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A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF M.rW, , mYmrrv
ESTABLISHED 1896.
MARION, N. C, THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1912.
VOL. XVI NO. 30
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MR. CARLTON REPLIES
. .:
ays Situation in Marion is About
tne bame as txjsts in Uther
Towns in the State.
Dear Mr Editor-
m. v i ' . . , .
The article appearing in last
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weeks !ssue of your paper entitled:
Bhnd T.KerS m ManonpTown
Officials Criticised for failure to
enforce the law against the sale of
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hqubr" is misleading when reading
i i xr, A. ,
the headlines alone. Whether the
- .u . .
writer of the article or the editor
. i , A, . T
is responsible for. this I am not
prepared to say but a careful read-
ing of! the art.de reveals that cr.tj-
cism is directedagainst the fo -
lowing: First, the Town Marshal;
second, the Mayor; third the Board
of Aldermen; fourth, the citizens
of the town; fifth, the members of
the churches, including Mr. Mor-
gan himself. .
I am not ca led upon to answer
for all these classes, but as a gen-
Ova o r 4- -k v- rnf mill Z
w. ouu w u bUHb xi uii
arucle presents the true situation
things are most alarming m Marion.
Not very long ago I heard an old
colored man begin his speech with
the following estoundingstatement:
4Marion is the best little mountain
town betwixt Heaven and Hell; I
do not know how far away Heaven
is, but I know Hell is right here."
. If Mr. Morgan's portrayal of con-
ditions is true, then the old colored
man was not far wrong,
I have been' informed by good thV laws exist. Thislspirit of criti
citizens who have vlived here for cism and disparagment does not
years that the picture is. somewhat grow out of any dissatisfaction
overdrawn that conditions are with the machinery of our system
hetteivnow thantbey were ten of law, but is inspired sometimes
years ago. Is impossible that "the by a spirit of prejudice, or envy,
boys of this town are now debasing and by one thing and another that
themselves-with liquor more than we cannot explain,
at any previous time during the To put down vice and crime is a
past ten years?" diffiicult task unless the officials in
Having lived here not quite two Pwer have the hearty co-operation
years I am not able to answer this aD( the support of the good people
question. I became, a citizen of of the town and community. Your
this town and county on the 20th Marshal can not successfully ap
day of April, 1910, coming here Prehend these evil doers without
from another section "of the State. it;- Your Mayor can not do it
On the anniversary of my arrival alone, even though he shouted a
I was honored with the nomination proclamation from the dome of the
for the officeof Mayor. This honor county court house itself. A cer
xiame to me unsought and I would tai km2 in Norway once under
have manifested an ungreatful took to organize a great shout. He
spirit had I ref used to accept it. sent ms proclamation all oyer" his
On the first of May last I qualified kingdom. The imperial edict de
by taking the oath of office and manded that at a certain hour, at
entered at once unon thfi disnhnrcrA
of its duties. Having had due re
gard for my oath of office, I have
tried in every possible way to dilli
gently enforce the laws and ordi
nances of the town, and nave done
so impartially and courageously
with no expression of encouragement-from
any living soul, except
my.Marshal and the unfailing loyal
ty of my Board of Aldermen.
These gentlemen have stood by me
on every proposition for law en
forcement apd have at all times
had, as it seemed US me, the good
of Marion at heart. V- '
As to what has been done for
law enforcement the record will
show. It is an open book to the
public and .''all who run may read."
An examination. of it discloses the
rfact that many citizens have .been
convicted for drunkenness and
some have been bound over to the
higher court charged 1 with; sjellihg
liquor illegally. Every singlfe case
brought before me v charged with
drunkenness nas had a thorough
;. investigation-the, defendant : in
each case, without a single instance.
ciuept m one case wnere the de-
: j.
fendant was represented by counsel
and was advised not to go on the
stand, has been subjected to a most
thorough, grilling cross examina-
tion to find out where he purchased
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tuo aquor mai maae mm drunk as
we his know,ed o
where Iiquor was boughtor so,d iQ
Marion.
if u j
It conditions are so bad.it seems
Ct-Qnfr iaa u . i
strange, indeed, that some good
;t;,on i,00. i j
citizen has not volunteered some
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information, some knowledge or
facts that would secure a conviction
ot these violatQrs of the ,aw f
Mr. MorBan or member of
his proposed aDd of six Qr mo
good men or any other good cUi.
zen or citizens Qr the Town Mftrsh.
al wi pui the facts before j
wil immediatelv issu6 a warraDt
for the arrest of the offender or
offenders, as the case may be, be
he high or low, rich or poor, or
whatever his station in life, and
1
wiH make a tborough investigation
of the matter and .f the factg show
even probab!e cause of his or lheir
guilt, I will bind him or them
under a good and snfficient bond
to "the next term of the Superior
Court to answer the charge,
.There seems to be a disposition
which has become a common habit
among us to criticise and even
sometimes sneer at, our public offi-
- cials. This spirit is manifested by
the neonle for whose .verv bonpfit
a cenain minuie, ai a certain mo-
ment, every one of his subjects
was to shout in unison. The great
est interest in the king's strange
idea: there was a erreat movement
to and fro, and preparation for the.
appointed moment; it came but
deathless- silence reigned. Only
one person shouted, and that was
a little woman away up in the
mountrins of Norway who said:
"Bool" All the rest stood waiting;
to see what the others would do,
and to hear the great noise which
was expected to ensue.
