Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-12-25
The THACKER PLAN.

The THACKER PLAN. 4
A German Citizen Gives Reasons Why He
Does Not Like It..
Editor Yorkville Enquirer:
In your issue Of the 11th instant, is q
letter Of Rev. Thacker, Of Hickory
Grove, to his excellency, the governor,
outlining plan for the control Of liquor,
aud about which desire to make few
remarks. ..a ss
I'll do not in every respect agree with
Mr.. Thacker, I am free to ray that I be-
lieve bis intentions are Of the very best.
He is working against the bad effects Of
liquor and should have the cooperation
Of all good citizens. His plan, however,
In my opinion, needs thorough revision.'
{ First, he says q majority Of the people
want prohibitions. I would call his atten-
ton to the fact that q preacher does not
always hear the real continent Of his peo-
pie. When with the preacher, people
usually wear their best clothes, and while
they are no doubt honest In wanting
strict prohibition, sometimes some Of
these drink until they oani see nothing
but rats. ~ ,2'5s.'t
Mr.. Thacker wants the manufacture
and sale Of liquor prohibited. That
means that if one has grape vines, which
are 80 lawless as to bear more grapes than
he can eat, he must not press the juice
out of them to preserve it, on pain''of
being sent to the chaingang. What Is
American liberty2 Is 1t a mere phrase
crested in the brain Of the foolf To-
Judge by this, 1t must be 30.
In the second place, Mr.. Thacker wants
to make drunkenness misdemeanor,
punishable on q second ofense with q
double penalty. Bemore liberal, Brother
Thacker! Do not carry In your hand
such a big rock to throw at any one who.
in a weak hour, may be persuaded by
temptation. Say to him rather, like the.
Man of Nazareth, in endless mercy, "Go,
and sin no more; will not condemn
thee" Remember the second time temp.
tation is much the greater. Therefore, do
not punish him double.
So much for Brother Thacker. Now
let us take good look at the world to see
if liquor is indeed as bad as many try to
make it. Having travelled about 10000
miles, and having been in l3 different
states, foreign and American, I have had
many opportunities to observe the infiu-.
ence of the manufacture and sale of liquor
upon general prosperity. If we think Of
the number of promising young men
who sink 10 the early grave Of the drunk
ard how many happy wives are made
widows AND how many innocent children
are made orphans, through liquor, then
we should be glad to do away with 1t at
once. But this thing has two sides.
There is nothing In this world 80 good
that there is not some bad, and nothing 30
bad that there is not some good.
In Italy, France and western Germany
nearly so per cent. of the entire popula-
ton is employed in the cultivation of the
grape and the sale of wine. The hills Of
South Carolina, many of which are now
valueless, would make as good vineyards
as are to be found in any of the countries
mentioned, and lands which are now
drag at 81 an acre, would easily be worth
500 an acre. There would also be em-
ployment for thousands of hands that
are now comparatively idle, and the state
would receive many thousands of dollars
of revenue in the shape Of license.
In the city Of Munich, few years ago,
the annual consumption Of beer amounted
to A gallons per head, and that would be
for the ,l47, ,l6l inhabitants Of South Car
lima, 49, ,475, ,OS4 gallons of beer. The manu-
facture of this beer would require 9l7,7 ,78
bushels of barley, and the raising of the
barley and the brewing Of it into beer
would not only give employment to many
thousands of people; but would also
yield a big revenue to the state. We
would not have to raise cents cotton,
and neither would we have to pay such
heavy tax on our property.
We can do without liquor. Certainly.
But are we to have prohibition because
we are afraid somebody might die OF
liquor and leave wife and child unsup-
ported? ? Then, why not do away with
railroads and horses and buggies? They
also kill people sometimes. We can do
without railroads. People got along with
out them for 5000 years, and can no doubt
do it again.
Rev. Thacker may answer that II we
can do without liquor, why we do not
prevent all the terror it brings. and also
he might remind me, "What profiteth it
a man if he gain the whole world and
lose his own soul?" To the first PROPOSE
ton say that it is universal law that
every man of sound mind has to be left
at liberty to do good or bad. In some
countries, where liquor is free, more Of it
is used but there are no more drunk
ards. We hardly ever find barkeeper
who is a drunkard. If we get prohibi-
ton, it only reaches those who do not
need it. Those who do need it will man
age to avoid it.
In one of the northern states, a few
years ago, the sale of liquor was prohibit
ed but people continued to drink as be-
fore. The traffic continued in vocation
OF the law in every way conceivable. 1
have seen watermelons filled with whis-
ky.
The drinking of liquor is just as much
a private matter as is the drinking Of cof-
fee, and no one has legal right to inter-