The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-08-03
PROHIBITION OR DISPENSARl.

Prohibition against Dispensary. Inc
most ardent high license advocates
conceae 70 chance for high license,
and the people are left to determine
between the question Of whether llq-
nor is to be obtained as at present or
the simple taking away the one-bev-
erace feature. Ii left as at present a
man obtains the stuff without having
TO resort to trickery and deception.
He buys it, pays for it and goes along
about his business. Eliminate the
beverage feature, what will be the
nrocess resorted to for a man to OBJ
tain liquor? He will have to go 10
disponsary under the control OF the
State and declare he wants the stutt
either for mechanical, sclentlhcal,
medicinal OF sentimental purposes.
Who is to issue the certificate 1or
mechanical, scientiical and sacra-
mental purposes" we cannot mag
inc; can it be that when man wants
liquor for mechanical purposes he
must first produce certificate from
some boss mechanic? II for "sclen-
tifcal purposes" from some scientist:
And if for ''sacremental purposes
from some minister OF the gospel?
How is the dispenser to know wheth-
er the applicant for liquor is telling
him the truth? The prohibition the
ory is a beautiful one, but just how It
can be enforced IS another story, es-
pecially when men are seeking the
votes OF people for public office upon
a platform purporting to be for pro-
hibition, when in fact it is not prohi-
bition. In our judgment the Prohi-
bition people would occupy a strong
er position before the masses, had
they come square out and made a
fight for stricter dispensary regu!a-
tions, and a more thorough enforce
ment of the dispensary law. Then
it would have been seen that thor
ough control of the liquor evil was
wanted, and not ianciful dream to
delude good people-church people
into casting their votes for man to
occupy The Governors chair with a
theory which upon reflection, divested
from sentiment is utterly impossible
to carry out.
We invite any OF our Prohibition
friends to enlighten our readers, on
how It's possible to have prohibition,
when the dispensaries are to remain
as at present and the dispensers are
to be allowed to sell for ''mechanical,
medicinal, scientiical and sacrament
al purposes" Our view OF the mat
te, is, that when the beverage feature
is eliminated, and the stuff is obtain
able, the liquor drinkers will obtain
it, and will resort to any device to ac-
complish their purpose. There is
only one way to curtail the thirst for
drink, and that is in the household;
if the father and mother cannot ex-
ert a wholesome influence in the
home, we feel sure no earthly legisia-
ton can, it matters not what laws are
enacted. Therefore we believe that
the present dispensa1y system, now
that the federal courts have decreed
it constitutional, is the best reGula-
ton of the Equoc traffic that cau be
had, and that it should be given a
fair, square test; it came upon US at
time when the people were divided
politically, and it revolutionized an
ancient custom-in single night the
doors of every bar-room in the State
were closed. Like all drastic meas
ures, it was put through rough and
stumpy existence and it survived.
Shall we, after all of the great strug-
giles made, discard it without q fair
test in smooth sea? Or shall
we accept the challenge thrown
down by the opponents OF the
law, many of whom have resorted
to all kinds Of schemes to obstruct
the successful execution Of the law,
and in fact, obstructed the execution
of al laws, prompted by political
prejudice. Now that the question
has settled down to Prohibition
against Dispensary, and that the pro-
hibition (:) side is represented by
candidate C. c. Featherstone, law
yer of Laurens, and the dispensary
is chanpioned by Governor W. H.
Ellerbe, farmer Of Marion, we should
choose our leader from the two. as
votes cast for Col. Tilluau, Watson,
Archer, Schumpert and Whitman will
be scattering and can only result in
bringing about second race between
Ellerbe and Featherstone. Our choice
is Ellerbe man who has faithfully
carried out his promises to the peo-