We will find that in dealing with
public sentiment relative to law
enforcement in towns and cities
there will be a disposition to leave
the agitation to "one man, or a few
men. x It seems to me that there
must be, first of all, the organiza
tion of a propaganda for a right
eous public sentiment which shall
bring to the altar the love and
patriotism of every true hearted,
broad souled citizen who has the
moral good of his. town or city at
heart and who wants to- - see the
boys andiyoung men and old men,
lifted up to, a higher plain of duty
and usefulness as citizens: ,
The i'Blind Tfiger" situation in
Marion is about such a state of
affairs as exists in most towns unil
communities of its size throughout
this state. Not for one moment
would I condone such condition.
It is far from ideal. Evasion and
direct disobedience of the law
should be punished. The question
of just how to get hold of, the of-
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render is one that has puzzled and
is puzzlinir the office rs and ritirpriQ
of these towns and communities all
over the state. No amount of ru
mor or mere heresay, constitute
legal, evidence. No amount of cer
tainty about the guilt of a supposed
offender can make him liable to
arrest unless that certainty is based
on real, definite facts. Iaan earn
est effort to get at thes facts I
have been thwarted timnnnd ntrain.
just when the case seemed almost
complete.
It is my purpose to do my duty.
I will welcome the help of Mr.
Morgan and all good citizens in
suppressing this evil in our midst
With such a sentiment alive in the
hearts of the private citizens it
ought to bo only a matter of
i:.. i. a? . i ...
uiue nme unui unaisputabio evi
dence is before me.
In Raleigh, Charlotte, Asheville
and in all towns large and small
where the blind tiger" has been
routed, it has taken the earnest.
concerted action of (the organized
citizenship as well as the hard work
of the officers of the law to effect
results. Only a short while ago
in Morganton, was organized a
"Law and Order League" with
Air. .brnest hrwin as itspresident.
By reason of its influence Mr.
Johnston, the Solicitor,! informs
me, that there were sevpral con
victions of persons charged with
the illicit sale of, hquV? m that
town.. . If such an organvrUion is
good for Morganton why not for
Marion? Is there a good, strong,
healthy sentiment in Marion for
law enforcement? If so, all good
citizens should be willing to co
operate aud actively support the
officials in power that law and or
der may prevail in our town?
ere is no cause without a rem
edy." Have you one to suggest?
D. L. Caulton.
Marion, N. C, March 27, 1912.
Old Fort Matters.
Old Fort, March 27. Deputy Sheriff
Turner, Chief of Police Mauney and all
the other officers and quite a number of
citizens held a very peculiar watch
meeting here Sunday night; not that
thev were so anxious! v waitincr for th
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light of Monday morning and the labqra
of another week to appear, but there
was (or thought to be) eperson, suppos
ed to be a man dressed in woman's
clothing, coming through town some
time during the night, and it was
thought by 6ome folks that the myste
rious person was one of the Allen
brothers, weo is being searched for by
Virginia officers. But alas! she or he
did not appear, and the watchers were
forced to disband in the wee hours of
the morning and seek their homes and
beds. How sad to be disappointed.
A prisoner in the city jail here Satur
day night set fire to the building and
then gave the alarm. There being only
ona prisoner but help close at hand, the
damage was not very great.
J. C. Green went to Asheville, Tues
day, to visit his daughters. Misses
Maude and Louise, who are in school
there.
Mrs. James Ray of Marion spent
Tuesday with relatives here.
Mrs. M. R. Young, whv has been very
ill, is improving.
.Three cheers for Mr. W. T. Morgan's
article in last week s issue of The
Progress. As the Editor says, it rings
true and is to the point. Would it not
be a great blessing if all the officers and
citizens as well would put their should
ders to the wheel and push with all
their might nntil McDowell county is
rid of the "blind tiger" curs.
Evergreen.
It is stated that Mr. W. IL
Odell, of Concord, former State
Senator, has about decided to be
come a candidate for State Treas
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KEEP UP THE FIRING
Mr. Price Reviews Work of. Anti-
Saloon League Stfys People
Favor Enforcing Law.
Mr. Editor:
1 was glad to see the article last
week by Mr. W. T. Morgan on
Blind Tigers in Marion," and
vour editorial in which vou wk
what the preachers and church
oflicials have done to rid Marion
of "blind tigers" and the evils of
whiskey, for two reasons. First,
because of the great need of stirr
ing up our people, and especially
our oflicials, on this s-dj.H:t, which
is a blot on our town and one that
is sappphig the very life and char
acter out of our town; and second,
because it gives an opportunity for
me to answer you r question, W hat
have the preachers and church
oflicials done to rid Marion of
rfblind tigers and the evils of whis
key,' and Mr. Morgan's statement
(which is true) that "veteran pro
hibition lenders hue for a time
been silent.''
