of church prescrbes for stew
ards-"Men of sound wisdom and discretion who
both know and love the doctrines and discipline of
the church" and are usually like the men who are
nominated to that Office by the pastors-'men of
neither sound wisdom discretion who neither
know nor love the doctrine or discipline of the
church" but self-seekers, featherng their own
nests and smirkng at the voters for-the purpose
of holding their jobs.
The men in Atlanta representing Georgia
whether wisely not, have the responsibility of
making laws They should be left alone, as | do
when l hire lawyer or physician-turn my case
over to the lawyer or doctor and eliminate my
judgment in the premises. Next year is election
year for all county officers from ordinary to con
stable, and if the voters of the prohibition cOun-
ties put any others but known prohibitionists on
guard they and neither the lawmakers the
courts to blame. Hitherto l have boosted that
knew mans stand on the prohibition question
when it came to the election of county officers but
I have repented and in the future unless his act
ions and moral support for the past ten years have
been for the UNFOLDING OF all law and he has
neither known nor wnked at violations Of the law
he will not get my vote. The county officer must
stand four square to the law, must know and dare
do his duty. Now, this does not votes for the
suddenly converted liquor man-like Patterson, of
Tennessee-but for the men who have stood in
the trenches and voted their convictions; not the
man who votes dry because Shellman can't sell
liquor and Cuthbert can, or because Doverel's char
ter prohibits and DaWsons doesn't, but for the
man who worked for prohibition because he be-
ieved it right, who lived his belief in the coun-
try, putting down blind tigers if it did make his
wet neighbors mad because their negro clerks went
to jail for I free to say that the country fur
nishes more men who vote for drying the cities
and yet employ negro bootleggers to add to their
boards than all the liquor in the towns of the
country counties of Georgia Right in five miles Of
where this is written six of them flourish. Who
are they? I am not a sheriff constable, neither
a J: P. and can't say. ANDREW P. RlNES.