The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-08-14
Tillnan Talks Temperance.
A Curious Crowd Greet Car.
olina's Great Curiosity.
The Senator Divides Time acith Nay
or Strong im New York-Ho@
He "Tamaed" Or Prohibii
tionists with II Cent
Liquor.

Ine most enthusiastic aU0lence tnat
has gathered in the Asbury Park au-
ditorium this year attended the ma.
tionai service at 4 o'clock this after.
noon. The attraction was double
one, the speakers being Mayor
Strong, of New York. and ex Gov
ernor Til.msn, of South Carolina, the
author of the famous State dispensary
laws now in existence there. Rev.
j. P. Dawson. who has charge of the
auditorium, presided. When he intro
duced Mayor Strong the applause was
deafening The latter said that he
was engaged in the work of trying to
enforce the plain law which has been
on the statute books for some time
eve have had a corrupted police
force and corrupted judiciary !; but
have come to the conclusion that the
law must be enforced This remark
was applauded TO the echo Contin-
uing, he said that those who deal in
liquor shall not sell on Sunday. Eve
are having some difficulty. to be sure,
and my friends have said would in
jjure my political party. ! want tc
say that the municipal government of
New York knows no political party.
One year from to-day | expect to
come to Asbury Park and ! viii! tell
Won that the law is rigi6ly enforced
that yen can't get drink in New
York on Sunday. See if my pre-
diction is not fulfilled
The applause that followed lasted
minute.
Ex-Governor Tillman spoke on the
subject .eWhat to Do With Whiskey2"
In the preface to his speech, he said
that he was plain South Carolina
farmer and not given to rhetoric and
oratory. Then turning to Mayor
Strong, he said : 'sYou have big
contract on your hands-a dozen big
contracts-if you come here and pre-
dict that in a year from now there
will be no whiskey sold in New York
on Sundays. / shall wish you to come
and shall pray for your success, but
you will scratch that old head of
yours many a time during the year
thinking the problem over. l put in
two years bucking against the rum
sellers and l had monkey and par
rot time of it. l am frank to admit
that don't believe there is virtue
enough in Mayor Strong's Sodom TO
stop Sunday liquor selling"'
Senator rillman spent an hour ex-
plaiaing the workings of his famous
liquor dispensary law "The Demo
Gratis Of my State" he said. "and
when I say Democrats, | mean the
white people of South Carolina, de-
clared for prohibition .wc years ago
l don't believe in prohibition, be-
cause it is impossible and impracti-
cable. I,cannof find any warrant in
the Bible for saying that man shall
not drink if he wants to. I con-
sinced my prohibition friends that
they were wrong and had enacted
my dispensary law, which even the
prohibitionists of my State declare
comes nearest to solving the liquor
problem. The liquor dealers, of
course, fought the law. The Su-
preme Court knocked a hole through
it that allows whiskey to ooze in
from other States. This supreme
body has done many things. You
remember the s to I of '76 decision
and the reversal of the income tax.
That decision did not affect me, for l
would not have to pay any tax. but
that law will be re-enacted before
long.
NEARLY every State in the Union,
owing to the peculiar liquor laws, is
in partnership with the liquor deal
ers, but in South Carolina we have
dissolved partnership with the ras-
Gals and have said to our citizens,
drink if you will, but come and drink
State liquor, which is pure stuff, and
in 80 doing help reduce your taxes.
You can't make nlan virtuous by
Legislative enactment You have got
to educate them through their reason.
We can't have prohibition, but we
can minimize the evils attendant
upon the liquor traffic by adopting
law similar to the one in South Caro-.
lina, and other States would do well
to follow our example. We are fight
ing the devil with fire. and whiskey
with whiskey. The aris;ocracy of
my State fought the law and formed
a combination with the liquor dealers
and rabid prohibitionists The fight
became so warm between the Till.
NANTES and the anti.Tillmanites that
the members of the two factions
could be designated by their drink
ing. for every time an "anti" pur-