Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-06-22
THE LIQUOR QUESTION.

The Liquor Dealers Protective Union re-
Gently addressed the following card ''to the
public generally and the Legislature in partic-
ular
In view of the fact that the Governor has
called an extra session of the Legislature we
have concluded, in our own behalf, to present
il few facts to that body which we deem, as
citizens, business men, taxpayers, and Demo-
Gratis, are worthy of their consideration.
In 1876, when every man who loved the
State was appealed to, to do his whole duty in
an effort which was by many of the wisest and
truest men in the Democratic party deemed Il
useless fight, the men in the liquor business
throughout the State did as much from firstto
last as any other class of business men in the
State, and in numbers of instances they did
great deal more than some who have since
prOhted by the victory won in the summer and
fall of that memorable year; and in every cam
paign OF any Importance since that time we
have been ardent workers in the in the inter-
est of good government in the State, and we
are, therefore, at a loss to see how and why it
| is that the last Democratic Legislature should
have seen proper to trample upon lis and our
rights as business men in the manner which it
did, by injecting into the Statutes the objec
tionable clauses which are direct filings at us
as men and at our business. Taking into con-
sideration the large amount of taxes which the
liquor men pay into the State treasury, (great-
er, including licenses, than any other class of
| business men in the State,) we cannot conceive
why it is that the men whom we have helped
into place and power should desire to thus dis
criminate against us.
AS the campaign of 1882 will shortly open
we deem it our right and privilege to request
all liquor dealers in every county of the State
to hold meetings, to be composed entirely of
| ,%n c&nl -, NO. do
situation, and if found necessary to elect dele
gates to 4 convention to be held at the capital
of the State for the purpose of taking such
measures as will protect our interest, and to
demand that evell-handed justice he meted out
to us as it is to all other kinds of business men
in South Carolina We claim that the time
has come when we as business men should
have such protection as is commensurate with
the taxes we pay into the State and corpora
tion Golfers. The last two Legislatures Of
South Carolina have been guilty of class-legs-
lation they have been unjust to US in legisla-
ting against us, and we believe their acts have
been unconstitutional. They have certainly
been unfair, unjust and offensive.
A respectful consideration Of this matter by
the body which is to meet in Columbia this
month is requested. That body will be COM
| posed of the men who perpetrated the wrong,
and it is only right and proper that they should
rectify that wrong and repeal the objectiona-
BILE legislation against us.
LIQUOR DEALERS PROTECTIVE UNION.
Immediately after the appearance of the
above the Prohbitionists answered it with the
following
IAN honest tale speeds best, being plainly
tOld.' Ours is very honest tale, and we
will endeavor to tell it plainly, calling things
by their right name. We have carefully read
the remarkable Card published by the Liquor
Dealers Union. We say remarkable, because
in many instances it is so, peculiarly so in the
presumption displayed. 1t claims to be from
the Liquor Dealers Protective Union. The
very name is sufficient to offend the sight and
hearing of every lover of truth, morality, vir-
tue and uprightness The presumption dis
that whisky and it's dealers had been alone in
strumental in ridding our State Of Radical
rule, and that their efforts had been so potent
that they conceive it now to be their right to
dictate to the members Of the Legislature
what they shall do, and to berate and abuse
them for what they have done. We vastly
mistake the character Of the gentlemen COM
posing that most respectable body Of men who
have met in that capacity for years. if they do
not resent this most unparalleled piece of ef-
frontery 1--WE might almost say impudence) on
the part of that association, and teach them
the full meaning of such terms as ''unfair, un-
Just and offensive' when applied to gentlemen
who represent a constituency, seven-eighths
of whom are radically and eternally opposed
to the run traffic with all it's concomitant hor-
rors. 1t is high time for the Christian voters
| to let these men see that they represent very
small part of the respectable vote OF the State.
We suppose there is something of threat
contained in the reference to the campaign
about to open, but that does not amount to
much. They want to be rewarded for having
simply done their duty in Seventy-six. Now,
if the citizens think that what they say is the
truth, and that they are entitled to reward,
let's get up petition to the Legislature to
pension them off. We know many OF the
members would prefer ndemnifying them with
money than to do so by giving them permis-
sion to poison their children indiscriminately.
A few items from the same issue Of your paper
| in which their card was published will perhaps
help to show how very important and respect
able the traffic in liquor is CDR Norman Kerr
recently stated in Exeter Hall, London, that
of the thirty-four million cases of disease ev-
cry year in the United Kingdom large pro-
portion arose from indulgence in intoxicants
some seventy diseases are described as arising
directly from alcohol. The estimated annual
mortality caused directly and indirectly by
drinking was given at one hundred and twen-
ty thousand" Another: ga fine of two
thousand marks, confscation of all his stock
of trade, and Imprisonment for three years
and half, were imposed lately on a wine mer-
chant in Neustadt, Germany, for manufac-
turing ninety thousand lters of "wine' out
of water, glycerine, alcohol, gum arabic, al
monds, sugar, fruit, &c. The defendants
counsel argued that the wine was intended
solely for distribution among the merchants
laborers and the poor.'' May God deliver our
country from all such charitable ghouls. And
this is the traffic that these parties hold mp
their hands in holy horror because the gentle
men composing our Legislature tried to limit
it in it's power to debauch and demoralize the
country? They claim to pay large amount
| into the treasury in taxes and license fees.
We claim that it would be the best financial
scheme the State ever entered into if it would
forever prohibit the manufacture, sale and
| importation of all alcoholic or fermented
drinks At present it costs the State ten dol
lars to undo the work done by liquor to one
received for the license or taxation OF the
damning stuff Come now, members of the
Liquor Dealers Protective Union, 90 slow,
and keep cool. You cannot bully this Legls-
lature or the respectable citizens of this State
into fearing your power, or believingt that your
business is respectable.
PROHIBITIONIsTs.
MERE.MENTION.
IL 1o,ro hal