Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1893-03-09
THE NEW MOVEMENT.
From a Minnesota Paper

South Carolina is, so far as known,
the first American State to adopt the
policy, already in vogue in Europe,
of making the State proprietor Of the
liquor interest. The plan, SO far as
stated, proposes that no saloon or
bar shall be managed or owned by
any private person. The number of
saloons is limited according to the
population; in some cases, believe,
there is but one saloon to each
county. In the municipalities the
number of saloons depends upon the
density Of ;he population. No cards,
games or amusements OF any kind
are connected with the sale of liquor.
1t is simply made government
monopoly.
This plan of managing the liquor
traffic accepts at once the odidm that
has always been urged against high
license and skilfully fenced off by the
defects of that system. 1t not only
avows openly that the government
shall be partner in whatever crime
attaches to liquor selling, but shall
be the sole criminal. This leaves
rothing to be desired in the element
of frankness, to say the least. There
are many things to be said against
the system proposed. In the first
place, it will shock the senslbilities
of those who think that very much
evil may exist in society, but it does
not blacken society until it is Off
ciallv recognized. There are those
who will urge thai this sort of thing
is only phariseeism, butif that be the
proper term it still contains good
many excellent people. 1t will be
urged that the liquor traffic, once
entrenched in a government monop-
oily OF this kind, will be practically
assured of an intermediate lease of
life, because it will be found that the
profits of the liquor selling would
probably reduce taxation and SO
appeal to the cupidity Of the citizen.
Indeed all the arguments that can be
urged against high license may be
urged with still greater force against
government monopoly in the liquor
traffic.
On the other hand, there are many
things to be said in favor of the pro-
posal. In the first place, in so far as
it limits the operation of the traffic
and reduces the number of saloons,
the measure does good work In the
next place, there is no doubt that
personal cupidity is a strong factor
promoting the liquor habit. Saloon
keepers foster business in precisely
the same spirit that animates the
jeweler or the dry goods merchant.
All people engaged in trade 90 their
best to stimulate the desire for the
wares they have to SELL Were this
terrible factor removed from the
liquor traffic the problem of taking
care OF the young would be made
much more simple.
Once again the power Of music,
fascination of gambling, and other
sensuous, not to say sensual, attrac-
tons stimulate very much the appe-
tite for strong drink.
If these could be wholly eliminated
there is no doubt at all but that fully
one-half of the sale of intoxicantS
would be thereby prevented. More
over, government agents could be
furnished inducements to abstain
from the sale OF liquor to minors and
to drunkarGs, while there would be
no temptation whatever to yield to
their solicitations. Moreover, The
police administration of all the large
cities would be freed from powerful
temptation and at once distinctly
elevated to a higher plane OF both
thought and action and the munich
pal problem would have a large share
OF its difficulty at once eliminated.
While all is said that can be in
favor of Total abstinence and prohi-
bition, there is still a large section of
the community who sincerely believe
that the use os liquors is not only
reasonable, bat, in a moderate degree,
necessary. Indeed there is not want
ing considerable scientific and medi-
cal authority in favor OF the presump-
ton that high civilization demands
stimulants of some kind that affect
the nervous system. Whether this
be true or false, it is not the object
of this article to attempt to decide.
The plan proposed would give an
opportunity for a rigid scientific
scrutiny of this theory unde- the Very
best conditions, and at the same time
it must be patent to every close
observer that there is no me,hod that
can be possibly proposed that is
likely to eliminate either the sale or
the use of liquor during the present
generation.
The best we can do is 70 lend our
efforts to reduce the evil to the low
est limits, to find or; just wherein
the evil consists. to certainly lessen
the weight O. human misery, to
restrain the evil propensities of the
race and to train up from the chill
dren better generation, who will
more intelligently and more courage
ously grapple with our various social
problems.