The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-09-13
THE DISPENSARY.
Healthful and Helpful Workings Of
One of the Best Laws on the

From the published statements In the news.
papers. and including the report for Able.
vile, the Press and Banner believes the tenn.
perance people have every reason to be album
pensary law In South Carolina
1t is perfectly plain that under this law the
Mle sale or LIQUOR has been greatly diminished.
the The, very small profits over and above ruu:
or city have the profits been great.
Abbeville Is about q fair sample Of the re-
ports from the different parts of the state.
Even under ohlbitlon,-if we are to take
the estimates or anti-prohI bitiopista the H.
licit sales would have been far In excess of
the sales by the dispensaries in this State.
me cost OF Licenses, clerk hire, room rent,
lights. fire wood, and other expenses in keen.
Ing open the bars Mt Abbeville must have
been not less than from 81 600 to 81, 900 for each
saloon: Suppose. that the average expense OF
nve l saloons was sl,sOo, nine thousand dollars
would have been required to pay the expense
OF five saloons Reference to the table will
| make the balance plain.
OF, One OF the greatest benefits TO be-deriyed
! rom the dispensary by the people Is the fact
that they are shut at six O'Clock.
This early closing removes temptation from
the laboring class, and from poor people gen.
orally.
1t win, we presume, not be denied that II is
the lahorer and the poor man from whom the
oars receive their most profitable business.
Under the dispensary system which does
not offer ioafing place in which liquor may
be drank. the sales OF liquor have been enor.
mously decreased.
The published statements show that the II.
quor business OF this State In August did but
little more than to pay the ex pense OF keep
ing open forty dispensaries. Under the IL
cense system about one thousand bars fiour-
ished. and returned greater or less yield to
the owners. These are facts which SNEAK vol.
| umes In themselves. F-> -
Again: The anti prohibitions are dead on
posed 10 the dispensary, while nearly all the
pr0hibitionists favor the law. -.
Inc city newspapers and the anti-prohibI-
tlonists seem to be trying to make the law
odious because the dispensary paws but little
profits after paying the men In charge.
Ihese gentlemen seem to have lost their
bearings. The prohibtionists who are in the
majority In this State, would stop the whole
tratnc In liquor, If they could do so. and MOTH.
Ing could be more satisfactory TO them than
the various reports from dispensers. From
tbese reports II seems that the liquor traffic
mas oeen almost abolished. and we are led to
believe That when the present crop OF drunk
ards pass out that we will be Indeed a sober
people, The making Of drunkards seems to
have been cut short off, ~
Our only fear Is, that the law may be relax
ed SO as 10 encourage the continuance and
growth OF the traffic. By no means let the
State authorities remove any barrier '' fet Let
o'clock. Af "' Ola
| The prescribed list at Abbeville find u az.
ceedlngly hard to get liquor. Our dispenser
IS determined 10 have any man -aifesfsyj-
whom he catches buying liquors for apy Of
tnat Grass. one man was arrested last week.
out come clear by the skin of his teeth -
Another good thing in the law is. that man
cannot get credit for liquor. Poor men are
not allowed to put up their watches and their
wife's jewery as security for the purchase or
dispensary drinks.