The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1948-01-08
Repeal OF State Prohibition Law Is A Moral Issue
Saws W.C.L.U. In Statement To State Legislature

will be d~istillers, and the millions
they will take from our state will
come from the homes of our people
who should be investing it in cloth
ing, food and advantages for their
children. There is no sound business
policy in a business in whose outgo
is greater than its intake, and ac-
cording to the record all over the ma
ton, this will also follow this pat
tern in Mississippi. 1T is ALMOST
INCONCEIVABLE TO IMAGINE
THAT A LEGISLATURE WILL DE-
LIBERATELY PLAN TO RAISE A
TAX BY THE DESTRUCTION OF
IT'S PEOPLE.
They say legalization will bring
law enforcement. This statement
cannot be substantiated by the re-
cord. Crime has increased in the
states when legalization comes Be
sides how can the laws be enforced
when we feed to the criminals and
would be criminals the stuff that
brings crime as surely as night fol-
lows the day.
DR.. Jellinek, director of the Yale
School for Alcohol Studies in his
survey gives out these figures: In
the dry states of Oklahoma, Kansas
and Mississippi there were 1887 alco-
holics to every 100000 population.
In the same year in the WEI states Of
California, New York and Missouri,
there were 3191 to every 100000. 1t
can be conceived that the number Of
alcoholics is a correct judge of the
amount of liquor consumed.
The F. B. I. estimates that crime
costs America every year Is billion
dollars. The nation with a conserva-
tive estimate of the tax from liquor
sales would collect around 2 billion
dollars. With records showing that
anywhere from Is per cent to rs per
cen of crime is caused by liquor we
fail to see where there is any finan-
cial gain in this nefarious traffic.
We fail to find in these statements
of our leaders any plan whereby
drunkenness will be diminished,
where the disease of alcoholism will
be decreased, where divorce and
broken homes will be helped, where
poverty will be relieved, where there
will be less loss from working hours,
where families can depend on the
wage earner's salary for the neces-
stiles of life when there are liquor
stores waiting for his wages-In fact
there is not a single Christian prin-
ciple a~dvanced-not a single hopeful
outlook for happiness and prosperi-
ty to the citizens of Mississippi with
legal liquor. The revenue gathered
must be turned right back in to ex-
penditures to take care of the wreck
age caused. It is a vicious circle and
the only conclusion of the whole
matter is that legalization of liquor
will mean a new statute to ecure
drunkards and to provide a way to
satisfy their thirst.
These same leaders wishing to foist
this law on innocent victims tell us
that they enacted the Black Market
Law just to show Mississippi some
things. We hope they are satisfied.
The decomposed body of a murdered
girl found in the woods near Terry,
the murder of one of their own num-
Der, Sen. Buckley, the horrible crime
of rape in Battlefield Park by two
drunken brutes, the dual murder of
two fathers and husbands on the
Gold Coast, and other crimes all
practically traceable to Black Mar
ket liquor should certainly attest to
the development of bootlegging that
has been reached in Mississippi by
the enactment of this law. What have
thew to 'show" us when they legalize
liquor and open up a new and freer
channel for this agency of death and
destruction?
Then there is the spiritual side. In
the last few years it would seem
that the Lord has been doing His
best to do something for Mississippi.
He has opened up our natural re-
sources, and brought us many bles-
sings. Many of the heroes of the
last war were from Mississippi, u
boys and girls from the cities and
from the rural districts are gaining
recognition over the nation, our tai
ented men and women are taking
their places in the national cultural
life, fine families are being attract
ed to our state because of the whole
some atmosphere and religious at
titudes. We are self sufficient and r
taking our deserved place in our
political affairs, yet we are hob
nobbing with these ravenous wolves
of the liquor traffic from the north
and west who are seeking to come
into state to make gentlemen
of distinction" and women of per-
sonal charm" out of our boys and
girls. Is this prayer of thanks
giving for blessings?
Gentlemen of the Legislature, this
days choatic world is waiting for
some state to rise and say GAS for