The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-11-18
Sunday Selling in Manning.


Where do people get liquor in this
town on Sundays? 1t it certainly
against the law for liquor or anything
else except medicines to be sold on
Sundays, yet the fact is that on any
Sunday one may go out on the streets
and see white men and negroes under
the influence of liquor, and in passing
certain general merchandise stores
the proprietors may be seen behind
their counters selling goods just as
they do on other days.
When the town council passed an
ordinance forbidding the sale of liq-
uors and merchandise on Sunday,
the law was respected q short while,
and if anything at all was sold it was
done so slyly that the man selling did
SO with fear and trembling. But the
respect for law and order became
tiresome after while, and the viola
tors of the law gradually broke the
law, and continued doing so without
being punished. until now the law has
become matter of indifference, the
whisky-seners and merchants depend
ing on their wits and influence to
keep from being arrested and pun
ished.
It is not guess-work to say that the
law is violated in this town every Sun
day, and that liquor as well as every
thing else is sold in defiance of law
and decency. It is the practice OF
certain merchants to be in their stores
on Sunday afternoons. ready to catch
the floating dimes.
Why cannot this be stopped? Who
-desc.rres the most punishment, the
poor, unfortunate countryman who
happens to get little too much
aboard and opens his mouth a little
too wide? or the citizen-merchant,
who knows the law and refuses to re-
spect it? No man can bs respecta-
BILE citizen of town unless he re-
spects the law of that town.
A merchant should hold himself up
to respect, but if he de6es the law,
becomes q law-breaker, he deserves
not so much respect as the bar-keep-
er, because when man goes into the
liquor business he goes into bust
ness that he knows is without moral
backing; but merchant is expected
TO do an honest business, and when
ne sells goods in violation of law his
business is not honest and should be
condemed. i
Somebody is selling whisky and
other things Oh Sunday, and without
the right to do so. Why are they not
caughts Are our police afraid to do
their duty? Can it be true that the
council are afraid to back the police
III case they make an arrest? II the
a!ficers cannot or. viii not act, then
the people si.ould not be afraid to
speak aud act. Let such a sentiment
be cultivated in this town that vloia-
tors OF the law will seek elsewhere
TO commit their crimes, ana lpeA we ,
viii have no whisky OF other selling
cn Sunday. If the sentiment OF this
town is not opposed to law breaking.
then the town council, police, or any
thing else, will not break it up, and
the town may as we'll be turned over to
the violators of the law. Are the
men of Manning willing for this Sun
day traffic TO continue? if not, come
out and assist the council to break it
.up. If case comes under your OBJ
serYation report it to the police, and
if be fails to act report him to the
council and have him discharged. Il
tie people viii act, and the council
has a backbone as large as a knitting
needle, the evil of Sunday law break
ing in this town will be stopped.