The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-05-31


WAS not stopped. On the contrary, the
State had been made to engage in the
| business under the Drelencc Of con
trolling the traffic and giving to con,
sumers commodity that WAS chcmi
cally pure" at q price that would no,
admit Of profit. This was coupled with
the declaration that the system thus
inaugurated without the consent OF
| the people was "a step towards pro.
hibiLion," and many acquiesced in the
| Legislation with the belief that the
State would really undertake to mini.
mlze the consumption Of liquor. 1t
was d ia~ upon the statute books, and
many Of the law abiding and peace.
loving citizens, though honestly op
posed to liquor Hing in any shape,
threw the weight OF their influence ia
favor OF the execution Of the law.
An armed constabulary was furnish
ed with guns to shoot down citizens
who violated the liquor law, il ia the
| Judgment OF the cOnStnbles it was
necessary to enforce their authority,
and thus began Il long reign Of vio-
lcnce and turbulence in the land for
I the law breakers were as ready and
anxious to shoot rs the men clothed
with little brief authority" who
acted upon the theory that their own
! lives were in constant peril, and their
sure5t defence was to take Quick and
deadly aim. The bloouy catalogue
need not to be dwclt upon, for it is The
most shameful! record in the history Of
the State, with the single exception Of
the reign Of the carpet bagger nnd the
| 5calawag. Meanwhile thc law was
contested at every step, and the courts
were invoked TO compass It's dcstruc-
| tiOn, with the result that the main
| features OF the system were sustained
| by the courts, and tho statute WAS un.
lmpcdeu in it's progress towards pro-
hibitiOn. Dispensers neglected TO ob
serve some OF the most salulary fca-
| tures Of the law and themselves be-
came TlOlatnrS where they were eX.
pected to become guardians: minors
and drunkards have found it easy
enough to procure liquor with or with
out the cOnivancc Of the dispenser ;
| chemically pure has become Is by.
word and TO mean the vilcst OF the vile:
the agents OF the State have dcfruuded
ana aclalcateu in large numbers, and
| ic% nave been male TO feel the penal.
| Ties Tor their misuemcanOrs Jne State
/ board OF control has more than once
become an exhibition Of exceeding
, Cileuce in the n0strils OF the good pco.
pie q! the OmmOnwCulth, 20 that time
| ana again 1t WAS necessary to make
changes anU bring about rcfOrmations {:
scandals almost without number have
| tracked It's pathway: charges OF dis
| honesty have been constant. and the
public was made familiar with rebates
and the sample room : in word, the
entire system has been pGrmuAtGd with
snspiciOn, uistr,isL and c;tusco Of offence
| in striking contrast with IN. honorable
record Of South Carolinas glorious
| past.
Has thu system proven - u step to.
wards prohibition ?" Not in the sense
that originated this phrase, but in an
other and truer sense the demand for
| actual and honest prohibition Of the
| liquor traffic has been largely inCreas-
ed by the failures and shortcomings OF
| the dlspensary system, which has been
weighed in the balances and found
wanting" That is the Indictment we
! bring #iyainst it to-day, aud 10 the De-
| mocratic voters we turn for Il verdict
In its stead we would onor them still
further restriction Of the liquor tratlic,
destroying the profit ana beverage
| fc lures Of the present system, and
| limiting the sale OF alcoholic liquors
TO strictly necessary purposes, such as
medicinal, mechanical and sacrnmen.
tai uscs. This substitution would tax q
away the Odium OF the States being
| engaged In a business that Is prOstitu-
ting tho youth OF the country, wasting
the resources Of the poorer classes
bringing disgrace and degradatoni
upon families, mpOvcrishing the
| homes OF our citizens, and withhold
ing bread from the women and chilli
rem who are cursed with the blight of
'thc drink demon. Prohibition oilers
IN .N,,f IL f,N,,
tion OF the entire people. the better in
structlon and training o! the young
| the creation Of incentives to industry,
and the mOral advancement OF the
State to keep pace with its material
prosperity.
The benefits Of q prohibitory law
will not be fully realized in year or
even in five years, for the lUngcr such
q law is in existence with reasonable
chances Of enforcement the greater
will be the benefits derived from its
presence as Il permanent policy OF th"
| State. a generation that shall grow
UP without any knowledge Of liquor
saloons, whether operated by indivi-
duals or the State, will be u population
noted for its sObriety, which will be
the rule and not the exception among
the young men. Once firmly rooted
and grounded in the minds Of the puo-
pie, Is prohibit0ry measure will come
TO be regarded as necessity. More
than "a generation has passed since
this law was enacted in blaine, and for
q long time there was a vigorous light
against It's continuance, but at this
time both political parties are pledged
to its maintenance as the settled pOlity
Of the State. The cry Of repeal has
been frequently raised, and not many
years ago one Of the political parties
made repeal IL plank in It's platform,
with the result that not more than a
half dozen members were elected to
the House OF Representatives, which
has over one hundrc in It's member.
ship, and the fight for repeal was an
ignominious failure.
Cen. Neal Dow, who WAS the apostle
or Prohibition, man Of upright
character and irrcproachable vcracity
In his testimony before q Canadiar
commission on tho liquor traffic, dc
clared that there was no State in tn,
Union where moro liquor WAS con
sumed In proportion to population thar
in Maine, prior to the passage OF the
prohibitory law. 1t was then one o
the poorest States, and under prohibi
| hnoDmn nf 4