The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-10-21
Wednesday, Oct. 81, 1896.
Enemies OF the Dispensary-Friends
of the RRrrOOm,

If the friends Of the dispensary system and
the friends OF prohibition do not act with dis
cretion, there is danger that the liquor ele-
ment will again restore the barroom system
In this State. The diSpensary system is do
ing about as well as any new law under SINH
lar circumstances could have done, but those
who made fortunes out OF the old bar-room
system refuse to admit this, and keep up an
agitation against 1t in hopes OF again having
an opportunity of making money out OF the
liquor traffic. The dispensaryltes ana prom
bitionists are natural allies, but If the prohi.
bitonists are not exceedingly cautious, the
liquor element will make cats.paw OF tnem
A great deal OF the stir now going on agalns'
the dispensary system is entirely unneces'
sary. Those who desire TO bring back the IL
cense system OF selling liquor are at the bot
tom Of It, They rip and is tSe
least out Of way, and pronounce the whoie ,,e
system failure from beginning to ena. but is
they do not measure other lines OF oaSineSs ,ni,h
bv the same rule When men conecieo VIII W
banks, stores, &C., go wrong they denounce
men. When men connected Wild tue .ns uIs
pensary 60 wrong, they denounce tns sys.enns yn
WHY this distinction without dlHerence!
They would not gain anything by abolish
ing the banks, stores, g., out II they epu!u a
get the dispensary system aoolsnea si,esa mere re
would be a chance for private citizens 10
make money out Of the liquor traffic-Voice
OF the People.
The LIQUOR men of this State seem TO have
gained an unaccountable influence over some
of our preachers That influence is 30 great
) that some ministers of the gospel have In the
sacred temples openly inveigbed against the
Slspensary, for the alleged or assumed
reason that by abolshing the dispensary we
would have prohibition.
The First Presbytery of the Associate
Reformed church, so far forgot itself at re-
cent meeting as to adopt the following resolu-
tlon:
Resolved 2. That 1t is the duty of every
session at once to proceed in a constitutional
gregation who buys whisky at a dispensary
as a beverage, no matter how moderately ne
may mean TO use II, and also 10 olsclpilne
every member who drinks intoxicating IL,
quor as beverage be II ever so moderately.
Under the circumstances, 1t seems TO the
Press and Banner that the resolution has
more OF political significance than any
thing else.
This newspaper can very well understand
why the advocates Of the open bars should
oppose the dlpensary. But when men who
are licensed to preach the gospel Of Jesus
Christ join with the ibarroom people In de-
mand for restoration OF the greatest evil
that has ever afflicted any people, we can &C.
count for their action only on insincerety Of
purpose or ignorance Of the matter Of which
they speak.
Taken with the fact that the church for all
time has tolerated the bars, and, so far as we
know, hasnot communicated anybody for
The moderate use OF the beverage, the resolu-
tion is plainly against the dispensary. The
church. as far as we are informed, and SO far
as the resolution goes. does not now propose
TO discipline members for using liquor as
beverage, except when bought at dispen-
sary. 1t is, therefore, the buying at dis
pensary, and not the use of the liquor that
gives offence.
We can respect an honest bar keeper, who
openly and clearly makes demand for the
restoration of a business which he thinks
should be legitimate, but we are obliged to
have little respect for either the intelligence
or the sincerely Of the man who proclaims
for prohibition while denouncing the dis.
pensary.
II man Is Judged by his company, what
shall we think Of the christian men who
Join In the demand of the bar keepers, that the
dispensary be closed? No man, with the re-
cent light before US, cen think that hundred
dispensaries which are kept open ten hours a
day, and closed every Sunday, are worse or
greater evil than q thousand bars, which are
kept open for eighteen hours day, and which
are not always kept closed on Sunday.