The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-10-30
A STUBBORN E1GHT EXPECTED.
The Australian System Of Taking
Drink.

The employment OF the uew-fangled
Saxton Australian ballot system in the
elections in the four new States and at a
| recent local contest il Minneapolis did
not Justify the claims made concerning
irs advantages by its Democratic cham.
pions, unless their purpose was to aid
in the election of Republican candidates.
But the practical introduction of the
Australian ballot system has had at
least the effect of stimulating inventive
ingenuity in the great Northwest.
Captain John Van Winkle of Mime
polls, a steamboat man, has become
vastly impressed with the advantages Of
the Australian system, and he believes
that it can be applied successfully to
barrooms. Accordingly, with all the en-
thusiasm of a new and true reformer,
he has taken out sort of copyright
upon what he calls ''the Australian
system of taking aqzdarink." Under the
new Van Winkle svsfem-the Captain
is several centuries in advance of
Kip, who believed consistently IN
the old plan of ''another with
me"-this is to be hereafter the
approved official method The person
who is desirous of appeasing his thirst
steps into a small room and registers
his name He then receives a slip Of
paper similar in appearance to laundry
list, upon which is printed a catalogue
of all the liquid refreshments usually
kept in a frst-claSs saloon. The thirsty
man then steps into the next room,
carrying the list with him. At the furth
er end is row of curtained stalls, each
just large enough to hold one person.
He enters one of these stalls, makes
cross with pencil opposite the drink
he desires, and places the list, together
with the money, on dumb waiter
which stands ready. The dumb waiter
disappears, but is soon returned with
the required beverage. The thirsty
man pours it down, wipes his mouth,
and departs.
AS will at once be seen, this system
necessarily tends to reduce the aggre-
gate amount of drinking, and, at the
same time, promises to remove many of
the evils of the old conbibulous system.
Through its adoption an end will be put
to treating" an end will be put to the
drinking of the health Or good fortune
of another, and an end will be put to
good cheer and open conviviality. I'm
fortunately, no end will be put to the
solitary consumption of liquor. The
hardened old topper will find premium
placed upon the secrecy of his libations,
aud a new lncitement to the ignoble,
unmanly and indefensible practice of
drinking alone.
Therefore, while the odious evil of in
temperance would probably continue to
flourish, and drunkenness remain as
difficult to dislodge under the Van Win
kle system as now, no corresponding
gain to the cause of sobriety would en-
sue. In like fashion the adoption of the
kangaroo system of balloting would un-
questionably reduce the volume of vot-
ing by adding new restrictions to the
exercise of the franchise, yet it would
do away with none OF the abuses Of the
ballot, and would not eliminate the real
offender that such reforms are intended
to reach--the "foater," who is to poll
tics what the confirmed topper is to bar
rooms.
Captain Van Winkle evidently is a
man Of ingenious mind, and he has
made a valuable contribution to the lite
rature of the ballot reform discussion
Ne,U York Sun.