Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-10-06
"DRINKING ON THE PREMISES"
The Man Who Sells Liquor Should Should
er All Responsibility.

The Man Who Sells Liquor Should Should
er All Responsibility.
Editor Yorkville Enquirer.
In your issue of September Goth, in
an article entitled, HE Had Better
Go Slow" 1 notice these words: "a
man who complies with all legal re-
quirements can buy whisky at the dis
pensary if he wants to but he cannot
drink it on the premises" Of all the
specious arguments that have been
advanced in support of the dispensary
system, the argument just quoted is
the worst. Aside from being an argu-
ment in favor of the dispensary sys-
tenn, it is one of the best possible ar
guments against it. Let us examine it
briefly. A man walks into a barroom
and calls for quart of whisky. He
opens it and drinks it on the premises,
as he has perfect right to do, for the
interior Of barroom, even though it
be called by some other name, is, of
all other places, the right and proper
place in which to drink whisky. Then
if he gets drunk and becomes violent,
profane, obscene, abusive and danger
GUS, and commences to smash the furni-
ture and threatens to mash the pate of
the heartless wretch who sold him the
accursed stuff by which he has been
transformed from quiet, intelligent,
peaceable man, into dangerous, ire
sponsible beast, why, it is not only the
most natural thing in the world, but
the results constitute case of retrib-
utive justice, inasmuch as the bar
keeper comes in for a small share of
punishment for his crime. But sup
pose the barkeeper, after selling man
whisky by which his reason is de-
throned and the brutal elements in his
nature are aroused, should then knock
the poor reeling, raving devil down
and kick him out. Would not such
an act arouse the indignation of every
true man? And would not the infer
nal business and its disgraceful repre-
sentative come in for well-merited
share of public censure? In other
words, such scenes would naturally
bring the whisky business into disfavor
and contempt, or rather show it as
it is.
Now for the dispensary. A walks
into barroom, called by law dis
pensary, and calls for whisky and gets
lit. But he is warned that she cannot
drink it on the premises"
The barkeeper dispenser mean)
says, in effect: I will sell you the vile
stuff; but you must not drink it here,
for you will probably get drunk and
then you may mutilate my furniture
or lacerate my serene and pious coun-
tenance, and injure my precious busi-
ness. Neither must you drink it in this
blessed town! But you may carry it
home and drink it there, and get as
drunk as a lord and abuse your de-
voted wife and your innocent children
until your drunken frenzy is exhaust
| ed. Yes, 20 home and raise all the
merry hades you please. But you
must leave me in peace and quietness.
Mr.. Editor, for Gods sake don't
again use the false plea, "he can't
drink it on the premises" for this is
one of the many bad features of the
dispensary. If the law was so amend
ed as to make it obligatory upon
every man who buys whisky for
beverage to drink it on Tor in) the
premises, and raise the devil in the
DEVILS own den, then the law would
have at least one redeeming feature.
W. 8. G.