Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-01-11
TEMPERANCE LEGISLATION.

TEMPERANCE LEGISLATION.
COLUMBIA, january Without much show
of fanaticism and with no extraordinary eXer-
tions on the part of the temperance apostles,
it cannot he denied that the legislation of the
past few years has had very sahtary effect
upon the liquor traffic in this State. There
are frequent violations of the law, it is true !;
but the action Of the General Assembly, con-
fining the traffic to Incorporated towns and
villages and allowing the various communities
TO choose for themselves whether or not whis-
XIV shall be sold within their limits, while it
NAV not have reduced the number of drunk
ards. has curtailed the consumption of ardent
spirits and given strong foothold to the
temperance people. Men who have become
confirmed whisky drinkers will manage some
how to get their supplies, whether they live in
town or country, but the abolition of the cross
roads dram shops has been great relief to
country communities and has had good ef-
feet upon the industrial prosperity os the peo-
ple The old idea that the sale of whisky is
necessary to the commercial prosperity OF the
place has about been exploded. The people OF
Laurens and other towns in the State which
have tried the NO-License plan testify that
their business was never so prohtable as
when there was an entire suspension OF the
llQtlOT GIuue. LII UlllCC VI 0CFCli HC" oo"ho
Incorporated by the Legislature the sale of
liquor is positively prohibited in their char
ters.
The charter of the Town of Martins Depot
in Laurens county provides ''that the sale of
Intoxicating liquors in any shape or form
whatsoever within the corporate limits OF said
town is hereby prohibited, and the said town
council shall not have power to grant license
therefore,
The charter of the Town of Mccormick i'll
Abbeville county provides that it shall not be
lawful for any intelIdant or wardens to issue
a license to any person or persons to sell any
kind of SpirituOuS or Intoxicating liquors,
wines. beers, bitters, fruits prepared with
such liquors in said town, and any person or
persons selling liquors, wines, beer or fruit
prepared with such liquors shall be subject to
all the penalties imposed by the laws of this
State as if no such license had been granted.
The charter of the town Of Ridge Spring in
Edgefield county provides ''that the said town
council of Ridge Spring shall not have au-
thority to grant license to sell or retail any
Intoxicating or spirituous liquors within the
corporate limits, and that 10 intoxicating or
sprituous liquors shall be sold or retailed with
in the corporate limits of the said town with
in ninety-nine years after the passage of this
Act; and that any person or persons retailing
or selling any Intoxicating or spirituOus liquors
within the corporate limits of said town with
in the time named shall upon conviction there
of by any court of competent Jurisdiction, be
fined in a sum not less than 500 or more
than $500 or be imprisoned for a space of time
not less than one month or longer than twelve
months, or both fined and imprisoned at the
discretion of the Court, for each and every
offence"
The charter of the town of Madison in
Aiken county vests the power to refuse or
grant licenses to keep tavern or to retail
Intoxicating drinks in the town council.
The right to grant or refuse licenses to sell
liquor and keep tavern in the town of Inman
in Spartanburg county is vested in the town
council.
The act prohibiting the sale of Intoxicating
liquors within the corporate limits of the town
of Mayesville in Sumter county provides that
from and after the first day of January, 1888,
it shall be unlawful for any one to sell "any
ardent spirits or Intoxicating liquors" within
the corporate limits of said town upon the
penalty of not less than 5000 fine or imprison-
ment for not less than six months, or both.
The act also provides that one-half of all the
fines imposed and collected shall be paid to
the officer or person detecting and reporting
violations of the law, and that the other half
shall be turned into the county treasury for
the use of the county of Sumter.
The Act prohibiting the sale of ''ardent
spirits or liquors" in the Town Of WillistOn
in Barnwell county provides that lit shall not
be lawful for the corporate authorities of the
town to issue any license for such purpose"
and upon the violation of the provisions of
the Act the party so offending shall be fined
not exceeding fifty dollars or imprisoned for
not exceeding six months,
The charter of the town of Summit in Lex
ington county has been repealed. 1t is under
stood that this was done in order to prevent
the sale of whisky at that place.
Several bills were before the General AS
sembly bearing upon the liquor traffic. Every
effort looking to the repeal of the local option
law or the repeal or modification of the law
imposing State tax upon the dealers in
whisky licensed by municipal corporations
were voted down by large majorities. There
is no likelihood that general prohibitory law
will be passed in this State for years, and the
policy of such a measure may well be ques-
toned, but the temperance people have good
cause to hope that the legislation upon this
important question will continue to improve
from year to year until the liquor traffic will
be so surrounded by conditions that its evils
will be less damaging to society.
TO show what value business men place
upon temperance, it may be stated just here
that the charters of three OF the most impor-
tant cotton manufacturing companies incor-
porated by the Legislature contain special
provisions prohibiting the sale of liquor within
three miles of their factories. A negro sober,
bad as he may be, is ten times better men,
Der of society and more efficient laborer
than negro drunk. Correspondence Of the
Nc,rs and GOn.ier