The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1949-09-29
THROUGH
HAZEL
EYES
BY Hassl Bronnon

BY Hazel Bronnon
Public opinion in Mississippi i.
slowly crystallizing to the extern
that sooner or later, and perhap.
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 Of a
supposedly great state prohibit
ing the sale of liquor by state law
and at the same time having law
to collect a ten per cent tax on
all liquors sold. How can this be
explained intelligehtly to any
one?
The answer to our problem lies
in the state legislature-in the
representatives of our people who
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 been
afraid Of losing their jobs-real-
ixing that in so doing they would
lose the vote Of the bootlegger
and the vote Of 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 he
wants to keep prohibition. too.
A. long as we have prohibition
laws the whiskey business in Mi
sissippi, which runs into millions
OF dollars, will remain in the
hands Of the bootlegger and his
kind. i
Il the state Of Mississippi es-
tablishes state-owned and control
led liquor stores the stores will
get the business and the bootleg
gers will have to 60 to work for
1 living.
What is more important there
,.Nn be restored IN the minds Of
the general public some SEM
blance Of respect for law and or
der-and today there is little OF 1t
both respect and law and
order.
There are many intelligent
men and women
throughout this great state OF ours
Who are greatly concerned with
he 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 1t.
One trend of the times is seen
in editorials in newspapers
over the state and
they are written by honest and
sincere men-but men who have
never taken strong editorial
stand on anything. These edi-
torials express the need and de-
sire for action to better condi-
tons in Mississippi through the
repeal of laws that have long
ceased to prohibit.
NY position on this question
has not changed and it should be
known by now to every inter-
ested reader Of this newspaper.
TT could pass law or do any
thing else that would make people
800 wanting whiskey I'd do it
for / think it's the greatest single
;nfluence in the world today
causing unhappiness and suffer
;rg. But no one can leglslate
human desire. So ! believe that
orr duty is to try to control liquor
seeing to it that it is accompanied
With as few other vices as pos
sible.
Ne, can also well spend our
49, and effort in educating our
farnilies and friends to the very
real dangers accompanying drink
IN There is no social drinker
in the United States who wants
10 become an alcoholic-yet we
have some 100000 alcoholics in
M. country most OF them
starting with just sociable drink,
in9.
There are sixty-one million per
ems IN &ais country who drink
nd of his number there are
a3SO 900 Mo drink to excess.
On thd Drinkers side we've go
1,~vealns that being a Democra
liz country and having the free
In,n n choice, it is his privilege
~ drink if he likes--and that we
rec.rdless of our own views