The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1949-09-29
THROUGH
HAZEL
EYES
By Hazel Brunnon

Public opinion in Mississippi is
slowly crystallizing to the extent
that sooner or later, and perhaps
sooner than most Of us think, the
farce of prohibition as it is known
in Mississippi will be no more. ;
The present situation in Missis-
sippi is intolerable to any citizen
who has any respect for law and
order. Many of our towns are IN
tested with an element of people
no better than gangsters-and re-
spect for all laws has completely
broken down. 1t is a dangerous
situation.
Here we have the spectacle Oh a
supposedly great state prohipit-
ing the sale of liquor by state law
and at the same time having a law
to collect a ten per cent tax on
ali LIQUORS sold. How can this be
explained intelligently to any
one?
The answer to u problem nes
in the state legislature-in the
representatives of u people VINO
make the laws in the state legis-
lature.
Do our legislators have CUTS
enough to give the people the
privilege of voting for what they
want? They haven't had in the
past. Many of them have beer
afraid of losing their jobs-real-
ling that in so doing they would
lose the vote of the bootlegger
and the vote Of a large number OF
the church people in the state.
It has been true in the past
and we can understand this-that
church people have voted almost
solidly to keep the prohibition
laws on the books. What many OF
them have not realized is that in
doing SO they are casting the same
ballot as the bootlegger-for ne
wants to keep prohibition. too.
AS long as we have prohibition
laws the whiskey business in MI
s;ssippi. which runs into millions
of dollars. will remain in the
hands of the bootlegEer and his
kind.
If the state Of Mississippi es-
tablishes state-owned and eontrol-
led LIQUOR stores the stores VIII
pei the business and the bootleg
gers will have to 60 to work toz
a living.
What is more important there
can be restored in the minds o.
the general public some sem
blance Of respect for law and or.
der-and today there is little OF \
both respect and law and
order.
There are many intelligent
Christian men and women
throughout this great state OF ours
who are greatly concerned with
the almost universal breakdown OF
law and order, of respect and de-
cency. They realize that what we
have now in this state is the
worst thing possible for our young
people-they want something
done about it.
One trend of the times is seen
In editorials in newspapers
over the state an
they are written by honest and
sincere men-but men who have
never taken a strong editorial
stand on anything. These edi-
torials express the need and de-
sire for action to better condi-
lions in Mississippi through the
repeal of laws that have long
ceased to prohibit.
NV position on this question
has not changed and it should be
known by now to every inter
ested reader of this newspaper.
II l could pass a law or do any.
thing else that would make people
stop wanting whiskey I'd do it
for I think it's the greatest single
influence in the world today
causing unhappiness and suffer
ing. But no n can legisiate
human desire. So | believe tina
our duty is to try to control liquor
seeing to it that it is accompanied
with as few other vices as pos
sible.
We can also well spend oul
time and effort in educating oul
families and friends to the very
real dangers accompanying drink
ing. There is no social drinkel
an the United States who wants
to become an alcoholic-yet VIZ
have some $4,000 alcoholics II
this country most OF tnen
starting with just sociable drink
ing.
There are sixty-one million per
son in this country who drlnf
and of this number there arr
3.250,000 who drink to excess.
On the drinkers side we've 60
70 realize that being a Democra
tic country and having the free
dom of choice, it is his privilege
OF drink if he likes-and that we
regardless of our own views