The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-03-21
PROHIBITION OR LICENSE.

I hUalDlllON UR LlOhNO1.
Some Waste Time and Some Waste
Space Devoted 10 the Liquor Bus.
iness.
The Darlington Herald, a paper which is
opposed to Prohibition, and which In an edi-
torial article, admits that 1t favors the open
bars as against the dlspensary, takes us TO
task,
We reply, knowing that the time Is thrown
away, and without the slight test hore of con-
vincing that paper OF anything. When a
man dotes on the beauty, morality and benefi-
cent presence of bar-room, 1t is useless TO
contend with him.
or course, any barrOom advocate feels COM
petent to lecture any prohibilionist on con.
sistency or anything else. The prohibition
lists do not object " this, but when any man,
whether he be barroom advocate or not, says
that a man can't at the same time believe
in prohibition and support the dispensary,"
he simply makes bald statement which lie
cannot prove. 1tseems to us that he utters
that statement merely to crafty n feeling
which is not prompted by fairness or justice.
We do not believe one word OF any asser.
tion that dispensaries have been established
in unwilling communities. Please give
names and dates. There is absolutely and
positively no proof TO sustain the assertion
that "every effort Is made to increase their
number and push their sales"
The prespmp ption Of q bar-room advocate in
assuming to talk about instructing any pro-
hibitionist in morals needs no answer, es-
peclally when he admits that the LIQUOR ques,
tion ig a moral question.
Are not our law books full OF moral laws
Isn't 1t against the law 70 steal TO Kill, to car.
~ concealed weapons? The law Is intended
to deal especially with just such persons as
disregard the public welfare and ignore pri..
vate morals. And we cannot see how good
citizen could wish 10 repeal any Of tn ose re.
straining laws any more than he would wish
to repeal the restraining Of laws which were
delivered 10 Moses by the Almighty himself
We say that the dispensary Is better than
we would mention:
LIST. The liquor is better. The price Is low.
or and the measure is honest
3. Because we have only some sixty odd
dispensaries. We had one thousand bar.
rooms under the license system. Those bar
rooms we're kept open anywhere from nfteen
to twenty hours out OF the twenty-four, and
the back doors were not always closed on
Sunday.
3. The dispensary gives US absolute prohi.
bition from six o'clock In the evening until
eight o'clock IN the morning, every night In
the week, and from Saturday at six O'CLOCK
until Monday at eight o'clock.
T. Under the dispensary system the drunk
enness has been 30 reduced that the arrests
for that cause is not one-third of the number
in this town as under the license system. But
one Sunday has been desecrated by drunken
ness when there was single arrest. That
case OF drunkenness was caused py Tree
liquor which some one had brought mere on
the railroad, At night the streets OF our town
are quiet and the drunkenness, and all the
forms of gross immortality that usually iol
lows drunkenness, have been greatly reduced
8. The habit of treating has been done
away With.
q. The places of temptation to vice have
been closed, and allurements are no long
er held out to our young men, to assemble
where the immoral and vicious were most
prone to congregate.
7. In some instances where men were moi
willing to put their labor and their capita
into lawful and productive business, they
have gone to other States. To be ria Of such
lists and others who have the good OF the
country at heart, may well have nothing to
regret because Of their departure. If men are
side and the productive side. speaking for the
Press and Banner, we are glad TO hear Of theiI
going elsewhere.
s. Minors and known drunkards are moi
enticed into dlspeDsaries.
8. The fact that cash Is required for liquor
has restraining effect.
10. The fact that no credit is given and nc
collaterals are taken Is also u point In it,
favor.
II. But there is one more evidence that
that should convince every tenn mperance man
that the dispensary Is better than the bars
and that evidence is found In the deep-seated
and unreasonable opposition which every
nti-prohibitionist has for the law. If the
dispensary let out as much liquor, and gave
gamblers, drinkers, and other evildoers as
much chance TO exercise their pleasure In
their respective lines. they would not oppose
the law. But as 1t Is, all that class are op.
posed 10 the dlspensary. The moral element
are standing 10 the dispensary as against the
bars. There Is now no prohibition party. IL
Is either open bars or dspensary. Every
good man should choose the less OF two evils.
Instead OF having thousand houses In this
State devoted TO the sale OF whiskey. and five
thousand men placed on the destructive side,
nearly all that number Of houses and men are
now on the productive side.
We have no argument with man who
would erase the moral or restraining laws
from our statute books, and IL would be use.
less for us TO talk to man who favors the
bar-rooms.
The man who processes to believe 10 moral
ity and would remove the moral laws from
our books has no just conception OF what he
Is talking about.
Taking our brothers piece from beginning
to ending, 1t seems to US that he must be wan.
dering in his mind. A man that Will attack
the morals Of a State, and favor the indiscrim.
mate sale of liquor Is acting strangely.
II man would encourag &c personal liberty
to the extent OF laying down all moral re
straint, except that which the church would
exercise. he certainly has not enough OF yea
for the Masters cause to be mentioned.
We presume II our good brother, saw evil
going on. instead Of getting policeman tc
stop the nefarious work, he would run off at.
ter q slack twisted deacon who believed as
he does, that the church is sufficient, and Or
ganize prayer-meeting 10 restrain the evil
doer.
We have town In this county whose In.
habitants are about as moral and as pious at
the world will be during the millennium
and yet that little com munity had TO apply
to the Legislature to restrain the sale Of L.
quor within It's corporate limits. This was
necessary to preserve their colleges. The same
petition was made and granted 10 every town
In this county, and yet our friend talks OF the
church. The Press and Banner believes that
men who would throw on the church the
onus of restraing evil doors has no more
right TO speak for the church. than a barroom
advocate has to speak for the prohibitionists
The prohibitionists do not want and do not
need moral training from any such source
and we believe the church member who
thinks that the church is sufficient to deal
with gross immortality Is either lacking In In,
telligence or has no zeal for the public good