The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-07-17
ANDERSON ST., II, 1884,
Prohibition in Anderson.

Prohibition in Anderson.
The following communication, taken
from the Temperance Worker, is publish
ed by request of the Womens' Christian
Temperance Union of this city:
ANDERSON, s. O.
Dear Yorker: One of Gods noblest
creatures and Prohibitions greatest work.
ers has been 10 our city, and accomplish
ed great work for us by organizing a
Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
Mrs. Chaplin lectured in the Baptist
Church on Sunday afternoon (18th inst. J
on the subject of Temperance to a pack
ed house. Her address was listened to
with profound attention, and her practi.
cal arguments, together with graphic
description of the fearful results of in.
temperance which had been witnessed by
herself, made a lasting impression upon
the audience, and many who had gone
there throug b idle curiosity went out
| with very different ideas Of this great
| movement of prohibition than they had
ever entertained before. =.
In the course of her remarks, she said
that Anderson had done more harm to
the cause in the State than all of our
| enemies. Everywhere I 60 the opposi.
ton meets me with the assertion that
| prohibition was failure in Anderson" +"
Justice to some Of our good people and
to the cause Mrs. Chaplin represents, and
| that we as temperance people hold 30
dear, compels me to ask the use of your
columns to place before your readers the
exact state of the case. Let me say in
the outset that prohibition, as far as it
went, was not a failure in our city, but,
on the other hand, was complete sue
cess. I am free to confess that the law
was not enforced as it should have been,
and this was the cause of our defeat last
wear. A few cases of drunkenness, and
some violation of the law by liquor SELL
ers during the year caused some OF our
vascillating friends at our last election to
place their silver alongside of the liquor
men, and we were defeated. They used
the stale argument, that if whisky had
to be sold we ought to have the benefit
of the revenue. But let US 60 to facts
and figures, and see if no.license was
failure. I have taken the trouble to ex-
anime the records of our city under both
administrations with the following result:
The no.license Council went into Office
August 26th, 1881, and from that time
until 26th Of August, 1882, lone year)
there were 26 arrests for drunkenness
and fines to the amount of $84.75. Since
that time (license administration up to
the present III months) there have been
337 persons arrested and imprisoned,
with fines amounting to $2,47S. Now
can any fair minded person look at these
figures, and say that prohibition was
failure in our city? Again, from Au'
gust, 'S1 to 'S2, our boys and young men
were not to be found loafing in or around
bar rooms either during the day or night.
Our chief of police informs me that at
present it is fearful to see the amount OF
drinking at night by our young men.
Some of the rum mills run all night, and
am reliably informed that some of the
bows of our best families are to be seen
in these places long after the hour OF
midnight. This was not the case under
the no.license government, and the boys
were at home, and under home influence.
In 1881 and 'S2 farmers who came to
town with their produce returned to their
families sober, and with bread and
clothes for wife and children. Now they
return home debauched and oftentimes
making the night hideous with their
maudlin yells, and in many instances in
stead of bread and clothing these mis-.
erable families of debauched fathers and
husbands receive blows and curses.
With these facts staring him in the face
can any man say that prohibition Though
not enforced to the letter is failure9 7
We have now in our little city II bar
rooms, about to every 200 of our in
habitants, but we are going to make an
other effort to throw off the yoke, and be
free again. Truth is mighty and will
prevail, and with Gods help we will yet
fall into line with other towns OF our be-
loved State.
This article is already too long, but
allow me to add word about our tenn.
perance work in the State. Two years
ago Anderson was called the banner
County of temperance in the State, but [
am sorry to admit that we have lost the
right to that distinction. At one time
ne had 12 or Is Divisions. Now we have
only Z. But the cause is not dead in the
County. There is a growing sentiment
in our favor, and I am satia6ed that if
the question could be decided by vote
the people would sweep alcohol from our
midst by an overwhelming majority.
The people only need to be organized,
and we need such man as Brother
Chreitzberg to accomplish that result.
He is we'll known and beloved by our
people, and he could do good work for
prohibition in the up.country. A score
Of such faithful and energetic workers
would soon redeem South Carolina from
the baneful influence of the whisky
traffic.
Yours, for Prohibition,