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Mississippi’s Coming Victory
Mammoth Prohibition Mass Meeting Held tn Hall of Representatibes —
Leaders Gather at Jackson.
HE eyes of loyal prohibitionists all
over America are turned toward the
legislature of Mississippi, now in ses
sion. Every indication points to an
overwhelming victory for statutory pro
hibition. A great mass meeting of pro
hibition workers was held in the new
capitol on the night of January 9th.
Mr. William D. Upshaw, editor of The
T
Golden Age, who is now in Texas on a short pro
hibition campaign, stopped in Jackson for this
gathering, and was one of the speakers. Because
of the widespread interest in Mississippi’s battle,
we give our readers the story of the historic mass
meeting as told by Mr. Frank Sullins, the bril
liant young editor of The Jackson Daily News:
A Record-Breaking Crowd.
In the presence of the greatest audience that ever
assembled in the hall of representatives, the cam
paign for a statutory prohibition law in Mississippi
was formally launched last night.
Delegates were present from every county in
the state, and more than one thousand people
crowded into the chamber at the night session.
Organization was perfected by the election of
Governor-elect E. F. Noel, as chairman, and Hon.
B. T. Hobbs, of Brookhaven, as secretary.
A resolution asking the legislature to enact a
statutory prohibition law and submit an amend
ment for constitutional prohibition, and urging con
gress to abolish interstate liquor traffic w T as adopted
amid great enthusiasm.
Speeches were delivered during the convention by
Governor-elect E. F. Noel, Dr. W. T. Lowery, Hon.
C. H. Alexander, and Bishop Charles B. Galloway.
The latter framed the legislative memorial.
The closing address of the evening, and by far
its greatest feature, was the address of Hon. AVill
D. Upshaw, the Atlanta journalist, who held the
vast audience spellbound with his matchless elo
quence, persuasive argument and brilliant wit for
more than an hour. He told of the great campaign
for prohibition in Georgia, and made an impassion
ed appeal for Mississippi to join the sisterhood of
prohibition states.
The bill approved by the prohibition executive
committee providing for the abolition of the sa
loon in the eight “wet” counties of Mississippi
has been framed and is ready for introduction.
The report of the committee on resolutions was
framed by Bishop Charles B. Galloway, who has
accomplished more good for the cause of prohibition
in this commonwealth than any man in the state.
The report was read by Dr. W. H. LaPrade, and
is in fall as follows:
Ringing Resolutions.
We, the friends of the legal and constitutional
suppression of the liquor traffic in Mississippi, in
mass meeting assembled, reverently invoking the
blessing and guidance of Almighty God in our ef
forts for the advancement of the great cause, do
hereby affirm the following platform of principles:
First. We record with profound gratitude the
steady, healthful, intelligent, triumphant growth of
prohibition within our great commonwealth. From
a small beginning several years ago, our cause has
become a dominant moral sentiment in almost every
county of the state. The little company has become
a great army. Every success has emboldened us
to greater effort. Past achievements have been an
inspiring prophecy of yet grander things in the
future.
Second: We reaffirm our unalterable confidence
in the righteousness and effectiveness of prohibition
as an agency for the advancement of moral re
form. Wherever good prohibitory laws have been
adopted intemperance has been suppressed and good
government has signally advanced. Prohibition
does prohibit. Despite the prejudices and par
tisan utterances of those who favor license and the
open saloon, the history of prohibition is an un
answerable argument in favor of its efficiency. We
The Golden Age for January 16, 1908.
only ask that prohibitory laws be administered with
the same fidelity as other statutes, to indicate their
wisdom and to secure to communities their benefi
cent influence and protection. And the old charge
that “prohibition destroys business” has been tri
umphantly answered by the signal commercial pros
perity and moral improvement of those communi
ties in our state that have been shielded by protec
tion.
Third. In view of the continued and intelligent
growth of prohibition sentiment in the state,
through the earnest and continuous efforts of the
Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the efforts
of the friendly press, and the educative influence
of our local option laws, leaving only a few square
acres of our commonwealth not covered by prohi
bition, we believe the time has arrived for the final
overthrow of legalized liquor traffic on Mississippi
soil. We therefore respectfully request the legis
lature now in session to pass a statute prohibiting
the sale or manufacture of liquor throughout the
state, and also to submit to the qualified electors
at the earliest possible date an amendment to the
constitution embodying the principles of such
statute.
Fourth: We favor the speedy passage of a law
that will protect prohibition states and prohibition
sections of states from the insidious invasion of
the liquor traffic under the sanction of interstate
commerce, and call upon our senators and repre
sentatives in congress to give their diligent and ef
fective support to any approved measure having
that end in view.