In order to answer these two
statements fully will a review of
our work si-ire the organization of
town, when I was elected nrrsiJit
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ami we went to work, with all thi:Gil Stite. We had the neoole on
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ministers in town in the front
ranks, organizing ard trying to
create sentiment to vote .whiskey
out of U'wn. Som-? ff us. worked
day and night for srr.ii weeks,!
but we were defeated by about 11
votes. Then our only hope was to
get a bill through the legislature.
We kept our organizition up, hold
ing monthly meetings, getting the
best speakers and workers in the
state to come from time to time,
paying their expenses, until the
Legislature met in 1005, when only
three of us would volunteer to go
to Raleigh and try to get a bill
passed prohibiting the sale of
liquors in our town. We went,
paying our own waj had a bill
prepared and introduced, but our
representative opposed it and it
was killed by the committee. Wc
returned home determined to keep
up the fight until we did succeed,
bclievinc that "the brightest posi
tion any man can hold in this world
is to stand as a machine, connected
with his maker by a baud of living
dynamic faith and hope, willing to
serve and sacrifice for the uplift
of his fellows, and leave results
with Him," and that in God's own
time it would come.
We kept well organized, trying
to mold seutiment until the IiCgis
laturo met in 1007. Our repre
sentative said if a majority of the
voters of tho county were in favor
of prohibition in Marion he would
not opposo it You can sec what
a task wo had to get out petitions
in every township in tho county
and get men to mako a canvass
from house to house in order to
secure tho names of a majority, of
all tho voters in tho county, but
wo were in the fight to a finish,
and wo got good men who were
willing to do the work. When the
petitions were returned to me I
found that wo did not have a ma
jority of the rotors on our petition.
The county had not been thorough
ly canvassed. ; I went to tho livery
stable and iiired a horse and paid a
good man to ride in tho snow until
he secured sufficient names to give
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us a majority of the voters. Wo
then roAde op party, of nineteen
of tho best men in the town and
county and one woman, and cm-
ployed one of the best lawyers wo
could find,- and went to Raleigh
and spent a week and saml an
ikon cud bill, prohibiting tho
making and selling of intoxicitic
liquors in the town of Marion
Some of us sjent more thin oao
hundred dollars in cash, besides tho
time we gave, but wo believe it
WM the best investment of ttmo
and money we'evcr made, and garo
both gladly.
The extra ?e?sion of the legisla
ture submitted a vote to the Stato
on State prohibition. It had been
claimed by sc that McDowell
county was not in favor of prohi
bition Rev. H. H. Jordan, then
president of our Anti-Saloon
League, and myself made what I
consider the most vigorous cto
paign ever made in the county.
The returns from the election
showed only IbT votes cast against
prohibition, and the votes in Ma
rion township, the only place it
could be made and sold, showed
only 02 votes against prohibition.
and the State gave 44,iCNJ majority
for prohibition, beini the rrttAt
victory ever achieved in thecountr
f , - - -mm
I record, showing public sentiment
almost unaoimou for prohibition,
j c had al) the uw &aJ m:tiv i:nt
: uo t.eeditl.
CQ selected a board of
aldermen acd mayor that we be
lieved would execute the law. Wc
then felt that our work was done.
Soon it wis claimed that the chief
of police could not catch the "blind
tigers." The mayor authorized
Rev. H. H. Jordan, president of
tho Anti-Saloon League, to get a
detective, which he did, and
through his work there were sev
eral arrests, and by the aid of
W. T. Morgan at the trials in
court there were several convic
tions for which Mr. Morgan never
received one dollar. The cost of
the detective was $145.00. Tho
money was borrowed from the
bank until the meeting of tho board
of-aldcrmcn. The claim was pre
sented by Mr. Jordan and refused.
At the next meeting of the board
he asked mo to go witn him, and
wc both presented the matter again.
Two voted to pay it and three
1 rainst it. Tne result was that
few men bad to go down in their
pockets and pay tho $145.00, to
have the law enforced; the law
that they had elected ofliccrs to
execute, and had paid their taxes
to help pay the salary of the oQ-
-cers whose duty it was, and low
is, ro execute the law. I must
confess I did not pay my part of
this money with as good grace as
I did the money I paid trying to
secure prohibition.
It is no more tho duty of private
citizens to pay their money to havo
one law enforced more than any
other law. And why will officers
not enforce all tho laws? If there
is to be any discrimination it should
bo to more rigidly enforce the laws
against the greater crimes. ' If our
officers are doing their full duty,
then prohibition is a miserable
failure . Other people are not in
different, nor havo the r lost inter
est in this cause, neither are they
asleep, but I am glad "of this new
(Continued oa Fourth pae)
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