The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-12-01
PROHIBITION IN LAURENs.


elections of this kind have occurred
heretofore with so little interest
manifested by the friends Mnd oppo-
fiehts of prohibition. 1t seems to
be a foregonc conclusion that the
town will go for license. We have
always advocated temperance, in
deed until recently we have beliv-
Ell that much good would be accom-
plished by Withholding license in
this town, but so far as Laurens is
concerned, it is n miserable failure.
We say this not because it is right
to sell liquor or to drink it, but be-
cause the prohibition act Goes
neither stop nor : decrease eth
er to any ~appreciable extent. If
this matter can ever be determined
by experience our town furnishes
the best example to be had. We
have tried prohibition several times
and during this time we have fire.
quently elected members of coun-
gil, and in each instance when q
prohibitian candidate has been in
the field against IN AUTHORIZATION
man, the prohibitionist has met an
overwhelming defeat. Yet 1t is an
easy matter to vote the town dry.
Now how is this? Why is it that
we can, under the Local Option
law, make the town dry, and vet,
1t Is not possible to elect any man
to enforce the law, who is known to
be inIsympathy with prohibition?
The whole trouble is this, those who
sell whiskey vote for no license in
order to save the tax,-to save the
license fee. They know that the
sentiment of the town is not so
strong for prohibition as to carry
1t without their votes, SO that
they can always elect men who
wink at violations. Until we can
elect a prohibition Council a prohi-
bition td,o is a farce. Let temperance
reformers practice and teach tenn
perance, and whenever the town
contains a sufficient number of real
prOhibitionist to elect a council toll
enforce the law then will be the
time to cut off license. AS it Is
when everybody knows that liquor
Is sold here at a dozens places>Open-
ly, 1t is nonsense to place the town
Is such a condition that the streets
are veritable mud-holes and the
property is taxed to the utmost
limit. But we might we'll submit
to an impoverished exchequer,
If by it we might stop the sale of
whiskey. This result has not been
accomplished in the past aid we
have not the slightest reason to
hope that in thu present state of af.
fairs 1t would be improved.
A writer in the Herald last week
who sign himself "The Country
criticises. the Laurens papers for not
booming prohibition. He says;
owe did expect the Past Grand
"Chiei Templar on the n hand.
"and the eloquent young quOndam
Temperance lecturer on the othet
"to stand by their guns and defend
"the public morals"-and adds; "per-
haps it isn't popular" Whatever
else may be said against this "young
neutrality-suspicious. lecturer there
is no ground whate\e or for the
charge that this paper advocates on
ly the popular issues. But we will
say that If q majority Of the voters
inthe town Of Laureus were as zeal
Gus in the cause as the writer who
signs himself "The County," pro-
hibition in Laurens would not be a
failure. unfortunately we can make
the town dry only in name. While
it may be the duty Of citizens it
cannot be expected that they will
leave their business to act rs pub
lie informers. The duty Of prose-
cutting these offenders Is with the
Council and Grand Jury and not
seeing any reason to expect them
to do more in the future than they
have In the past we see no good to
result from n continuance Of the
prohibition law. We always stand
by our gun, and are willing to
shoot off u temperance lecture on
short notice. but If it be a prohibit
ton "bomb," we pray have us ex-
cused. We are for temperance,
Arst, last and all the time, and can
say that in some regards this
"young quondam temperance lee
turer" Is different from other tenn