Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-03-18
to debauch and degrade them. A new

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function for a sovereign state hitherto
supposed to be the enemy of a degrad.
ing traffic and the guardian and pro.
tector of the welfare of her citizens
1t has even been Christianized by
members of Christian churches being
employed to sell the vile stuff to mem.
bers of their flock. Under the rule ot
local option the cause of temperance
was making most satisfactory progress
in all parts of the state when this
monstrous fraud was launched by the
legislature and enforced by reckless
demagogues and ringsters in open de-
fiance of the sensibilities and wishes Of
the people. The bloodshed in this
miserable crusade against the rights
and liberties of thecitizen will have to
be atoned for some day.
The sincere advocates of temper.
ance, the ministers of the Gospel, the
good women, were moulding public
opinion-the only safe guarantee o.
success in any ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the
saloon traffic in whisky. They were
gradually advancing their lines of at
tack in all parts of the state and max
ing it impossible for even blind tigers
to exist, when they unfortunately, and
1 think foolisbly, fell into the trap se'
for them by the dispensary ringstess
and were thrown back for years in
their good work. They have renewed
their fight, and may God speed them
in their warfare.
have never believed in the efficacy
of prohibition as a remedy for intem.
perance but as between that and the
dispensary I would support prohibi.
tion every day in the year. I would
take the purchase and sale of whisky
out of the hands of state officials where
it is sapping and mining the very
foundation of society and degrading
the high and sacred functions of gov
ernment. I would take this danger.
GUS power out of the hands of every.
body, governor, board of control, dis.
pensers, constables and all, and return
to the good old Democratic doctrine oi
home rule, local self-government
Let the people of each municipality
community, township, county, decide
for themselves whether they will have
prohibition, local option, high license
or dispensary. Why not? Are the
people not to be trusted? Wrench the
grasp of the ring from the throats oi
the people. Turn them loose to decide
for themselves. The best governed
people are those who are least govern
ed. Popular sovereignty means the
rule of the people; not the rule of 8
dispensary whisky ring.
The socalled reform movement was
inaugurated on the theory that there
was a ring which was sitting and
throttling the people in the free exer'
else of their sovereign power. Why
erect another ring on the ruins of the
ring then existing, if it ever had any
existence If there is no dispensary
whisky ring in existence why not let
the people have a chance to decide in
their local primaries The reform,
farmers movement, needs reforming.
We were promised lower taxes, higher
prices, general peace, prosperity and
happiness. A sort of political, fnan'
cial, social elysium. What have we
realized? The farmers have been re.
formed into four cents cotton, an in
crease of assessments of property,
higher taxes, bloodsheds, riots and
rascality. The reformers need reform
ing. The phosphate interests belong
ing to all the people of the state, pay
ing into their treasury under the ope'
rations of the former ring from two
hundred to three hundred thousand
dollars annually, relieving private
property to that extent from taxation,
have been practically destroyed, all in
the interests of reform. The dispen.
sary was to supply the deficiency
We were to get anywhere from hall
TO million dollars profit from the sale
of whisky. Where are those profits
Buried in the pockets of somebody
The people, the taxpayers, have not
received it. And yet some people
cling to the dispensary as high NOR
al, economical institution, a panacea
for many of the evils under which
we were struggling when the "reform
movement" was launched to purify the
atmosphere. In this connection we
might paraphrass the celebrated apos.
trophe of Madam Rowland, and say
"Oh, reform, how many crimes have
been committed in thy name"
NJ. G. BUTLER.