The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-03-21
AN ERRING BROTHER.
Claims Not to Favor Bar.rOOms, But
~ Opposed to PrOhibitiOn-WOnld
Repeal all Moral Laws, and Let
EVIL People be Law Unto Them.
Darlington Herald.


selves.
Darlington Herald.
The suggestion that the Herald is an advo-
cate OF baI-rooms is unjust for the simple rea-
son that we have never wrltton line in
their defense, and 80 our SO called filings at
the Proh!bitionlsts were not inspired by a
desire TO help the liquor-sellers 1t is very
time we have pointed out the glarlng incon-
sistency of the people who call themselves
Prohibltlonists supporting the Dispensary
and W III continue 10 do so, for the veIy sim
pie reason that man can't. at the same
time, believe In Prohibition and support the
DiSpensary.
cerning which there can he no compromise,
and lne ProhlbltloniSLs who endorse the
| Dispensary. even admitting, which we do
moi, that it Ia doing gOOd, pulls himseliiin
the position of holding the opinion that the
| end justifies the means, and when he does
! this he Is O Jesuit, aud needs TO be instructed
| in the moral code. WIN our contemporary
explain how the Dlspensary can be step in
the right direction when IL is being thrust
upon towns, in defiance OF the protests Of
their citizens, that had not Issued licenses
for the past eight or ten years? The Dispen-
sary is held up as long stride In the dlrec-
tion of prohibition. while at the same time
every effort Is made to Increase their num-
Der and push their sales.
| The prohibition advocates OF the Dispensa-
| ry virtually take the position that IL Is very
highly immoral Tor the individual to sell
LIQUOR but that II eau be made honorable
aud moral for the State to sell It, by the
mighty fiat OF the Legislature. True tem-
ing TO put stop to the selling Of whiskey
| by elevating the moral sentiment OF the peo-
pie, but their work has been TO large e1-
tent undone by the establishment OF this
made beneficial To public morals we leave 10
the Press vnd Banner TO explain.
| Whatever influence we have has all been
used In the objection of temperance, Dut We
ment for the reason that We do not believe In
attempting to enforce morality by law, tor
attempts Of this kind not only end In failure,
but retard the very reform we seek 10 &C
complish. If our contemporary Can inen-
tiou u single instance In which q social or
moral reform has been brought about by le-
gal enactments, we will yield the question.
| If this could be done, then 1t would he only
| necessary for q legislative assemblage to say
let there be reform and there would be re-
form.
The editor OF the Herald is firm believer
in the precepts OF Christianity, and has q
| deep ahd abiding faith In It's power 10 meet
and overcome the social and moral evils that
confront US, and believing thus he can not
give his adhesion to plan OF promoting
moral reform that Is opposed TO the teach.
ings Of that faith. When the Saviour was on
earth be distinctly discountenanced any re.
sort to force. despite he fact that social and
the present day. He could easily have raised
al army and have propagated his gospel at
the point OF the sword, but he trusted entire
| ly TO the leavening work OF the Holy Spirit
| to bring the truths that he Taught 10 the
hearts and consciences OF his hearers. and
his words are just as potent for good In this
day as when they first fell from his lips.
The man who processes TO believe In the
| teachings Of the Savior, and then attempts
TO inculcate morality by force virtually, II
uuconsciously, declares that he has lost faith
ln the efficacy OF Christianity 10 bring about
social and moral reforms, and will resort 10
| he n I'M forced
his gospel at the point Of the sword, for,
aside from the divine origin OF Christianity,
the great distinctive feature { between II
and that Of Mohammedanism Is that one Is
gospel Of force.
We regret that so much space space IL re-
quired by this article, but we could not we'll
| make 1t shorter and at the same time make
our position plain, and we trust that the
Press and Banner will publish 1t In full
and If we are wrong show the fallacy OF
our posi- ii on.