Fifth. We urge that the laws passed by the
last legislature aimed at the C. 0. D. liquor traffic
be made effective, so far as possible, against all
liquor traffic.
Sixth. Recognizing and appreciating the value
of scientific instruction in all the public schools of
the state on the dangers of alcohol and narcotics,
we favor a continuance of the same, and also the
inculcation of the doctrine of temperance and total
abstinence among our people generally. While in
voking the strong arm of the law to suppress the
open saloon, we must not abate moral and spiritual
effort to save the people from the drink habit.
Seventh. We reaffirm with emphasis our former
declaration that the cause of prohibition should not
be entangled with party politics. Without disturb
ing the party affiliations of any citizen, we ask the
support of this great reform, which should be
sacredly enthroned above the contests for mere place
and power.
Eighth. We earnestly urge that friends through
out the state petition the legislature at once, by let
ter and telegraph, to pass a general prohibition bill.
The Man From Georgia.
Will D. Upshaw, “the man from Georgia,” was
the unquestioned feature of the prohibition mass
meeting at the state house last night.
For more than an hour the brilliant Georgia edi
tor, publicist and lay missionary held the audience
enthralled with his splendid oratory and wonderful
humor. He told of the prohibition campaign in the
Cracker state, which was followed by one of the
most remarkable victories in the history of the tem
perance movement.
Mr. Upshaw was “full of his subject,” meta
phorically speaking. He has been “fighting booze,”
again metaphorically speaking, for the past decade,
and with tongue and pen has wielded a wonderful
influence throughout the South in behalf of the
cause. Although a hopeless cripple, encased in a
plaster of Paris jacket, and unable to stand on his
feet any great length of time, he is an orator of
splendid attainment’s*, !V and there was never a mo
ment during his vtffiflMVful speech last night when
the interest of thb :J audience flagged. The other
addresses were magnificent presentations of the pro
hibition cause, but jMr. Upshaw’ more nearly
reached the human interest side of the question than
any of the speakers who preceded him.
What We Think of What We See
1907 Vs. 1908.
“1 wonder why, though hard I try,
I ne’er can get it straight,
But each and every time I’m sure
To write down last year’s date!”
What’s in a name? Nothing—if Beerine is taken
as a standard.
* *:
The little side door in the desk has well-oiled
hinges these days.
* r.
Did you enlist into the water-wagon Brigade, or
were you conscripted?
H *
An Irish pupil’s definition of an island: “A
place one can’t leave without a boat.”
r. r
The injunction “Take no substitutes” will not
be jealously observed in Georgia now’.
“Two Senators turned down.” —Newspaper
Headline. Would they prefer being turned up?
And why?
* *
A stitch in January on a raveling new year’s
resolution saves nine months’ regretting later on.
Leap-year query: Does the right to propose entail
upon a sweet young thing the obligation to dig up
the diamond engagement ring?
* *
There may be food in alcohol; but wdien one
member of a family takes his food in that form,
the rest of the family go hungry.
* *
One man chosen as a Thaw’ juror swore that he
had not read a word of the accounts of the first
trial. Now 7 you will be able to believe the Rip
Van Winkle story, won’t you?
* R.
A new cook book, of four volumes, with five hun
dred pages to the volume, has just been issued in
Paris. It is to be hoped that nineteen hundred and
ninety-seven of the pages are filled with instruc
tions how to keep the cook.
The photographic series accompanying the Thaw’
trial doesn’t look as it did last time, and we
have just thought why; there are no photographs
of that euphonic and dear Delphin M. Delmas.
* *
“The time is ripe for another appeal to con
science.” —Wm. J. Bryan. Well, if we had been
appealing to conscience for eleven years without
success, we would quit appealing and get a jimmy
or a club.
An Irishman leaped into a river and rescued a
man from drowning. The rescued one, after reviv
ing to some extent, gave his preserver a quarter.
The Irishman looked at the coin and then at the
giver. “Bejabbers, I’m overpaid for this job,”
he said.
Booker Washington in an address at Cambridge
recently, spoke of the fact that we have come to
a time when there is very little that is new to be
said by a. speaker or minister; the doctrines of love,
of punishment, of reward and of the future life,
are well knowm. As an illustration of the fact that
there are those who demand something new, he
related this anecdote:
“I am reminded of an old negro whom I met in
the hills down South at a church where I was be
seeching the audience to stand by their pastor and
pay him a salary. I spoke as eloquently as I could.
I watched ray audience and saw that I nad every
one with me but this old fellow’ in the rear, who
kept mumbling to himself whenever I finished an
argument. Finally I called out to him, and asked
why he opposed paying a salary to his hard w’ork
ing minister.
“ ‘No, suh; no, sub; we sha’n’t pay him no more
salary this year. He’s giving us the same sermons
he gave last year,’ he said.”
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