Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-02-01
viii They Heed II?

| Greece pcriShru from ScnSualiIy: Rome
from slavery: Spain from avarirc. We
are in danger Of destruction from I'LL three
of these evils, unified in one devil --drink
Drink. licensed drink, sold by the
drErahrd manhood of once proud
State from that building over whose d,or
is written: "Drspair all who enter
here. DiSpcnSary, drink, despair. How
easily they flow together. What will
the present Legislature do to answer a
question to solve Il problem so full of
| deepest import? When the liSprnSary
| Ii" "#:' i&i2;,iH, i: was the mockiuy
| answer to the demand of the people who
had won prohibition at the polls. Her
children cried for bread, and her rulers
gave them stones. The one rc,lrcming
trait of the whole diSprnSary system
| was the sale in unbrokcn packages Of
those liquors formerly rrtailcG over the
counters of saloons in drinks, and for
| this we can indeed be thankful, that
until our State constitution is changed
| there can be no legislative enactment
permitting the sale Of liquor by the
|
| the old barroom system.
But Il two-fnlL wrong doubly damned
this ntlSprinG of civic greed and party
lust in its very birth. The assumption
| by the State of Il traffic which fully one
half of her citizens believed to be sinful
their State herself vendor of beverages
L" c"ngcSt her courts, her prisons, her
aSylumS: their state taking Il burning
| coal Of fire into her bosom. Then AGAIN
the Hnc"nrcalcd object Of realizing the
greatest revenue possible from such ini-
uuitouS merchandise might well make
| the old timers of the barrooms hug their
cloakS in holy horror around them to
prevent contamination from touch Of so
much VilcncSS. IcSScning taxation bv
multiplying crimes and criminals. When
the State becomes vendor of liquors,
| through the Legislative acts. the mem
brrS of the Senate and House but rcprc.
Sont their respective constituencies, and
the entire citizenship of the State be
comes rc%ponSiblc. Each citizen is in :,
greater 0r lesser measure jaf:iy,.1
crminiS with her, as long as such things
are permitted to continue. Conditions
which in many churches would dcba,
from membership are recognized by
dcvout CO members as Just and righteous,
because the State has 50 dccrrrd, and
thrown an angels Garb over the form of
a malignant devil, and saints hood
over the head Of Il hungry wolf.
I,ut Snro iptr nnith,y l., Il
abStaincrS, as such there is a simple
principle Of true, wise, noble Legislation
that should carry conviction and compel
a change. a tree is known by its fruits
d" men gather grapes of thorns or figs
of thiStlcS?
We have Snwn; what have we rcaprd
III the diSpcnsary fields" Shravcs, man,
shcavcS, but only Shcavrs of lust and
crime. We have here the State, tn,
mother of her children, trying, for tn,
sake OF revenue, to propagate disease
suppress industry and dchauch her citi
zcnS. II will surely be more tnlcrabl,
for the I!indoo mother in the tay OF
Judgment than for such Il State. The
one gives her children to the Gan%cS fol
IN imaginary spiritual blessing; In,
other sells her children to The devil oI
rum river for the remission Of taxes.
We have her making the diSpcnSary
political machine, creating Offices for the
reward Of hrnchmcn, and sc'lurinm hrl
officials hy opening a hundrru avenues
for public pillaGr, where petty politi
clans may fattcn and crow rich ON i'll
gotten SpOilS. We have her sending hc,