Henderson daily dispatch., 1940-07-02
Johnston Turns Back


group to backtrack and reverse the
decision Of several years ago setting
up county-oWned and operated ABC
stores. Its overwhelming tWo-tc-
one decision in last Saturdays cleo
ton to return to prohibition has sent
the dryS into eNultation and put the
politicians to guessing.
There were those who said the
bootleggerS helped nightly in de-
teating liquor elections in Il number
of counties that voted against open
inc stores. and there will be many
who will claim the illicit manufact-
urerS ana vendors had much to do
with the Johnston vote to return to
legal prohibition. Perhaps that is
true to some extent in both in
stances. but it is hardly possible the
bootlegeerS were responsible for the
5000 or so majority Johnston county
gave Saturday in favor of getting the
county out OF the liquor business. |,
is likely nearer the truth to SurmlSc
that more people were against legal
lied liquor than were for it, ana
said so in decisive terms at the polls.
Other counties in due time prob
ably will follow the example set by
Johnston. but it is not probable there
will be 4 general reversal Of posi-
ton after this fashion now or later.
Last winter there was talk that dryS
in Franklin county were on the
verge of circulating petitions for a
recall election. but nothing came o.,
it.
What is more likely is that the
1911 General Assembly will order a
statewide referendum on prohibition.
Such procedure offers greater
promise than an effort at cCunty-by-
county Reputation.
We confess 10 some bcWildcrmCnt
as to how. in the first place, the leg
islature. by its own action alone.
could undo what the people did by
popular vote thirty-tWo years ago in
May. 1908. II has already seemed
to us that thing done by the pco-
pie would have to be undone by
them. if undone at all. But ii it had
the power to superSede the popular
will. how can that same popular
choice nov. override the legislature?
It doesn't make sense.
The people are sovereign: they are
the highest tribunal and the final
arbiter o. all iSSueS--or 50 we
have always supposed. How the leg
iSlature in one instance can assume
authority and the people exercise
il in another, on the same issue, has
been and still is a puzzle.
But the statewide referendum is
in the air. with indications six
months before they meet pointing
to the probability the lawmakers
will take the cue from Johnston
county, as if will be pressed by the
drvs with all Of the responsiveness
of which they are capable.
In Vance county the Abe store
has not been made a pie counter
and political football to the eN-
tent it has seemed to be in some
others of the q counties operating
stores. That is to the credit OF the
county commissioners. the nigh per
sonal character of ABC board men,
bers and citizens in general. But
let no one understand that this is an
endorsement on our part OF county
owned liquor stores, for emphatical-
ly it is not.
There are those who have voiced
dissatisfaction with the present
method of handling an admittedly
difficult problem. Liquor profits
have not cut taxes as much as some
had expected; drinking and law rio-
lations have not decreased as had
been hoped for, as court records m
dictate: and bootlegging, though 1t
may be less, has by no means been
stopped.
To what extent similar sentiment
had developed in Johnston county,
and in what measure, if any, it in
/ rluenced the result Of the election,
we have no way Of knowing precise
ly.
But it may be safely assumed that
the drys in the State will make the
most of the weapon handed to them
! at the weekend by Johnston county
and that the next legislature Will
find the liquor problem Squarcly on
its doorstep again when it gets to
Raleigh in January
Clothes, according to an old
| IT, ,>,.r rrbnt'u