The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-01-18
we shall be in position to take final

20 1t Is useless for me to make an @
4 tended argument to show that our sy
% tom OF liquor control Is proper exc
8 else OF the police power, and th
70 Judge Simonton is wrong in his d
70 cision denying this power to the Stat
70 But as facts speak londer than words,
. VIII give the testimony OF ministers
the gospel in the State as to the effe,
- OF the DispeDsary law on the morals ,
;. the people and on the reduction
5 drunkenness among them. Out of fou
hundred and sixty. three answers r,
:. ceived from the ministers of the Stat
: TO questions submitted to them in
, circular letter, dated October lst 1897
) three hundred and twenty four repor,
ed decrease in drinking of iorSy-si
) and one-third per cent, and a CORE
, spending decrease in drunkenness
since the Dispensary law went int
etfect. Sixty nine reported an increas
In drinking of ffty-four and three
fourths per cent. Yet, in the face o
sucn testimony as to the good results
OF the system, Judge Simonton de
ciares 1t is not q police measure
What then is the police power? Here
Is definition OF the United States
Supreme Court itself:
"The police power includes ali
measures for the protection OF life, the
health, the property and the welfare
OF the inhabitants, and for the promo
ton OF good order and public morals.
IL covers the suppression of nuisances,
whether Injurious to public health like
unwholesome trades, or to the public
morals, like gambling houses and lot
'ry tickets. The police power ex-
tends to things not only intrinsicaily
dangerous to the public health, such as
injected rags or diseased meat,
but to things, which when used
OF property and Of commerce, and
yet may be used so as to be in
furious or dangerous to the life, the
health, or the morals of the people.
Gunpowder, for instance, is subject
OF commerce and of lawful use, yet, be-
cause of its explosive and dangerous
qualities, all admit that the State NAV
regulate its keeping aud sale. And
there is no article, the right of the
State to control or to prohibit the sale
or manufacture OF which within its
limits Is better established than, intoxi-
eating liquors"
of license, yet license has been held to
be police regulation evon when
protecting license holders in a
monopoly. OF sale, until Judge
Simonton's recent decision above
quoted allowed liquors in "origi-
nal packages" to enter State $50 long
as their manufacture, purchase or
sale, or their use as beverage in any
form or by any person are recogniZ 3D."
Interstate commerce has, according to
Judge Simonton, destroyed the police
power unless a State declares the use
OF liquor as beverage to be contrary
n mo l, nd h. l. lAl
OF the people. No license system does
this. We cannot, therefore, get pro
lection from "free liquor" by such en-
actment. We can, however, get relief
by doing away with the profit feature,
as the following quotation from the
VandercOok decision shows: "The de-
clsion OF the Supreme Court of the
Unite1 States must control all Circui:
Courts. BY this decision it is clear
that so long as the State herself en-
cages in the business of importing and
selling alcoholic liquors for the pur-
poses OF profit; SO long as she recog-
nizes that the use of alcoholic liquors
as beverage Is lawful and can be en-
couraged; so long as she seeks a mono
ply in supplying these liquors for that
use, and in this way looks to an in
creae In her re, enue, she cannot under
her constitutional obligations to the
other States of this Union, control,
hinder and burden commerce in such
articles between their citizens and her
own" Here is the law and we must
obey it until Judge Smonton is over
ruled by the Supreme Court or by Con-
gress. Under a license system, mas
much as the State would receive money,
these Original packages" would con-
tinue to come in, and Judge Simonton
Sun nj 20 ;,.b Al
officers from interfering with them
Let US, therefore, do what Is left us,
and wait for action at Washington.
The money used in conducting the Dis
pensaries and in enforcing the law
could not be regarded as profit, but as
expended purely and solely for main
tanning the morals and health OF the
people. Judge Simonton might de-
clare this not TO De an exercise of the
police power; but we will have to risk
1t, and depend for our security on what
he himself has written In various de-
cisiOns.
THE STATES EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.
The Constitutional three mill tax for
school purposes yields on the pres
ent assessed value of property some
thing over $500,000. This Is large
sum to collect from tax-bu, dened
people, and this money should be so
expended as to secure the best possible
results. With this increased expendi-
ture Of money on the public schools the
people have the right to expect better
results than have heretofore been Sc
cured. In the cities and In majority
of the towns the schools are we'll sus-
tained and meet the demands upon
them, but in the country the results
are generally very unsatisfactory
With better school houses and better
equipment and better teachers, boys
and girls could be prepard for college
at the common schools In the country
without needing to take course In fit
ng-schools, preparatory to entering
college. The States educational system
including all schools, high and low
primary, secondary and collegiate
looks to one end and aim-..to correc
illiteracy, to dispel ignorance to trail
intelligent and patriotic citizens. [
, Is sustained by public appropriations
gathered by taxation from every elias
of citizens. 1t exists for the benefit O
all the people OF tho commonwealt q
+ and all are interested In its economical
, and efficient administration.
The system Is body composed c
members OF various capacities an
functions, to be exercised, not indeper
2 IDENTIFY, but each In conjunction wit
! the others; with constant reference t
r a common purpose, and upon commo
: plan. Harmonious cooperation is nj
Il l.. n 2