Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-05-16
The South Carlina EXperimen t

The Arena,
1 recently visited South Carolina
and during my stay investigated
Governor Tillman's State Dispen-
sary Law, which has been SO
savagely attacked and mercilessly
ridiculed by that part of the press
dominated by the liquor power,
I was greatly surprised to find
how successful the experiment
has proved even in the face of the
most powerful and most unscrupu-.
lous opposition. The further I
investigated the problem the more
I was impressed with the convic-
ton that the liquor traffic in this
country has received a wound from
the simple minded, rough handed
farmer governor which will prove
mortal in go far at least as the
corrupting influence of the rum
power in public is concerned. For
many years liquors controlled
South Carolina; now South Caro-
lima dispenses liquor. The saloon
now controls onr natational politics
would it not be all improvement
to have the government control the
saloon? This question must be-
come national one, and none ap-
preciate this more than the liquor
power. South Carolina must be re-
claimed to the saloon, or South
will lead the nation in a revolt
against this most cruel ofall earthly
| tyrants, and alcohol will be made
to serve men instead of being per-
mitted to master him.
At the present time this little
pioneer state is invaded on every
side by the ruling power of this
nation. Liquor pours in like water
from thousand sources. No cost
is too great for the besiegers if only
discredlt can be thrown upon the
experiment. Not only are thugs
and detectives and smugglers hired
to infest the borders and help de-
feat the law, but lawyers and judges
have been turned by this corrupt
ing power into law breakers; pull
pits have been turned into plat
forms in the interest of the hellish
traffic, and agents of liquor in the
garb of clergymen made to exploit,
ehe41,SD41 81 tetud ii their auvUCaCy
of lawlessness and rebellion.
Not only this, but the liquor
power might consider it a paying
Investment if by the expenditure
of a hundred thousand dollars a
month, the leading newspapers of
the country could be induced to
poison the public mind against
the measure. And those sufficiently
familiar with the anatomy of the
modern news papers know that
nearly all are stock companies,
organized simply for the purpose
of making money, would not con-
slider unreasonable the suspicion
that money hae. been used free'y
with the press in creating a public
opinion unfavorable to the present
government of South Carolina.
Of course the South Carolina
law is not perfect. 1t may be as
imperfect as the first locomotive
constructed by George Stephenson
but the people did not destroy his
machine and condemn tho inven-
tor; they joined their efforts with
his and produced modern railroad
ing. No great beneficial result
ever came from the work of harp
ing critics and obstructionists. II
is the builder whose fame endures.
And if there are features connec-
ted with the South Carolina liquor
law to which objections can be
raised, let the critic first free his
own state from the domination of
the saloon as effectually as Gov
ernor Tillman has freed South
Carolina, and then make such
improvements as he can.
After all, the saloon is not q
local but a national question. The
principle cannot be fairly tested in
a single state surrounded by a
Ihostile army backed by unlimited
resources and proficient with the
weapons, fraud, bribery and
SANDER. TO free the issue,
whether the nation shall control
the whiskey business or the
whiskev business continue to con-
troll the nation, let me suggest for
a place on the national ticket of