TEMPERANCE COLUMN

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 11 March 1908, Page 13

TEMPERANCE COLUMN

THE BATTLE OF THE BOTTLE. NO^-iICENSE IN TENNESSEE. HOWr^EG-LEG WAS MOVED ON. (Saturday Evening Post, Washington.) [It wfll* greatij assist in the intelligent reading i)f tne iolloiving weii-wmten sketch if it is explained that Tenttessee (*o wnieh it refers): has closed up' 1 every licensed saloon li^the whole State, with the exception of cities,, by focal option. Knoxa-' city of 60,000 inhabitants, lately " went <lry "' by a vote of about two to one. Even Jsaehville, another large citj, lias ooniiiued all the saloons to a small area. zWhen it ie considered that these places are -surrounded on all sides by nolicense territory the progress ot tnc reform is an testimony to its superiority over any system of licence.] ihe slate has been wiped so clean in Tennessee, that little can now be done except to write the obituary, pronounce th.e_ customary eulogies, and car\ c the epitaph Let no unkindly, words be said. De mortuis nil nisi boiiuin. Better than any man in Tennessee, Peg-leg Dawkine knows how this calamity occurreu. All of it he saw; much of it he was. Peg-leg diove a thriving trade in the Turkey Trot Precinct until thai cranky legislature of 187? passed a fool law which pronibited saloons within four miles of incorporated schools outeide of chartered towns. This invasion of personal liberty Peg-leg resented bitterh. He announced that the law was unconstitutional, and lie " fit it." He sold whisky inerriij in spite of Turkey Trot Academy, and argued Uie folly of sumptuary laws. He btocd as squarely on his const itutacnal ritet as a one-legged man could stand on anything, and his little lawyer advised him that the Supreme Court would, never sanction the repeal of Magna Charta. This 6ounded reasonable to Peg-leg. But a prejudiced jury eomieted him, in apite of hia lawyer, and utterly regardless of a misspelled word in the indictment. The whole proceeding was shameful — and Peg-leg always maintained that somebody corrupted the Supreme Judges to decide against him. His lawyer advieed that they could never put him in gaol—" that's what the writ of habeas corpus is for." " But they are a-doin' it," oompla ; ned Peg-leg. ■A-iwi the lawyer had to admit that much. "We'll sue 'em for damages." " that," said Peg-leg. Sixty, days ie a long time to spend in gaol, especially when a horse-thief in the next cell kent suggesting to Peg-leg that he had better climb up on his constitutional rights again. When Peg-leg got out he moved his saloon exactly four miles and three inches from the academy. Then he winked his eye, and remarked that he "knew a thing or two." This did very well until a bunch of hayseeds took a notion to set up a school on the other side of him. And the worst of it was they hired a little blue-eyed school miss from Nashvill" to come down and teach the children. "An' it looked like every blamed fool in the country went plum crazy about them danglin' ribbons o' hern, an' that dinky little hat she wore." Teacher had to pass his place every morning. She hurried by on the other side of the ground, and kept her eyes upon the ground. Some sparkin' young fellers began keepin' her company and gee her past my place in safety." It looked awful funny to Pe^r-leg for a while. One morning two of his beet customers lounged in and remarked: "Wall, Pegleg, we reckon you'd better chut up shop; 'twon't do fer Miss Pearjy to be a-seein' all " these drunken niggers settin' around " "I was here fust " Pcjr-leg objected. " Don't make no difference — the law don't say nuthin' 'bout whdeh one was here fust — you're in less'n four miles o' that school, an' you've got to move." " ?^ly lawyer says " "See here, Peg-leg, better not stand on your constitutional rights — you done tried ! that once. Moreover, constitutions ain't ] no good in this settlement ef they meddles ! with Miss Pearly's school. You gotter git." Peg-leg got. He got a surveyor to locate him a. place in a thickly-«ettled neighbourhood where no school could interfere with his constitutional rights. Then he set to ■work building him a shanty. The very next day some meddlesome fellows came along and commenced measuring off the ground right beside his chanty, and driving down a stake at each corner. " Wht6ky allere brings business," remarked Peg-leg affably. " We'll have^ a., town here after aw hile." " Sho will," the man answered. " What kind .o' store you goin' to build?" asked Peg-leg. "Ain't goin' to be no store — goin' to be a sohoolhouse ; the trustees o' Happy Hollow has been thinkin' about it fer quite a spell." Peg-leg hustled off to &cc his lawyer, who said a lot about " mjunotions " and " mandamuses." He got out a pile of books and charged 25 dollars. Bu£ some way or another their proceedings slipped a cog, and Pcjr-leg moved to town, where there were plenty of saloons. " The more the merrier," laughed Peg-leg. Before he got his chair warm and his bar fixtures paid for the town surrendered it« charter, and all the saloons were closed. He consulted another lawyer, who explained that " where a town s^ave up it« charter the four-mile law applied." Pe«-leg knew all about four mile laws — he'd out his wisdom teeth on them already. This lawyer charged him 100 dollars— and took his bar fixtures for the fee. "Always did hate a Rube town, said Peg-leg. Then he moved to Nashville. Here he contracted with a brewer to j sell hie brew, and none other. The brewer j promptly secured him a house near the railroad where negroes congregated, .paid his license, furnished a bar, a big mirror, and set him up in legitimate business. He began to consider running for Alderman. Of course, the brewer took his 12 instalment notes to pay for the license. This was only fair, and didn't bother Peg-leg. Naehville was a. fine town, and railroad netrroes were always thirsty. Peg-leg did not read the daily papers, and lad no scent i of trouble until one morning when the j brewer's agent called him into the beck room to talk business. "We are very eorry, Mr Dawkins, but thia place will have io be discontinued. B - <lid all wa could I

to nre\ent. it. but the ritv council has' passed tbe segregation ordinance." "Whnt's t.hat?" dskod I'egleg. Ho would not have known a se^ repeat ior ordi- l nance^ if he had nW it with a bel! on. " Well, they jusf ain't go'n' to allow any more saloons in i his part of the town —all of em have To bo yoiider, in a •.bunch "-right under ±&> nd^j-of' tfio^.polioe/'i' " Then I'll move up yonder." su»"c;estocl i Peg-leg. He was- -fretting -tairc -now- -orrd - amcTiable to reason; constitutional rislits didn't appeal- so etrcnglv to hrn. The urgent 'shot* "his ho'ad. " Sony,- Mr ; Dawkins.' butT we have lentcd every "house %ye could get. in the restricted distriit, and you- know we've got to take caro of our old customers first We car.'l £et you a | location."' * •• Pesr-le<? leaned against the rJoor-faciiic- i "Ain't thar no way to git around ihe law?" j ho auestioned. ■ j "I don't see atfv way, answered the, brewer's agent. "We'\e taken the _ best Legal advice, an' our lawyers say 'ta'ji't no uso in fightin' it." ! "That puts mo out of business." canard i Peg-le^. and dropped oti a beer cask to rest. The whole thing made him tired.