The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1938-08-18

Yet they refused to tax the man engaged in the
unlawful sale of liquor, a business which sells $4,000
nished us. A tax Of ST a gallon would bring in $50, 700
q week, or $3,l2O,OOO a year, or $6,24O,OOO for the
biennium.
This is more than enough to finance a homestead
now paid to the old people Of the state under the old
age assistance; more than enough to double the appro-
insane, blind, deaf and dumb, tuberculosis sanatorium
and the feeble-minded institute.
They voted against this revenue measure, notwith-
s is"Id1x not : be ia Construed saue ! as ieSaiizing the sale Of q liquor i
but construed as being an aid OF the enforcement OF the
prohibition laws.
The attitude Of the legislators who rejected this
amendment is that it is immoral to tax a business that
does not exist legally. which OF course is true.
1t is silly, however, to take the attitude that to tax
whiskey is lending approval to liquor selling in Missis-
sippi. A tax on whiskey would simply mean that our
lawmakers in the legislature are awake to the condi-
aons that actually exist in Mississippi and intend to
use every means in their power to make every bus
or otherwise.
And whiskey is a big business in Mississippi.
If you do not believe it 90 across the river in Rankin
County and count the cars that are parked out in the
yards Of these joints. Take thirty minutes time and
time. see how good business is. and how many
people from your home town are there.
! Go d down W soa,,t;s Gulf SI Coast to Biloxi were there
stations and whiskey stands.
street or a motor boat will take you free of charge out
to a floating saloon in the Mississippi river.
And there's Natchez.
And there's your home town. and wherever your
home town is you'll probably find at least one bootleg
gng joint.
No longer do officers have heart in trying to enforce
the prohibition law because they know most of the time
sae tr man fh TSey srs Tnaw for no Y ,dnssEy d ssliin sab Will 60 c,,d free
demand observance of prohibition laws.
1t is time for Mississippi to do something about
such conditions.
THE LAW SHOULD EITHER BE ENFORCED OR
REPEALED.
The people who waste breath talking about what
a dreadful thing 1t is to have whiskey selling condoned
by the state government should spend their time and
energies in seeing that the laws are enforced. they
should try to do something about the conditions that
actually exist instead of prattling about how bad things
would be If we had legal whiskey.
These nice people of the state vote with the boot
leggers of the state and keep Mississippi legally dry
And they are also helping promote, at the same time.
IN the south. They are aiding in the breakdown of
respect for law observance. They are breeding condi-
tons that lead to crime and everything for which it
stands.
Mississippi needs big men to make and enforce
her laws. She needs big men at the head Of her gov
eminent.
And no man, in the coming gubernatorial cam
paign, who isn't big enough to take q firm stand on the
question OF whiskey isn't big enough to be governor of
Mississippi.
203l Violent Deoths in 1887
There were 496 homicides in Mississippi in 1887,
" white and 1913 colored. Causes listed by the State
BOARD OF Health are by gunshot, 1913; by cutting and
piercing Instruments, 131; by blunt instruments, SO; by
polsons, l miscellaneous. 13; intoxicating drink and