Tishomingo County, Mississippi, is at present a dry county. By that I mean the sale of alcohol is prohibited. Does that prevent the citizens from the county from drinking. By no means! After all, it's only a short drive to the Tennessee border, and some smart dude made sure he had a liquor store placed most advantageously right near the line.. So Tennessee gets the money from the liquor tax and sales and Mississippi gets the beer cans and the drunks. Doesn't seem like much of a fair trade, does it....
But that may be in for a change. Tishomingo County citizens are set to vote, I may add, one more time on this thorny issue...Will that vile brew at last be allowed into the homes of the good citizens of Tishomingo, County. We shall see!
In the 1950's a judge from Tishomingo County was asked at a meeting where this age old issue was being discussed to give his slant on the subject. What follows is one for the books. This is the most amazing example of political doublespeak you will ever find anywhere. This crafty old judge name was Noah S. Sweat, but he was known around the county by the nickname 'Soggy" and this is what he had to say on the subject.
"My friends,
"I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey.
"If when you say whiskey you mean the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster, that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, and despair, and shame and helplessness, and hopelessness, then certainly I am against it.
"But;
But that may be in for a change. Tishomingo County citizens are set to vote, I may add, one more time on this thorny issue...Will that vile brew at last be allowed into the homes of the good citizens of Tishomingo, County. We shall see!
In the 1950's a judge from Tishomingo County was asked at a meeting where this age old issue was being discussed to give his slant on the subject. What follows is one for the books. This is the most amazing example of political doublespeak you will ever find anywhere. This crafty old judge name was Noah S. Sweat, but he was known around the county by the nickname 'Soggy" and this is what he had to say on the subject.
"My friends,
"I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey.
"If when you say whiskey you mean the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster, that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, and despair, and shame and helplessness, and hopelessness, then certainly I am against it.
"But;
"If when you say whiskey you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips, and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old gentleman's step on a frosty, crispy morning; if you mean the drink which enables a man to magnify his joy, and his happiness, and to forget, if only for a little while, life's great tragedies, and heartaches, and sorrows; if you mean that drink, the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitiful aged and infirm; to build highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I am for it.
"This is my stand. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise."
Whether you agree with him or not, you do have to admire his way with words.
As of May of this year, that all changed. The good people of Tishomingo have voted liquor, beer, and wine, into their lives. Took a long time but it finally happened. Too bad old Soggy isn't here to witness it..
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