The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-08-24
DON'T DECEIVE YOURSELF.
LET Us REASON TOGETHER AND
LET yS VOTE TOGETHER

Incidents Showing How Country Peo'
pie are Injured by LiquOr-fOunG
Lads in Il had Fix-DivertinS the
License Fees From its Proper
Channel - We Should Place our
selves OH Record as In Favor OF
SObriety and Opposed to Drunk.
enuesS.
The people Of Abbeville have never raised Il
voice against pIOnibitiOn when the pruhlbl'
tion referred 70 the country districts, or
sought To set an embargo on the traffic in
Greenwood, McCol mick. Lowndesvile, Don.
adds Due West. or Hodges, but when IL Is pro-
posed 10 apply the same rule to Abbevilie we
are told that it Is nobody's business II We do
make our own citizens drunk and II we do de.
Dauch the husbands, sons and brothers Vi
those Of our cOuntrymen who come TO town.
The license system aS now practlced does not
bear evenly on all parts OF the county. En-
cept at AbDevile, no place may get license.
That license for the town Is S5OO, and that IL
cenSe is allowed by law TO be diverted from
Its rightiul course, The county treasury. The
people Of Abbevllle county have no right 10
appropriate 500 OF what ls justly their own
money to the corruption of our people on the
question of prohibition. We have no just or
equitable right To the 500 license for each bar.
IT. should 60 into the treasury OF the county
If IT goes anywhere.
We are opposed 10 the licensing OF bars. be-
cause We would shut up those places which
lead our yOung men into intemperate habits.
Let no inan who has the good OF this people
at heart, say that prohibition Is not condu-
sive 10 TEN mperance and does not tend 10 bring
all the blessings that follow in the wake OF So
briefly.
The facts prove that there was only n frac-
tion Of the whiskey shipped here the lrst SIX
months OF our experience with prohibition.
AT Abbeville the people sought, and did ac-
cOmplish. the ie:ca, OF the pronibitiunisIs,mnd
contrary to the expressed Will or the people
OF Abbeville county, legislators set their act
ut naught, and not only authorized the OPEN
ing OF The bars, but. without proper regilid
for the equities involved. allowed the town I"
pobble up the license fees, which should, to
say the very least, have been divided.
If any OF you say that we had MS much
drunkenness under prUhbiton-and you are
amind 10 believe live ask you 10 vote 10
close the inviting places which lure our lest
young men into ihe ways that arc alike de.
structive to body and soul, and which give TO
the family OF the victim n taste OF the tor
mentS which are more cruel than the pains Of
those who have gone 10 perdtion.
If you feel like drawing the skirts OF your
garment ebout you and saying that the lar
rooms would not hurt you, we beg you to CON-
slider the danger 10 which your vote against
prohibition would subject our young men.
While country people feel that their own sons
are safe, we feel safe III saying That they may
deceive themselves.
If the reader remembers, we said last week
that not q single arrest had been nude during
Tuesday, the day CT the big meeting. Out OF
two thousand men present, IL was not neceS-
sary TO arrest single man. so Tar very good.
We spoke the truth, i'll 50 far as the day WAS
concerned. but wiien the night had reled the
town in darkness, there was boIsterouS talk
on one of The principle streets OF The town.
Language OF an ugly Kind was INDUCED in.
FanilIIes in the ueighborhoou were forced TO
hear language not lit 10 be spoken in the pres
ence OF pure women aud innocent little chill
dren. Finally the town marshal appeared on
the scene, and took one OF the boys away
the others gave evidence of disposition to re-
sist the arrest Of their comlade, and followed.
When nearing the guard house they seemed
10 be sufficiently sobered 10 realize the danger
Of doing what they had threatened. They
quit the scene. Their companion was lock cd
up, and when The marshal was free to look af:
ter his companions they were gone-thuS say.
ing themselves the Inconvenience OF impris.
onment.
lived In town. Not q bit of il. They were a u
boys from the country, and we have no doubt
that their mothers think they are exemplary
Sunday school scholars from whose lips never
proceeded ugly wOrds--lnto whose mouths nc
LIQUOR was ever taken. These boys not having
vet reached manhond'> estate, and ZONE
OF them had Just entered their teens. They
perhaps think that town people know moth
ing OF their dOipgS. and 10 may he that all
of them do rot, bni the fact remains thai
they and their act are known at least to the
police. who have no seal upon their lips.
Let us recite another instance: Last Fri
day Inc tOnlcUeTute StlultlS Dau II reunion
One OF their number from the country i'm
bibed too freely, and became Il disturbing fac
tor; as a consequence. he was taken out o
the meeting and locked ur--he!ng the only
arrest that day, ar tar as we have heard.
Now. would you vote TO open place, ant
give the license to the town, which woulC
tempt nice young men to drunkenness ant
which would furnish The means of putting al
old Confederate soldier In such a fix that hi
must be taken from the presence Of his com
rades and locke cd up.
If LIQUOR is an evil at your own door and !:
n nuisance at The cross roads, Or in your owl
little town, what Sanctlfp> II at Abherille
What good comes of liz rnSing the barSo Car
the bars claim to he conducive 10 SObrieiy. !
So why not have them everywhere" II w
exclude them from Due West because Of tn,
presence of the college. why not exclude then
from Abberille because of our own school
Are not our own school and our own children
RS sacred TO uS as are the college and the chill
dren of Due West to the people Of That p!nce
Cast your vote for the best interests OF mo
rality and Sobrieiy. Array yourself ON TIT
side of the preachers. and lend your influence
In support OF the movement which has thei
prayers and in which the happiness and wei
Iare of our women IL inro!' ed. Remember
that on moral questions, your wife and you
mother are always right. NinctcnlhS OF In
people of Abbeviile county have already hat
whiskey removed from their doors. Will M
the ninr-tenths help the small minority TO re
move the evil from their doors? SomebOd
has to furnish boys out OF which to max
drunkards. Are you willing TO furnish Il snl
or Il brother for such purpose? If Somehod
didn't furnish new recruits for the drunke
brigade. their ranks would soon be reduce
and finally broken up.