Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1881-06-02
Gov. Perry on the Retailing OF
Spirituous Liquors.

[GrecnVille Enterprise aud Mountaincer. I
Tho Legislature of South Carolina have
passed an Act prohibiting the retailing OF
spirltuous liquors, except in incorporated
towns Now, if this 'wasn wise ond good
law forihc country, why would it not be
for cities, towns pnd Villages? Thers is ten
tlues moro iptoxication and retailing in
these incorporated towns than there is u
the country. The temptation to drink, and
iptemperance, too, is greater. Tho evil
also is of much greater and of more ruin
Gus consequences. There are hundreds and
thousands of persons living 10 the country
who never drink except when they como
to town and are tempted thorc, by bar.
rooms and grog-shops and intercourse with
friends
Every man goes home, in the incorporated
towns, to eat his dinner, and why should he
not, also, to drink spirits when he wishes to
do soY He is not 80 likely to get drunk at
home as he is at bar room or grog-shop !;
and if he does, his family will take care Of
him and not let him expose himself as
brute on the streets. Experience and his
tory prove that very few persons drink to
excess at homo. All tho drunkenness we
hear Of in the courts Of Justice originate in
these bar-rooms aud grog shops.
The Judges of South Carolina have re-
peatedly said on the bench that nine.tcn,hs
of the crimes tried in their courts originated
in intoxioation! If SO, and drunkiuncss is
caused by the temptations of tho bar.room.
why should these haunts and instigutors of
ruin, vice and misery be licensed at all in
an enlightened, civilized aud Christian
community? Gambling houses and houses
of prostitution are prohibited by law
under severe penalties; aud it may be a
question whether they are any more demor,
alizng than drinking saloons aud grog-
shops.
1t is said that the retail license is the
source of great revenue to the incorpora-
ted towns, and relieves tho citizens of heavy
taxation! But let us consider how much
it costs tho community to arrest, try and
feed in our jails all the criminals caused by
drunk enness. 1t will ovcrrun the amount
received from those licenses, independent of
the crime, misery and pauperism caused by
tholn.
There is 10 denying the fact that intem
perancc has become monstrous, growing
evil in the United States-grcaer than in
any othor country in tho civilized world!
Mr.. Loydell said some years ago that in two
years spent in Europe he never saw
drunken man, whilst not day passed over
his head 10 New York that he did not sec
many persons intoxicated! The great cause
of this difference is that in Europe they
have light wines and beer ~ beverage, and
in America our common beverage is corn
whiskey, which will make man drunk
before his thirst is queuUhed! Judge Bulkc
declai.d to South Carolina jury in the
trial OF case that "corn uhishey gave
man d propensity to steal," 1t certainly
does to fight and quarrel and break the
peace, to commit murder, mansaughtor and
other heinous crimes.
We all know that drinking connot bo
entirely suppressed, but licensed tempta.
tons to drink should DO stopped. They
have stopped retailing in tho towns Of Lau-
rens, Charlotte, Manning and many others.
In tho latter town it was proposed to run
"dry" and "wot" ticket The bar keepers
thought they would stock tho cards on tho
temperance ticket, and opened their saloons
for some days previous to oil who would
como md drink FREQ of any charge. A
great many old topcrs went aud drank
freely, and on the day Of election all voted
tho dry ticket! They said they wished the
temptation rcmovod-n temptation which
they could not resist. How many thou-
sands of young mon aro ruined by these
tar1ntations who nthnrpisa would hovo