The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-03-22
A DEFENSE OF THE PROAIBITIONISTS.
REVIEW OF THE SITUATION.
Secretary Lam Ottc Issues n Statement
Concerning Prohibition and the
DiSnnnca,,,

Mr.. Thos. j. LaMotte, secretary o
the State prohibition executive com
mittee, has made the following defense
OF the past conduct Of the prohibition
leaders, especially with reference tI
the dispensary. 1t is not an oflicia
document, as we understand it, anc
Mr.. LaMotto Is responsible for it.
statements and conclusions
| 1t has been the fashion OF certain
newspapers and politicians welded tC
the dlspensary system, to speak of the
prohibition movement in this State a.
an alliance hetween the prohibitionists
and the friends " the whiskey traffic
| Tor the purpose OF bringing the law
| into discredit and breaking il down by
| fostering in the public mind con.
tempt for It's officers, encouraging vic.
| latlons OF Us provisions and throwing
| obstacles In the way OF the punishment
OF the Offenders against il. OF course,
as such, an accusation is without rea-
son it is equally without proof. but
all the same it is reiterated continu-
ally, in the hope that some one will be
influenced by it to allay themselves
with the slanderers who 50 persistently
propagate the falsehood.
1t is true that both these classes
have been found in opposition to the
dispensary law, but for very different
reasons and by very different methods.
The whiskev element naturally
enough resented the passage Of law
which at one blow destroyed their in
terest in the business and at the same
time transferred the business and it's
concomltants OF pecuniary profit and
moral and social degradation to an
other privileged class. Their methods
of opposition TO the law were to be
looked for from such a class, and were
soon developed with more or less sue
cess in corrupting the officials who
were set to control the business, in IL
licit traffic, e2ading the penalties
when caught, both by the interposition
ofeXpcrt lawyers and the officials whom
they had broughtunder their influence.
All these methods of opposition were
wrong, whether used for personal ends
Or Tor the purpose OF creating public
sentiment against the law with a view
to its repeal. None Of them have ever
met With favor or encouragement from
any respectable or responsible element
among the prohibitioaists. On the
contrary, the prohibitionists have pur-
sued, from the beginning of the agita-
tion and original fight on the subject,
down to the present moment, an attitude
OF considerate respect for their oppo-
nents and their arguments, LOYALTY to
the law when enacted and an earnest
effort to have its violators punished,
and determined purpose to repeal
the Objectionable features of the law
by resort to appeals to the moral sense
and good Judgment OF the law respect
ing element of the people. We can
safely challenge the production OF "a
single Instance { departure from the
methods here indicated in the pursuit
OF Dur purpose to secure prohibition
In proof OF our record in this respect,
in the first address issued by the pro-
hibitionists to their constituents after
the passage Of the law of 1893 it was
urged upon them as a duty TO aid in
every way in enforcing the law.
Ihls was not an utterance for effect,
but was an expression OF the real prin-
ciples and purposes Of the prohibitions
lists, and when the occasion came, ns il
shortly did, they showed their SINGER ity
by their acts.
When the Supreme Court declared
the act nullity in so far as the sale of
liquors by dispensers was concerned,
and Governor Tillman interpreted that
decree as authorizing the lawless sale
OF liquor and closed the dispensarics
and dismissed the constables in order
that the lawless liquor sellers might
have opportunity and freedom to show
that prohibition could not prohibit"
then the prohibitionists met the issue
and prepared to do battle with this
lawlcss element, backed though it was
by the State authorities. Evidence
was secured to convict large mum Der
OF the Illicit dealers in Columbia who
hnan ~ h,,t l,l 4
on the assurance OF Governor Tillman
that they were safe in doing so, but
when 1T was ascertained that tho pros
ecutions were about to be commenced,
an order emanated from the ATTORNEY
generals office forbiddng the magis,
trates throughout the State from act-
ing upon any cases involving the vio-
latlon OF the dispensary law until they
were first submitted to him for his ap-
proval. The effect Of this order vas to
stop any effort to interfere with the
Illicit traffic which had sprung up like
magic all over the State. Then a
member of the prohibition executive
committee called upon the attorney
general (Buchanan) and proposed a
suspension OF the order, SO far as it re-
lated to these cases in Columbia, and
that he would proceed with the prose
fused as was also a final proposition
10 turn over all the evidence in these
cases to the attorney general on con-
dltlon that he would prosecute them
without delay.
Again, when this committee sought
to correct the abuse and violations by
dispensers, calling the attention of the
county board OF control to specific acts
OF violation md presenting proofs OF
the allegations made, on q number OF
occasions, the board, while admitting
the truth OF the charges, refused to ap-
ply any correction, and tolerated and
condoped all sorts OF abuses, some of
which have become notorious and pub.
lie scandals.
When the State board OF control pro.
posed in utter disregard of the letter
and spirit of the law, to grant to GER
tain individuals the privilege to sell
beer outside OF the legally authorized
dlspensaries, and from house TO house,
this committee was prompt to make
protest again such gross violation of
their official trust, and when the board
consummated their purpose and turned
over the business and profit belonging
to the State, to these unlawfully APP
pointed beer-venders, and this commit
tee endeavored % bring the offenders
to test of their authority, they were
met at the worry threshold Of the courts
by the attorney general joining the
counsel Tor the accused In advising the.
magistrate not to permit the prosecu-
tlon to proceed, and by technical tao
tics unblushingly pursued through all
the courts, defeating the effort made to
uncover the lawlessness w hich has
characterized the conduct of the State
board of control in their management