The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-10-21
Press and Banner In Reply.

we nope 10 satlsly MT. duncan tnat we are
1st. The members OF a former Legislature
authorized the town council 10 license the
sale Of whiskey at Abbeville.
the sale of whiskey at Abbeville, by. tnk ing
no notice Of the act of the previous Leglsla-
ture in repeating the prohlbitory act, :.
3rd. The present Legislature were elected
and twenty-three hundred from the country
and other towns that had been favored with
prohibitory laws.
4th. We contend that the village OF Able
willie. therefore had very little to do with the
election OF the members Of the Legislature.
The country people not only elected men,
bers OF the Legislature, but filled every other
oee In TIE eond ana SEUany voted hey aaa
bers OF the Legislature who would have
stopped the sale Of whiskey lt Abbeville.
even MS 1t has been stopped on every other
9th. 1t may therefore be seen that the
country people-people living outside of the
corporate limits Of this town-are RESPONSE
BILE for our bars. because,
q. They elect members to th6 Legislature.
b. The members OF the Legislature have
authorized q standing brioe, hate. induce
ment, sum OF money. or otherwise-tex-
Sle)-for the opening OF the bars at Able
Vile, in that the town council are author
lied 10 license them in sums not less than
500.
c.
sequently the people, knew that the licensed
bars we're not only for the sale of whiskey to
the toYn people, 1t VIII be only necessary TO
license Of each is $500. We do not know the
amount of the other items OF expense, but let
us estimate them as follows:
Rent of each, average $2O0 81 200
Clerk hire In each, average S250............ 15O0
Profit or expense OF each owner, av-
eraRe l,SU
Interest on capital Invested, average $50. 800
u. ). .l5O
Town ncense..""".'.......'.. 5.OoU
To,al............................ s. $50
Number Of voters in town estimated at 200;
outside Of Abbeville, estimated at 2S00-or
fourteen times as many as there are In town.
Supposing that one-third Of the town people
do not patroniZe the bars, and supposing that
the country people spent nothing over their
TO the bars, which are maintained at an es-
timated cost of IS $50 or an average OF about
S65 for every man in Abbeville who may pat
ronize the bars. But The town people do not
support then Of the bars comes from the
country.
9Th. In reply to the interrogatory, If Abbe-
VILE did not re-elect the old council? we re-
ply In the affirmative, and as long as Legisa-
tors-slected by the county-hold out as an
inducement, the immense license fees, Able
VILE will always elect cpnnclls 10 issue IL
censes. There hasn't been Il Tins In thirty
years when the people Of Abbeville would
vote for closing the bars, and there never will
be time when they will be closed by ma
iority vote OF the town, unless the county
people elect members to the Legislature who
will repeal the law allowing us TO have the
immense license fees; and the best evidence
that the country people favor the opening OF
bars at Abbeville lies in the fact that the
County Commissioners. from the public fund,
are required 10 pay all the expense incl
dental TO the pGni3hment Of crime because Of
the mainta uance Of the bars at Abbeville.
Another indisputable evidence that the coun-
try people favor the bars lies In the fact that
no provision has been made to hold the Town
responsible in money damages for the deathe
which may result because Of the licensed sale
of whiskey.
We would like to ask Mr.. Duncan how he
justifies the sale of liquor at Abbevile, while
his own town. Due West, is saved from any
such drawback?
As to the citizens OF this place signing peti-
taons. We are q peculiar people. We have
amongst uS plen who conscientiously and
honestly believe That the bars ought to be
kept open, and they generally couple the H.
cense fees with the expression OF s2ch no
tiols. They believe also that prohibition
doesn't prohibit, and In some cases men bave
been heard 10 ssy that there was more drunk
enness when we had prohibition, than when
we had licensed bars. We give them credit for
being sincere and honest In their eZpres-
sions, and take 1t for granted that they be-
iieya what they say. But we have the 'testi-
mony OF the Railroad agent that, under pro-
hibItion, the sale Of beer was entirely