The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-06-05
APPEAL FROM THE WOMEN.
WHY NOT ENFORCE THE LAW ?
The Saloon Element Taking Charge
OF ofAffairs-Mrs. Chaplin Wants Abso-
lutte Prohibition and Asks for Help
from the Men.

lutte Prohibition and Asks for Helm
from the Men.
The Woman's Christian Temperance
Union has made an appeal to Cover
nor Tillman to do what he can to aid
in the enforcement of the prohibition
law and also appeals to the men of the
State to do likewise. The appeal is as
follows and speaks for itself:
CHARLESTON, S. C., May %.
Governor Tillman:
The members of the Woman's Chris
tlan temperance Union of Charles
ton do most earnestly entreat you not
to relax your efforts for the protection
OF our homes and dear ones from the
destruction that now seems to threaten
them in the return to license and the
restoration to power of the rum fiends.
Newspapers, which a few months ago
preached prohibition so eloquently
what they preached, are now advocat-
ing license-high license-with re-
stictions, as though the restrictions
they propose have not been u dead let
ter on our statute books for years,
scoffed at and defied by the lawless
crowd which they propose to restore
to Office. "South Carolina, the Pal
metto State, in the liquor traffic." has
been rallying cry for the anti.dis-
pensary host, and now, no sooner have
the dispensaries been closed, than
those very people advocate, forming
new partnership, with the "The Pal
metto State" which they had taught
US to believe they held so sacred as
chief partner in the firm of Van
Buckt, Shop & Co.
"ho,, tho E,o~. lin ,ooo
we wished it'had been prohibition,
and felt dreadfully over it, but when
we read the bill and found it proposed
to close evory open barroom in the
State and to allow liquor sold only by
responsible persons whose characters
had to be endorsed by majority of
persons in their ward or town, as the
case might bo. and who were pledged
under oath not to sell to minors, drunk
ards, or>any ono under the influence OF
liquor and to Keep record of all sales
made, which would at all times be
open to inspection, the liquor sold in
the dispensaries was to be analyzed by
the State chemist to insure its purity,
and the places in which it was sold
were to be closed at 6 o'clock and kept
closed on the Sabbath the Now York
Tribune pronounced it "iron clad
prohibition" and we felt that it was
only one step from it, So we gave it
our encouragement and support and
despite of threats from barkcepers,
and only discouragement from those
whom we had right to expect would
have stood by us, we have held the
fort, working and praying for prohi-
bition. Some are rejoicing that it has
come, not in our city, however, whore
the dens OF iniquity are all open, even
on Sundays. We are still hoping,
praying. waiting. When the Supreme
Court decided that the dispensary bill
was unconstitutional, many were in
clined to think, as Jacob did, "All
those things are against mo-" but we
know better. The dispensary had
done tho work God intended it to do.
This fight is a battle between the
devil and his allies and our great King
and his followers, and unless we prove
traitors we must win the victory, for
Our God is within the shadows,
Keeping watch above His own"
The dispensary proved that with
man of courage at the head of affairs,
liquor laws could be enforced, if not
absolutely at first fully as well rs laws
against burglary, murder of any other
crime. Public barrooms were most
certainly closed, and that in despite
of the combined efforts of all classes
of people who gave encouragement,
and actually brought in to prominence
tho lowest class of people, because
they dared to defy the law. You have
shown what an immense revenue ac-
crues from the sale OF whiskey, but
you have told us your "object is not
revenue" and we believe you are too
true man to sell the right of way
into nur hOmaa and bnrfar p,,n hnye 10
the foreign rum-seller for revenue.
"When for our cause all hope is lost,
"When every heart was tempest
tossed;
when homes in ashes round us Law
And DER us beamed no cheering ray
when cen our bravest were un-
And waved the woe wave Ger the
"Your Southern women checked each
And offered nothing but words Of
cheer"
And now we come to tho men of
Carolina, particularly TO those who
make and enforce our laws, and en-
treat you to protect the homes we
took care OF during the war. Home
Is our Kingdom" you say, but we are
powerless to defend it.. You put into
the hands of the vilest of the scour-
ing of creation weapon " firmer set
than bullets or than bayonets," with
which to attack our homes and destroy
our dearest ones. Your protection.
you say, is all sufficient. God grant
1T may be so, in this case, for we are
standing ballotless, utterly unable to
defend our homes, and we appeal to
the men OF our State for help in this
time OF threatened destruction. II
| you do not help us now and tho de-
stroyers OF our homes get into power
again, the wives and mothers OF
| our State will have again to go, as
they have gone in the past, into tho
rum shops at night, and, on their
knees, plead with brutal barkeepers,
who with curses have thrust them into
the street.
We want prohibition, absolute pro-
hihition, without any "clauses ex-
ompting wine, beer or any liquor as
beverage" Atlanta's experience is an
| object lesson to us. Men who swore
solemnly not to sell spirituous liquors
soon perjured themselves, ard as an
| excuse for opening their bar rooms on
Sunday, kept menagerie and made
| the excuse "they had to feed the
animals" | can never forget Mr..
Grady's look as he prophesied what
exactly came to pass.
| Let us be warned by Atlanta's ex-
perience to make no compromise with
the horried traffic, for the divine con-
| 0amnntipn rpsta nnnn apu nation ~,