The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-01-20

soi'ea by the 'ofticst Of motives. but
human nature remaius forerer the
SAGE: aod, while ;egis!ators may enact
laws for the paoi~ament of crime, they
can never force meD to become virtuous
or sober
So vast q problem as that Of the
LIQUOR traffic dena3ds for lis solution
the CO. o-opera'ioo aid combined wisdom
of al the people Local option caa-
DOT. therefore. settle il, except 'empor-
ariiy and to very limited extent
The open saloon is y coo*taut menace
and disgrace to civilization
As is we'll known. was at first not an
advocate Of the dispensary law aud |
was sceptical as to its ever beiog suo-
crss.in any form.
cannot therefore be considered az
unduly biased in its favor aud [ have
arrived at my present conclusion 10 re-
gard to it somewhat against uy will.
The opinion reached by me. after a
thorough Investigation Of ifs working
throughout the State, and after haviog
the views Of good many intelligent
aud good men. is that the law is a
great improvement over tbe old license
system and that it deserves to be fully
tried 10 it's present form before there is
aoy radical change made The proof is
overwhelming thas there is less drunk-
enpess pow than formerly and that th-
coosu ptioe of liquor has been largely
decreased. This is ackaowledged by
every fair minded mao, and that the
masses of the people are averse to re.
turniog to the license system in au:
form is very evident to any
mau who has mingled with then,
Having stated my opinion as To the
policy the State shonld pursue. feel it
my duty to enter at some length on the
workings and merits Of the law. and
point out the severe tests to which 1t
has been subject ltIs Dot saying too
much to assert that It has uever bad a
fair chance. Enacted during period
Of in,eose political activity, wheo prfja-
dice aud party spirit we're running high
it was opposed By many ou political
grounds purely without consideration of
its purpose or merit, and every possible
obstruction thrown 10 it's way. Tne
Federal courts by iojuuctious have
crippled It's enforcement seriously.
After the Darlington trouble had beeo
quieted tine decision Of the supreme
court declaring the law unconstitutional
came to undo all the work that had
been done. While i: demon-t -trated the
utter fu.iity of prohibition it at the
same time initiated the SALE Of
liquor without license in every
neig ghborbood and many who then
began then nefarious traffic pever
ceased to follow it, aud are still! selling
liq lor as much as they dare.
waatOf use is it to argue that the
State should not sell liquor to Its cH'-
zsns or reap profit from the bloody
money" as some term it, when they
advocate licensing its sale and thus shar-
ioe in he profits made by the private
dealer? One syssem is just as immoral
as the, other. if there is immortality in
either But the monopoly of the State
enables it TO control in measure and
mini.,:zs the evil and the profits
which are but of secondary considera-
tiop to the State are shared BY all the
people
believe the dispensary comes uearer
to the solution Of the liqu,r problem
than any other scheme yet proposed by
mar. /, may be necessary to modify
the law, but constant changes are TO be
deplored The dispensers should be
Lo..est men, selected without regard to
party filia,ion. and when convicted OF
crime should bv handled like other
criminals TIE chief dispenser. the
board of control and all the higher
officials should be men whose honesty
caopot be reasonably questioned, and
who should hold their places 90 account
cf 6toess aud not for political reasons
An institution is known by its fruits
and it is simply question whether pro
hibi,ion or the dispensary system will
do most to diminish druusenness and
it's accompanying Ills Upon moral
grounds and only upon mora grounds,
the dispenssry must stand or fs!l The
profit feature Is Of secondary cousldera-
ton.
EDucAr1cN-THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
That it is the duty of the State to
provide for toe education of her
children is DOW almost universally con-
ceded lie belongs to the past aud not
to the present who hopes to check the
growing demand for popular education
The enemies Of the public school will
fad the entire drift Of modern eivlliza-
tioa against them