In Mississippi, as the cheerful saying goes, "the drys have their law, the wets have their whisky and the state gets its taxes." Though they have the only statewide prohibition statute in the U.S., Mississippians have no trouble getting a drink in 59 of 82 counties. Bootleggers support the 58-year-old law because they can make a greater profit on liquor when it is illegal. Drinkers also generally approve of the dichotomy, although whisky smuggled from neighboring states costs more than anywhere else in the Southeast.

One bourbon drinker who does not like the setup is Governor Paul Johnson. Last week he...