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PAGE TEN
THE COVINGTON NEWS .
— Published Every Thursday —
BELMONT DENNIS
Editor And Publisher
W. THOMAS HAY
Advertising Manager
Official Organ of
Newton County
and the
City of Covington.
Editorial Regarding Bootleg Liquor
Causes Considerable Comment
Our editorial last week giving infor
mation regarding the sale of bootleg liquor
n Newton County has caused considerable
comment.
In printing this editorial, the words
‘colored people” were omitted through
-error. The entire editorial was devoted to
the liquor traffic as far as directly concern
ing the Negro population of our city insofar
as selling was concerned. However, these
same Negro bootleggers have many white
customers.
In this editorial we referred to a taxi
cab driver, and this was also referring to
a Negro taxi cab driver.
We called attention to the people of
Newton County to this condition as a point
of information. This same condition exists
in many counties throughout the State. An
editorial in last Sunday’s Atlanta Journal
called attention to the other counties also
affected.
We are quoting below two letters which
we have received this week in regard to
our editorial in order that you might read
the viewpoint of others as they regard the
liquor situation.
The first letter whjfch we quote below
is written by a very prominent citizen of
our town and we respect his wishes that his
name not be mentioned. However, we quote
his letter in full below;
Mr. Balmont Dennis
Covington NEWS
Covington, Georgia
Dear Mr. Dennis:
I have read your editorial and re
read it with much interest and was
surprised to know as much bootleg
liquor was sold in Newton County. I
do not drink it. I lived in a county for
more than 30 years that sold whiskey,
and good whisky. Some of the saloons
had good locations, but I did not see as
many drunks there as I do here.
The county catered to tourists,
and I admit that some of the tourists
made pigs of themselves and some,
hogs.
AND, the government and city
both received a tax instead of, as we do
here, employ and pay a lot of revenue
men a commission and salary, to lock
after the favorites and catch ihe new
comers.
I am of the opinion that the state
should own and control the sale of
whisky, and for a dr-uik to be caught
under a steering wheel, SSOO fine
would be light. Suspend driver's li
cense for a year, and for a second of
fense, not less than a year in prison.
I said to the Sheriff of Rockdale
County that I had heard that bootleg
Hquor could be bought in Rockdale
County pretty freely. He wanted to
know if I didn't know that it could be
bought in my own county as freely as
Rockdale, and all the rest of the coun
ties in the state.
I do not care for my name to be
mentioned. I said to a man that buys
bootleg that I did not know so many
places sold it. He said it could be bought
at three places not too far from my
ewn home. If I could live 32 years
where liquor was sold and never be
accused of being drunk, I see no rea
son why people here couldn't. Yes,
I took a social drink when there, or you
might say, for business reasons.
A READER
The next fetter which we quote below
is from one of our best-known and well
beloved citizens. He gives us what he be
lieves t* be the proper solution to the whis
key situation, and we are very glad, indeed,
to receive this communication from him:
Mr. Belmont Dennis. Editor
The Covington NEWS
Covington, Georgia
Dear Mr. Dennis:
I read your editorial of the No
vember 23 issue with much Interest
as it concerns an issue that must be
changed sooner or later. There Is no
absolute solution of the whisky ques
tion, but we can better the situation.
I quote your remarks: "We are de
finitely and positively against the sale
of beer or whiskey in our own County.
If the larger cities in the state desire
to allow whiskey to be sold, we be
lieve state-owned and state-operated
liquor stores should be the way to
handle same."
In order to improve the situa
tion, take liquor out of the hands of
the whiskey people. If a man is straight
at the beainning, he will get crooked
as soon =s hr beains to fool with liquor.
If *he state goes into the liquor busi
ness, we will soon have a orooked state.
JOur Advertisers Are Assured Os Results)
N ATI ONA L EDITORIAL
| A S ^° T Q N
Jesxkxkiexixi
S. G. TURNER, News Editor
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
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MABEL SESSIONS DENNIS
Associate Editor
MARY SESSIONS MALLARD
Associate Editor
Entered at the Post Office
nt Covington, Georgia, as
mail matter of the Second
Class.
