The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-02-08
Members of the Legislature are
Asked to Stand for Prohibi-
ton Principle Against all
Opposition.


assembly who are clas>el as pronibi-
tionists will stand together and support
Mr.. McCullough's bill or somc similar
measure. There are thought to be not
less than 30 prohibitionlsts in the
house and how many there are IN the
senate is not known.
The address is as follows:
To the Prohibition Members Of the
General -Asst mbly.
Gentlemen: Recent developments of
Il desire and purpose on the part Of the
friends Of the liquor traffic to draw yon
into a false and Inconsistent l'n-l;lon to
ward the issue now before the legisla-
ture and to divert your acknowledged
Influence in that body from the sup
port Of prohibition to that Of the IL
quor traffic, has impressed upon us the
duty Of given expression to our views
uf the situation, for which We dcem no
apology necessary.
We respectfully suggest that what
ever may be individual opinions on this
subject. and however conscientiously
entertained, their correctness and value
in guiding loyal prohibitionists must be
determined by their agreement with the
platform Of their convention as body
representing the prohibitionists Of the
State
That convention in April last dis
tinctly announced its opposition to
every form of liquor selling for bercr-
age purposes and 10 any legal sanction
of such sales by dispensary, high Ii
cense or any other agency.
Unon that platform its candidates
for State offices entered the campaign
and earnestly contesting the views OF
those candidates representing the dis
pensary, local option and license, they
proclaimed as the doctrine Of the pro-
hibitionists that a prohibition law for
the whole State was the only remedy
for the evils of the liquor traffic.
Upon that issue the campaign was
foug hit and resulted IN the elimination
of the local-option- high, licencc idea
from the contest by a decisive vote OF
the people in the first primary. and
their determin: tion that the final con
test should be between rrohibltlonand
the lispensary.
The attitude of the prohibition can
didate throughout that campaign was
one of answering devotion to prohlbl-
ton as principle, and this, with the
high plane on which his canvass was
conducted. called forth the grateful ad-
miration of his friends ard forced from
his opponents the highest commenda,
tions for himself and his cause.
In several counties members Of the
general assembly were elected over 10,
cal option license candidates because
of their adherance to the doctrine Of
prohibition announced by the conven-
ton while in other counties, also,
where no issue was made candidates
were elected whose views were known
to be in harmony, on this issue, with
those announced by the convention.
The number of these prohibitionists in
the general assembly is believed to be
sufficient to constitute the 'balance
without which the dispensary cannot
be perpetuated nor license legislation
sucured.
In this condition of affairs the advo-
Gates Of license are making the most
strenuous efforts to secure the coopera-
ton of the prohibitioniSts in their CT
fort to enact what they are pleased to
call local option, to effect which three
bills are now on their passage through
the house. Plausible pleas are offered
by these local option advocates to IN
duce the friends of prohibition to for
sake their principles and join with them
in the inauguration Of a System which
they claim will be beneficial to all.
We do not propose to point out the
fallacy of this claim in theory and fact
We would briefly submit that whatever
may be the benefits Of local option when
used as an agency for the deliverance OF
a community from the curse OF the IL
ouor traffic, these claims fail when 1t Is
distinctly proposed for your support by
the friends Of the liquor traffic, or the
opponents of prohibition, as means OF
securing the license of the liquor traffic
in certain counties of the State where It
dees not now exist and where it cannot
exist without your aid. This support
is based on temporising, temporary
policy of expediency and necessarily IN
wolves compromise Of your principles
as prohibitionists. It's the commer:la!
me;hod Of dealing with the traffic ana
should be left with the trading polltl-
clans who resort to it. 1t proposes to
set aside prohibition in the interest OF
law -defying cliQues and schemes andat
the opportunc time, when it has de-
moralized the public sentiment to Its
own plane, to offer it up as a sacrifice
to the liquor Moloch and sprinkle Its
blood upon all the high places where
sin holds its carnival. 1t proposes to
ignore the eternal distinction between
right and wrong by endorsing wrong
and legalizing it. 1t makes a majority
vote the authority By which what is
! declared wrong in one county Is made
right in another, or what is wrong At
one time in one county is made rlshtat
another time in the same county. It
proposes to grant the protection which
prohibition of the liquor traffic may Sc,
cure to life, health and morals in one
county, and by the same means in the
adjacent county to grant the license tc
individuals to invade the rights and set
at naught the protection thus secured.
We regret the necessity which has
been forced upon Us Of protesting thus
publicly against the advice of some OF
our most prominent counsel-ors who
foyor an alliance with the friends OF