The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-06-28

obedience 70 tnab request; anu As IepIe-
senting the views of the committee this
paper Is submitted.
The effort has been ihdustriously = and
persistently made In some quarters to
create the Impression that the prohibi-
tionists who do not favor the dispensary,
have allied themselves with the saloon
element and those who oppose the pres.
ent State administration, with the purpose
of establishing Of dispensaries and OBJ
.struoting the operation of the law when 1t
does go into effect.
1t would seem hardly necessary to say
that the imputation ia utterly baseless, or
to reiterate the. denial which was pub
licly madein the first suggestion OF this
charge, In the communication from
which the foregoing extract is made. 1t
Is untrue now as 1t was when first made
and can lave no application to the class
Of prohibition 1t is represented by this
committee.
We. reaHirm the principles and pur.
poses set forth in the platform Of the
convention of prohibitIonists which me,
In Columbia May 18th, 1892, and inaugu-
rated the prohibition movement as .ex.
pressed in the following passage, "We
therefore earnestly favor, and will work
for the enactment of such laws as.will
prohibit tho manufacture and sale Of in.
toxicating liquors as a beverage in our
State"
And az distinctly affirming the non
factional features Of the movement 1--WE
cordially invite the cooperation of all
Democrats in this landible effort for SGate
prohibition irrespective Of their opinions
on other Issues as already made up In this
State.0
3; We occupy today the same ground that,
In view OF the universally recognized
evils to soslety resulting from the sale OF
intoxicants as beverage, 1t Is great
wrong for tho State to le9alize such traffic
and 1t is the imperative duty Of good citi.
zenship to discharge and prevent 1t in all
the ways by which the influence social
political and moral can be brought to beai
upon it.
The principle of prohibition is toe
we'll established TO be successfully chal-
lenged by iatolligent men at this Late
day. lt fss the basis Of every law by
which society seeks to regulate the con.
duct of its members, and the power "tc
command what Is right and prohibit
what is wrong Is; essential to its very ex-
istence.
We are therefore acting strictly within
the line Of the best citizenship in seeking
to secure legislation which will save our
selves and fellow-cltizens from the
sswrongs" Of the liquor traffic.
While holding firmly to our views on
this subject we have had careful regard
for the opinions OF those who differed
with us and have ever repudiated the
use of intolerant, extreme or unfair meth
ods to secure our ends.
L kN favHn 1na{ {ba
organization ofa separate party or fac
tion In this State, or to unite with any
party outside Of the State for the purpose
Of asserting the, doctrines we hold on the
subject, because We believe 1t Is perfect
ly consistent with the fealty:t to either ex-
isting faction Of the Democratic party
here, to maintain these views without
affecting our relations to either as Demo
Gratis.
The correctness Of our position was
aay 1sabBsah s%beh y Y s = e. e. as.
ture of the question, we were allowed to
test the strength of our views by a vote
of the party at its regularly appointed
primary election by the same means by
which all other issues were settled at that
time. The result of that test ia well
known, and fully justified our confidence
in what was the sentiment Of the majoril
ty of our voters on the subject, and
should be ecoepted by all true democrats
as conclusive, It can be regarded in no
other light than q command by the peo-
pie, by their representatives chosen
at. that election to enforce their will
thus Expressed by proper prohibitory
legislation.
The logical effect Of that election was
to declare that s'prohibition' as affirmed
by the prohibitionists in convention and
settled by majority vote in the Demo-
cratic primary was a plank in the plat
form Of the party which must remain Of
forceuptil abrogated by the action Of
the party as such, The dispensary law
is not the legislation demanded by the
vote Of the people. On the contrary it is
the expression ofopposition to prohibition
as set forth in the "Roper Bill" passed
by the House apd is distinctly and avow-
edly law for the sale of iptoXicants as a
beverage and substitute for prohibition.
For this reason it cannot be acceptable to
those who look to prohibition as the only
remedy.
We are not prepared to assert that there
is no good In the dispensary Law or that
In its operation 1t may not prove to be a
step in the direction Of prohibition, but
we affirm proposition, the truth Of
which must be patent to both friends and
foes Of the measure, that without the dis
pensary 1t will prove good prohibition
law, while with dispensary there is no
prohibition.
The dispensary It is true closes the
SALOONS and clubs and rlds ps of many
psrnicious and eoFrqpting influences
social, political and moral, which they
engepder, but it provides another way
by which liquor is sold as beverage and
the work Of dsc'oralizatiop is perpetua-
ted.
Prohibition not only closes the saloons
but stops the sale of liquor as beverage
thus reaching the evil at its source.
The dispensary act not only fails to
stop the sale of intoxicants, but with
every package which it stamps and de-
livers to tho dispenser to be sold as
proper and good for use as a beverage, it
sets the seal of condemnation on the pub
lie sentiment, WHICH has long since by
the restrictive and prohsbitIye conditions
which is imposed on the liquor traffic,
marked 1t as business dangerous and
pernicious to society.
Our convictions compel us to the con-
clusion that al traffic in liquor as q
beverage is wrong and hurtful 10 the best
interests of our people, and that only the
legal prohibition of snch traffic promises
any appreciatiye abatement of The eyils
which flow from it, Therefore, under a
pressing sense of duty to ourselves and
those who are to come behind us, we a,
bound to continue the fight in which we
are engaged as long as the evil exists or
there is a promise of ultimate success.
This is the purpose Of our organization,
and we earnestly call upon all who value
the right and would aid in preserving
our houses from the curse OF this des-
troyer to help US by their influence, their
prayers and their cooperation.
L. D. CHILDs,
Chairman State Central Prohibition Com
mittee.
--~a--s--s.-~~--
Facts for Farmers.