Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-01-16


rics upon hcplcs women, innocent children,
md tho community and the world at large.
Gentlemen, you aro solcctod to guard tho
interest Of tho inhabital Is of this town.
You gre not at liborty to exercise your
oilicial powers to onhanoo tho pccuniary
interest of few to tho injury Of tho mass.
You havo no authority to give thrco or iivo
men in this town tho legal power to make
from six to twelve hundred dollars caoh
year, whilo the exercise Of that power
will ruin The hopes and fortunes Of hun.
drods, and I'LL tho community with pau
pcrism and crimc. Tho law, which is to
be your guide, compels you TO do no such
thing; indeed, it is difficult to SEQ how it
can justify any such thing. Tho law says
on such day the board shall meet. So
far you uro commanded to act, and to take
into consideration all applications for
| license. Further than this you arc not
compelled to act. There arc several things
in this law TO which wish to direct your
attention. First: You aro to be satisfied
that tavern is necessary for the actual
accommodation of Travellers Now, gem
tlcmcn, there arc fvc applications already
before you to keep tavern in this town, and
some two or three for grooer's license. Can
you believe they aro all necessary for the
actual accommodation Of travclers?' You
know, gentlemen, that ono good public
house will accommodate all tho travellers
who pass through our village. But sup
license to soil liquor? Must they be clothed
misery into our families? Who does not
| Al, 81, t1o II a.
not use it, and had much rather put up at
house where it is not sold? If you con
slider yourselves bound by tho law to give
license because you consider 4 public house
necessary for the accommodation of travellers,
hope you will bear in mind that tho law
was enacted in the dark ages, when liquor
was considered as necessary for tho health
and comfort of man as bread. Again: The
law makcs'it your duty TO license none
excepting such as have good aocommoda--
tions. But, gentlemen, do you not know
that tho law in this respect has been
rcckcssly violated by every Board of Excise
we have ever had in this town? 1t has
been their uniform custom to license every
applicant, without regard to his moral
character or accommodations Of his house.
Some of tho applicants before you to-day
arc not entitled TO liccusc according to the
law by which you claim to be governed
They have not the prescribed accommodation
They have 10 sheds, no comfortable barn
and no outbuildiugs where property can be
safely intrustcd to them. They have poor,
diapidatcd dwellings, that look moro like
deserted barracks than public houses. They
have no suitable furniture, no comfortable
beds; indeed, there is nothing about their
establishments that entities them to a
license according to law; aud yet these men
have been licensed from year to year, not
to accommodate travellers, towusmcn."
"Alr. SUPERVISOR" interrupted Doty,
81 have heard enough of this pcttifoggiug
and blackguardism. hope he will be
called to order. know what lie is coming
at"
"Kccp cool, Father Doty," cried out
John Donaldson; "Mr. Scrbner won't say
anything about poor old Joe Orcut."
Donaldson was the son of jeremiah Don
| aldson. lie was warm advocate of the
temperance reform, and ready wit. Tho
injury his brother Phillip received, the
unhappy marriage Of his sister Fanny, and
tho fearful death of his associate, Young
Dawson, served to enlist his feelings on the
side Of temperance. At the ago of eighteen
lie left lis nuiyc place aud took up his
residence in the State of Georgia. lie had
returned home few days previous TO this
meeting Of the beard to assist in settling his
fathers estate, aud TO spend tho remainder
of his days at the Homestead. The "Joe
Orcut, to whom hc referred, was poor
yaerant who had spent the most of his time
Tor three or four years past at Doty's tavern