You cannot legislate morals into
people, and it has been amply proven,
so I suggest the following plan for a
large improvement as far as Newton
County is concerned and what helps
Newton will help all others:
(1) Have no exclusive liquor stores.
(2) Issue selling licenses only to regu
lar mercantile concerns carrying a
permanent inventory of $5,000 or more,
whether that concern be a drug store,
grocery store, department store, hard
ware store, clothing store, under
taking parlor, or what not
(3) Let the County charge SSOO and
cities and towns SI,OOO.
(4) Make the sellers give $5,000 bond
not to sell for drinking on premises and
to intoxicated persons.
(5) This plan will insure 50 percent
less whiskey drinking, 100 percent
cheaper liquor, and 100 percent bet
ter liquor.
(6) Let the extremes of both sides
adopt a policy of common sense and
take liquor OUT of the hands of li
quor people.
Truly,
E. H. JORDAN
One trouble which exists and always
will exist is the impossibility of legislating
morals into the people. We may pass laws
restricting certain things but whenever we
pass laws trying to suppress desire of appe
tite, we always run into difficulties.
The problem of handling the liquor
situation is one which has always been of
interest, and we are frank to state we do
not know the solution. We do, however,
object to the flagrant violation of prohibi
tion laws in our own county and see no good
reason why it cannot be controlled.
We believe the letters written by both
of these gentlemen have considerable merit.
The letter written by Mr. Jordan offers a
solution with which you might or might not
agree. The fact that these people and other
citizens of our county are interested in the
control of the sale of whiskev is encourag
ing.
The sale of what is known as moon
shine is more prevalent among our Negro
population than among our white. Most of
our white population buy their whiskey in
Atlanta or from bootleg sources of bottled
whiskey which continues to flourish right
here in Covington.
Some of our Negro bootleggers buy a
gallon of whiskey and add potash to it and
make a gallon and a half out of a gallon
of moonshine liquor.
Often you see some of our colored peo
ple on the streets with blisters on their lips.
This is caused by the addition of potash in
order to make a few more dollars on the
sale of moonshine whiskey.
We frankly state that the bootleg
situation in our county is “bad.” That is the
only word we know to describe the traffic.
The fact that it is also bad in other coun
ties should be an incentive to our officers
to correct it to the best of their abilitv in
Newton County.
Just before going to press todav this
splendid letter which we are reproducing
below came in the mail from one of our co
lored friends. As this letter expressed it
there are hundreds and hundreds of self re
specting, law abiding colored citizens who
are bitterly against the element of their
race which are not law abiding. We realiz
ed this and appreciate these good citizens
very much. It is up to the white people of
our city to correct the things explained in
this letter. After all the responsibility is
very clearly up to we who control the law.
Editor Os The Covington NEWS
Covington, Georgia
Dear Sir:
In reading the last issue of the
Covington NEWS I found that the
Editorial Column carried great news
and I must state that we, as the law
abiding and the good citizens of Cov
ington, and especially the people who
live in the Harris Town Section feel
grateful to you and this is the only
way that we know how to extend our
appreciation to you.
We are proud that you have taken
the stand and have published it in the
paper so that people who are bitterly
against this bold and poison bootleg
ring that is taking over our city can see
just how our town is being run. We
are so proud that you have uncovered
it so the people here that stand for the
right thing can see what is going on.
Mr. Dennis, we colored people
I am speaking about, the law abiding
citizens, for as you know all of us are
not violators and we don't approve of
THE COVINGTON NEWS
this racket. It is a menace to our com
mvnit'es and we are glad to know that
it has been uncovered so the whole
city and county can see what a bad
situation it is to have to live beside
it every day and can't do anything
about it We want to rear our child
ren to be law abiding, mannerable
boys and girls. But how can it be done?
When there is a Moonshine house in
50 percent of each section of Coving
ton and not one thing done about it.
It seems as though the law that the
tax payers pay tax for protection is
asleep or what ever you might call
it, for it is not a hidden job.
