The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-11-21
LAURENs. s. G.. Nov. 81, 1893
To Extend Its blessings.

The approaching session of the leg
i~slature is in a large part to be devoted
to the ''perfecting" OF the ~dispensary
law-several sessions, hundred thous-
sand might be utilized in the same
way and the task remain unfinished
and it is popularity believed that an
amendment providing for the establish
ment of dispensaries in all incorpora-
ted towns will be passed. II such is in
deed the benevolent design. of Gre
form" legislators it is inexplicable to
us that, moved by their we'll known and
ardent zeal for the clause of temper
ance and morality, they do not provide
for the establishment of di~spcnsaries
in the country neighborhoods as we'll.
1t is argued with q fine show of virtu-
Gus enthusiasm that ~disponsaries are
well springs Of sobriety in the com
munities where they T. located. A
Jacobs ladder of statistics reaching to-
wards high Heaven is being construc-
ted to illustrate their blessed influence
for goodness and purity. They are
pictured by Reform editors as mighty
INSTRUMENTS in the redemption of So
ciety from the evils of drink. Why
does Reform restrict them to the
towns? The towns receive no consid-
cradle share Of the revenue mean
little pittance which the towns don't
want. Neither do the towns want dis
%pensaries. A dispensary had to be
nhnEn1 1Nyu,, fhn @L,,ooA 81 ~ T 4
they are good things, good for all the
people, 1t Is a hardship upon the people
In the country to be compelled to get
along without them. Town people as
q rule have no faith in dispensaries,
they + no friends Of the law and
regard the pleas made for it as a moral
measure as ridiculous. Why not place
them then in localities where they
would be given an opportunity to en-
emplify their abilities to improve pub
lis morals unhindered by bitter "politi-
cal" animosity? If they are better than
prohibition for the town of Laurens
we submit that it is not fair, that it is
a Migrant sin that other communities
less densely inhabited are deprived of
their precious advantages.
Scattering dispensaries, say four or
d " at equal distances in every town
ship in the state, would open the way
Tor another glorious Reform. 1t would |
AFFORD the Governor u means to get q
new, tighter and firmer grip on the
people than ever before. He could i'm
mediately proceed with the inaugural
tlon OF his metropolitan police sys-
tenn and extend it's authority over
every man, woman and child from ''the
mountains to the sea" as the orators
say. His hundreds of spies, armed
with power to search the houses, kitch-
o and hayricks of blacksmiths, far
mers and pluttercrats, cooperating
with q thousand policemen all to be ap-
pointed by and at his own will, would
form a standing army which aided by
~ hundred members of the boards of
,ohtr2l and two or three thousand dis
.)ensers with their clerks would re-
move any possibility of his loss of polit-
ical power. There is a total absence
OF probability that general desire for
emancipation from Tillman,s rule will
arise but it would be doubly safe for
him to insure the permanence of his
prestige. There has been no objection
raised by RefOrmers save in excep-
tional cases to the metropolitan police,
spy system and dispensaries for towns
and we presume that R~eformers every
where would hail them with Joy when
applied to themselves. If not, there is
no reason why not.
Anyhow there is not a township in
South Carolina where a majority of the
reehold voters cannot be secured to
petition for a d~ispensary. Negroes
are always handy and an eighth of an
acre is sufficient to make them all
landlords in a body.