The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-09-07
PROHIBITION VS.. DISPENSARY

was the IalreSt ana DeSG mauaSeo
institution on earth, and that he was
prepared to lick any man who did not
agree with him. I make no applica
tion, but some voters are still wonder
ing what has become Of that 1854
9H. 40 profits the examining committee
were able to discover, to say nothing OF
past rebates,
In 1897, the gross sales and net
profits Of County dispensaries were
81, ,252, 2,289.O8. Net profits s84, ,782.78
The statement of the profit and loss
account shows: Total profits for year
ending Dec. 81, 1897, $436, ,ssos8, Of
which s42, ,510.36 are rebates. On the
loss side the total amount placed tc
the school fund during 1897, s146,-
443.O9. Think Of it, ye voters Of
South Carolina and taxpayers! In
order to get s146, ,433. .O9 added to your
common school fund, you were first
required to drink $1.252, ,289.08 worth
Of liquor! At the same time it ap,
pears you are paying tax in the way
Of profits Of s436,99O.98. Can you
stand it? Will you stand it? Think
of it! Hereis great sovereign State,
organized for civil government, pros
tituted by ambitious politicians, into
a common liquor seller for profits
from the citizens making up that
State!
A man says to his son: "John, it
is wrong for you to sell liquor by the
drink. Twill take charge Of the busi-
ness myself" To another son he
says: "Bill, you can't get liquor any
longer at ten cents drink. You can
get half pint Of chemically pure for
which you will pay me profit. !
will use part Of the proftsin educating
your SON" And thus the father en-
courages his son to buy liquor that he
may educate his grandson. The poll
ticians for nearly six years have been
making our State play the roll of
that father. They have sought the
last Two years to hush the public con-
science with little sop to the public
school fund. Conscience money!
Yes, the politicians have had abso-
lutte control Of this school for nearly
six years, and every graduate iauds
his alma mater the dispensary. When
the real prohibitionist lifts his voice
in, solemn protest he is met by ridi-
cule from all these same politicians.
They say:
nProhibition does not prohibit" or
the old barroom men and hypocrites
are trying to pull down the dispen-
sary." Prohibition does not pro-
hibit. Pray, sir, when did you try
or see it tried by the State?
AS to the other fling at the prohibi-
tionists, that is an old ruse of the
thief to join in the cry of stop thief. I"
We prohibitionists look upon the ad
vocases Of the dispensary as the
liquor men in this State. The State
has already prohibited everybody from
selling liquor, and all the p.ohibition-
lists now ask at the hands Of the Leg
ture, is to enact a law to stop the
politicians from using the name Of
South Carolina in carrying on this
nefarious business that no. one else is
permitted to carry on in the State.
Prohibition has prohibited every hon
est man in the State from selling
liquor, and I submit it will be an easy
matter for our old mother, the State,
to quit the business, if she is given
an opportunity to quit. As for abso-
lutte prohibition of any crime, there
has never been any yet. "Thou shalt
not steal is engrafted into our laws,
and yet the records of our Court show
that the country is still infested with
thieves.
"Thou shalt not kill" and yet there
were 43,902 homicides in the United
States in six years. There were 1O,-
500 in 1895. The records Of our Courts
show that the "bloody hand is in the
business in our own State. Maine, a
prohibition State, had eleven homi-
cides. South Carolina, with her dis
pensaries, had 235 homicides. Maine
and prohibition had one homicide to
every 6O,Os8 population. South Caro-
lima, with the dispensary, had one TO
every 1899 population. Have you
absolute prohibition here? Nay,
verify. But some one says: The
crime of selling liquor is not par
allel case with murder. Granted. The
difference is, our juries convict every
time for violation of the dispensary
law, while the murderer oftener goes
scott free! No, they are not parallel.