Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1900-08-22
IN MkINE."

,"pRoH1B1T1oN IN MAINE
Z Mr.. Editor: Ia "a recenttls O
fhe, Advertiser theresappear al
article with the above caption
copiedfrom the Charleston News
and Courier, signed ssNemo." This
writer and others regard probibi;:
ton as an utter failure, as the
fruitful source ofaperiury, lying,
and hypocrisy, z and as having nc
foundation in com on sense, and
no support in Bible teaching
With these positions I take issue
lam. sincere in my convictions
and I concede equal sincerity tc
others; but sincerity alone does
not make me right. does not make
others right. Perfect freedom! Of
thoughtsan,l speech belongs to all
but, each ones opinions must be
tried by, facts and reason, not by
defamation, prejudice, $anda pas
sion. IT becomes each onesto use
the utmost plainness of speech,
and at the same time to respect
the rights Of. others with the ut
most courtesy of speech and man
ner. We should seek only truth
and righteousness. I would rather
90 down in the dust of defeat a
thousand times, girded about with
truth and right, than to triumph
on the side of falsehood land
wrong. Victory at the expense of
truth is a cheap and worthless
thing. No moral issue is finally
until settled on the basis
of right. #.8tt
' Prohibition has not been the
failure it's opposers have repre-
sented it to bp. It has been a mis-
erable farce tn some places. 1t
was such in Edgefeld, many years
ago, so I have been Informed.
Grant it! The special merits or
aemerits of any policy cannot be
proved by one or a few examples.
A wide range of experiments and
observations is needful to estab-
Iish a theory. What has failed to-
day, may succeed tomorrow. What
failed in a community fifteen or
twenty years ago may now become
j marked success in the same
community. I cannot believe that
he "hypocrisy and lying" which
am told disgueted the good peo-
ole of Edgefeld when they tried
prohibition, would be enacted or
endured now. The world moves
n many respects. Men become
ashamed of past records. Ih later
lays, they blush at the memory of
ormer doings.
They come to take a nobler
tand, and persuade others to do
be same. 49, -.
1 graft that prohibition has
,ften consorted with blind tigers,
liars, perjurers and hypocrites."
30 has the dispensary. So haye
licensed saloons. 1 think il, would
,e little difficult to prove that pro-
libition has not been pre-eminent
n this respect. The truth is, we
must 60 far back of modern pro-
libition and the dispensary to-
ind the origin of "lying and hy-l
,,o,crisp." "The wicked are es-
ranged from the womb, they go
.stray as soon as they be born,
'peaking lies:" David, B. G. 1047.
i know not, am I my brothers.
,eeper?" B. c. 1000. Here we
lave very ancient mention of this
orm Of human depravity. Lying
md hypocrisy were already rife
yhen prohibition was first advo-.
;ated. Prohibition and the dis
,ensary are not specially response
lie for them. They only furnish
field on which "liars and hYpo-
rites"--already existlng-have
exploited their true character. Let
ls 90 to the root of the matter.
@ THAT FAMOUS COMMITTEE
embracing in it's list Seth
Lowe, President of Columbia
College, New York, and
President Elliott, of Yale Uni
yersity, made q most dam
aging report on the results of
Prohibition in Maine, Kansas, and
Iowa and lauded South Carolina's
lispensary systf m. Many letters
receatly received from mayors.
chiefs of police, and other public
officials, apparently confirm the
report of this committee. | long
ago learned that reports Of Con-
yressional committees, and of
mayors. chiefs Of police, and other
public officials have been mislead-
ing in matters affecting the liquor
interest. That committee num-
bered fifty, mostly politicians. 1t
is not shown that President Lowe.
Or President Elliott went to Maine.
or Kansas, or Iowa. They did not
come to South Carolina, to inves-
tigate the dispensary, as far as |
know. 1t is within the range of
probability that some me'rhers OF