The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-12-27
Obey the Laws.


The Anderson Daily Mail says there
is no doubt bus that the violent reck
less and misleading statements made by
many papers which are opposed to the
dispensary law have been. the means Of
encouraging resistance to the law and
has caused bloodshed and the loss Of
life. Some Of the utterances have been
almost incendiary, and what more
natural than that when men who are
disposed to engage in the illicit traffic
in whiskey read these fierce denuncia
tions aud misleading statements they
are excited to the pointof violating the
law. We have been moved to say this
froIo reading an editorial in the Oconee
News OF the 18th inst. which is very
much on the order. Here are some ex-
tracts from it. In referring to the de-
plerable tragedy in Green7ille it says:
The two men killed only add to the
long list of men who have been taken
from their families by means of this
most unholy and unfair law. 1t is
fact that more men have been killed in
trying to enforce this law since its en-
actment than have been killed in the
enforcement Of all the other laws Of the
State in quarter Of a century.
Here is a positive statement that the
law is 'uuholy and unfair. The people
are educated by the newspapers they
read and they will reason if the law is
''unholy and unfair" they have right
to violate it. And The News states
that to be a fact which we doubt very
much whether it knows to be fact or
not when it says that more men have
been killed in enforcing the dispensary
than in the enforcement Of all other
laws Of the state in quarter of cen
tury." Does the News know how
many men have been killed in enforcing
the dlspensary law? We doubt il.
Does it know how many men have been
killed in the last 25 years in enforcing
all other laws in this State? We doubt
it. IL is very broad and reckless
statement and calculated to do harm.
And then in answering the question
why do men resist the enforcement
Of this IaH?" it says:
The answer is easy: Because every
man, whether he be good man or bao
man, whether he be Wise man or a
fool, whether be be Law ABIDING citi
Zen or an outlaw, knows the law to b
upf4ir, unjust and absolutely wrong;
therefore he reslsts it to the death, and
will resslst it as long as it is the law.
That's anJther very reckless and
sweeping statement. 1t puts the brand
OF ny pocr4cy on many good men IN all
the churches in this state who say they
believe the law is good law by voting
to retain it. The above paragraph is as
plain, outspoken defense of the siola
tor of law as We have ever read. 1t up
holds him and encourages him In his
Resistance to the law, aud when they
read such as that IN the public prints
it Is not to be wondered at that they
Violate 1t. Ii brea' hes the very splrn
of rebellion. But for clear aud unadui.
terat, Dunsense anu absurulty the FOL
lowing takes the cake:
The STATE says to its citizens: You
can get drunk as often as you wish II
you will only get drunk on the liquor
sold by me, but | punish you if you
buy siDgle drink from any one else
Tae State makes it grave ofense for
a citizen to do the Very thing it does
Itself daily. Tue very lnsllucG Of tn,
brute creation knows that this is wrong
Tue State has the same right to sa.
that the citizen shall only buy -four.
corn, shoes and clothing from state
institution.
When and where in the statutes has
the state said she will punish the mau
who buys drink from any one else?
She has said nothing of the kind.
There is not line Of statute Law di
rected against the buyer Of liquor but
it is against the unlawful seller. And
then follows the remarkable statement
that the state makes it a grave ofense
for citizen to do the very thing It
does itself In other words the clti
Zen must not get drunk but the state
gets drunk every day. 1t is the first
time We ever heard that the instincts OF
the brute creation told them the diff
ference between right and wrong. But
the most remarkable statement OF all Is
that the state has the same right to
say that the citizen shall only buy -four,
corn, shoes and clothing from the state
institution And this too 10 the face
OF the fact that all the decisions OF the
courts, state and federal, recognize the
doctrine and uphold it, that the liquor
Traffic is subject Of the police powers
Of the state aud Glfferentiates between
the traffic in liquor and the necessarles
of life. And the Oconee News ought
TO know that there is difference be,
tween them, and prohibitouis5 though
its editor is, he has made plea IL De-
half of liquor when he argues that II
stands on the same plane as -four
cora, shoes aud clothing. If 1t does
then every man who chooses, has the
right to sell it. This absurd and non
scnsical editorial only shows where
prejudice will .ead to.