We are the people who are suf
fering, the better Colored People.
It is very provoking when you
see these things and if the law is call
ed and the affair is reported they
don t seem to pay much attention to
it. In a few days these violators will
tell you just who has reported them
and that it was no need of anyone
reporting and talking about their cor
rupt houses. So what can we do?
Gambling houses are just as bad. In a
Barber Shop the City of Covington
has issued license to Harold Belcher
to cut hair, but the back of that shop
as it is called a Barber shop, but it is
just a Den to hide, and the better peo
ple that live around here has to suf
fer for the terrible way it is being
run. Cursing and loud talking, the
Earle Cocke
Paid Tribute
At Homecoming
From all over Georgia people
went to Dawson the other day
to we come home Erle Cocke
Jr., 29-year-old newly elected
National Commander of the
American Legion. There were
some 15,000 folks there, includ
ing many celebrated figures
from various parts of the na
tion.
Among the distinguished visi-
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WHAT GOES
ON HERE?
WHY ''MINNESOTA” TESTED
HOUSE PAINT, OF COURSE!
Since 1870 the beautifying and pro
tective qualities of “Minnesota”
paint products have brought en
during beauty both into and onto
the homes of America.
«'W»
KING HICKS HDW. CO.
Covington, Georgia
tors were General George C.
Marshall, Secretary of Defense;
U. S. Senators Walter F. George
and Richard B. Russell, and
many others high up in military,
public and private life. There
were many just plain folks there,
too.
As National Comm ^nder, Major
Cocke spoke on the many prob
lems iat face the nation today,
and what should be done to
protect this country from mili
tary .aggression. But the thing
he said that perhaps impressed
the large assemblage more was
' this simple statement:
“With Thanksgiving Day so
close by. I want to say a word
’ in that direction. I probably
1 ave more reason than most
people for giving thanks, but
two of them stand out above all
people can hardly stay in their own
house. The law raided it once but only
^ave them a light fine. So the next
few hours they were right back at the
same carrying on. But the law can't
see it no, I guess not for they just ride
through and never investigate what
is being carried on. Every Saturday
night, sometimes they start on Friday,
Barbecues and Fish Frys get in action.
And most places you see them, moon
shine is their object, and they never
pay the City one dime for selling food,
and the business people who are try
ing to live and keep the town clean
have to pay very stiff City Licenses
to operate a clean business and the vio
lators can sell food, soda pop, and moon
shine and the City and County don't
get anything out of them. I just won
der is that right! Please keep punch
ing this thing, for it is a terrible thing,
and a terrible situation. I am sure
something can be done if we the bet
ter people, both white and colored
take a stand. We are going to have to
take a stand for the layv officials can't
see these things even when there are
probably fifteen or twenty men and
sometimes women in a crowd together
talking loud and cursing, but they only
cast an eye at them and keep riding.
Now this is Harris Town. I can't speak
of the other section of town, but I can
about this side for a blind man can
see it,
A GOOD CITIZEN
others. The first is the blessing
of the most wonderful parents
on earth, and the second is the
privilege of having grown up
in Dawson, Ga.”
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COVINGTON, GEORGIA
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1 COVINGTON, GEORGIA ■
'Largest Coverage Any Weekly In The State) Thureda,, m
narsaay, Nove*^
Farmer Heme
In New Film
A Georgia Master Farmer's
family and many of his neigh
bors will be in the spotlight
early next spring when ■‘Land
and Life,” an educational mov
ing picture now in production,
is scheduled to be released for
showings, throughout the state.
The Emmett Cabaniss farm,
Oglethorpe County, is the loca
tion of the key scene in the
movie, and Mr. and Mrs. Cab
aniss, their children and their
neighbors take part in the ac
tion. In the picture a family
reunion is in progress on the
farm, and relatives who have
been away for many years have
returned. They contrast the fer
tile, well-kept farm and the at
tractive farm home with the
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the first day.
THAPf.MMM *
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that farm pe 5
deve’ooing 8
eiation of the enL 8r
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CREOMUCSI
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