The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-12-08

,ero or anywhere else, is impossible. and
he ouly question Is how best 10 riNJ te the
raffic so rs to minimize the inevi'. Injury
10 society, inseparable from the Sale Of
liquor under any circumstau ces. The claim
Of the Dispensary to support. and irs SUPERB
ority over any form Of licensing, rcss on the
following grounds:
ls'. The element Of personal proit is de-
s'royed, thereby removing the incentive TO
increase the sales.
%. A pure article is guaranteed, as IL isl
subject to chemical analysis.
Sd. The consumer obtains honest meas
ure Of standard strength.
4th. Treating is stopped, as the bottles
are not opened on the premises.
9th 1t is sold only in day time; this under
n regulation of the Board and not under
the law.
9Th. The concomitsnts of ice, sugar,
lenons, ETC.. being removed, there is not the
same inclination to drink remaining. and
the closing Of the saloons, especially at
night, and the prohibition Of its sale by the
dIink, destroy The enticements and seduc-
tions which have caused SO many men and
boys 10 be led astray and enter the down
ward course.
eth. 1t is sold only for cash, and there is
no longer "chalking up for daily drinks
against pay day. The workingman buys
bis bottle Of whiskey Saturday night and
carries the rest of his wages home.
9Th. Gambling dens, pool rooms aud lewd
houses, which have hitherto been run almost
invariably in connection with the saloons,
and were thus a stimulus to vice, separa-
ted from the sale Of liquor, have had their
patronage reduced to n minimum and there
must necessarily follow decrease Of crime.
9th. The local whiskey rings, which have
Ioa ,l,a Lain ,lxs sv,t tha
State, and have always controlled municipal
elections, have been torn up root and
branch, and the influence Of the bar-keeper
as q political mauipulator is absolutely de-
stroyed. In ether words, the restrictions
thrown around the consumption and use of
liquor by the Dispen sary law and the bene
fits to arise therefrom will be in proportion
as the liquor consumed is purchased at the
Dispensary rather than obtained from illicit
sources. Some faua,icnl, unreasonable peo-
pie cry aloud against the iniquity Of gov
ernment sharing in the "blood money" as
they term it, the tears of women and chill
dren, whose fa'hers, husbands or brothers
are addicted to the use of whiskey. 1t has
already been shown that any system of
license, which leaves the element of personal
| profit untrammelled, leaves this class Of
| consumers utterly at the mercy ofthe owners
| of those dens Of vice, the saloons. Men who
| are compelled to go in the daylight and get
what liquor they want from q government
| officer aud then 60 elsewhere to consume il
! will be likely to 60 home and be within the
restraining influence of that charmed circle
1t is urged that il the State controls the
| traffic, il should sell only at such profits as
will cover expenses and no more. Is it not
clear that if the price be fixed at that ratio
| it will act rs premium on consumption by
reason of the fact that q dollar will buy more
whiskey Than it docs now? On the other
| hapd an equally impracticable scheme is to
| put the price Hsry high and make the money
that is spent on liquor 60 only li,tle way.
\ 1t will be found here that, as in mos, things
in life. 'lhe middle way is the best.' If
the price is TOO high it puts premium on
the establishment Of "blind ttgers,' on
smuggling, on the Illicit sale in every way;
| and, while the amount consumed will not be
apprecaby less, the Indirect benefits to
society arising from the revenue and by the
destruction of all competition with the State
are lost. Under the scale of price, fixed
| By the State Board on whiskey now sold in
| South Caroiina ihere is o handsome profit,
while at the same time the liquor at retail is
cheaper than it was when sold across the
bar Making allowances for the watering
| or other adulteration Of the whiskey that
was formerly consumed, half pint bottle
| of H;snans.~u ,"b;-e---ri =. .~t"Sv INNS, Oi
[ far rerinr strength, would have cost fifty
! cents at least from saloon. The profit on
| the half tiu, m..es to the reduction of the
| general tax, AID thi:ty cents saved TO the
consumer goes into his pocket for the sup
| port Of his family.
1t is thus seen that wniskey at retail is
| cheaper than when it wa" bought from the
! saloons, while at wholesale or by the gallon
| it is considerably higher: but the profit in
| is Illicit sale not being very great in whole
sale quantities. it i. not likely that after ;he
| law has be,n amended in the way expert
| cnce has shown TO be necessary that there
will be much competition with the lispen-
| sary in Wholesale quantities, by which
mean one or more gallons. 1t is the retailer
with whom we have to deal; and he thrives
on political opposition and where there is
no Dispensary. When swift aud sure pun
ishment shall be metel out to those who
break the Law, and when pubic opinion shall
have been educiteds, that the violent oppo-
.O" an nO NV, &c Snail compt tition with the
Dispensaries in the Counties where thew
are located.
OF course il is expected that along the
North Carolioa border, where the United
States Government has been unable TO sup
o., a
more or less wh sSCy entering into competi.
ton, which pays neither the Internal Reve-
nue. tax nor the profit which the s, ate would
receive on its sale.
DOMESTIC WINES.
question which presents itsolf here,
and which is worthy of your serious con-
sideration, is the disposition to be made of
domestic wines, aud whether it is not best
to except these from the general operation
of the Dispensary Law.
But it would he misfortune TO have
the growing of grapes and the manu-
facture OF wine an industry just beginning
to take root along the Piedmont and in other
parts of the State, destroyed absolutely by
the Dispcnsary Law, ms very likely it win be.
unless you adopt the suggestion which /
now offer, would therefore strongly req