The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-09-05
"DISHONEsT."
That IL the Manner of speech which
Mr.. FORESTER Adopts.

| That ~ the Manner OF speech which
MIR. Forester Adopts.
Mr.. Forester publishes in the Green wood
Index a letter In which he says the dispen-
sary is dishonest" and then he proceeds 10
impule motives TO those who sustain the dis
pensary law, without once giving any intima-
tiou that he thought others might be just as
we'll informed and just as patriotic. and Just
rs honest as himself. 1t never occurred to him
that the intemperate use Of words was less
effective for good than the exhibition OF cor
rectness In speech aud fairness in argument.
| The editor OF the Press and Banner, on the
subject OF liquor, and in his life-Ight against
drunkenness. is not afraid to compare notes
with the Reverend gentleman. The personal
record OF this editor on that subject has been
consistent for more than sixty years.
| Mr.. Forester either does not understand
the situation. or else he has spoken care
| lessly.
And he makes utterance against the profit
in liquor, which be thinks. II sold at all,
should be sold at cost.
Mr.. Forester is a good man, and We know
| that he would not lay his band on his heart
and say that he wanted cheap liquor placed
Inc We e' enie snre b oi ond no
place liquor and school books in the same
category-at cost. We are not ready to be.
lieve that he would place the temptation Of
cheap liquor before the people.
| Speaking for this editor we have never felt
felicitated on the accumulation OF money
FROM the sale OF liquor. But what are We to
|
| 10 any body could not be entertained by any
real friend of temperance.
| The dispensary law is supported by tenn
perance people because OF It's restrictive fea-
lures. The high price is one restriction.
No sales are made between sunset and sun
| rise.
We have absolutely prohibition during the
nighttime when most Of the mischief was
done under the license system and under pro-
hibition laws.
The sales in the daytime should be at high
L fI,ao 1n nF,6 4,
extent, withhold our approval OF the use OF
liquor as a beverage.
The law should be amended so as TO open
the dispensary later in the morning and 70
close 1t earlier in the evening:
Until the dispensary was tried at Abbeville
this editor was opposed to the law, and We
| were opposed to the establishment Of the dis
pensary at Abbeviile. But the % result has has
| say this after having lived upon the public
square for forty years. During that forty
| years We have had all sorts OF liquor laws
But under none have the results been as sat
| isfactory as under the dispensary law. A
drunken man on our public square IS seldom
| seen. The bacchanalian revels at night have
| disappeared. and we have no more sunday
| drunkenness. The habit Of treating is broken
This. now. is the testimony of man who ia
as much opposed to drum kenness as Mr.. For
roster can be, and 1t Ia from man who has
had as little to do with liquor as Mr.. Forres-
ter care not what his record may be.
| We do not think that Mr.. Forester has had
an opportunity to witness the workings OF
the dlspensary law. And not having an op-
portunity 10 inform himself he is scarcely
competent witness. ..r
If ali our people could be church members,
j Sunday school scholars and leaders OF We'd
nesday evening prayer meetings we might
have an ideal prohibltory law. Bnt we must
take people as we ind them, and we must act
wisely for their oe9eht. ~ our teaonsls. ana
principles into their children, II our mothers
would feed their children on less liquor, and
II our doctors would prescribe less OF lntoxt-
cants for their patients the cause Of temper
II MIR. Forester Would preach these princi.
pies more and would inform himself as TO
the true status OF, affairs the .pious divine
| would have more respect for others and bis
influence for good would not be negatived by
Il the exhibition of Ill temper In the misrepre-
i sentation Of either the dispensary law or
those who uphold II.
II II Mr.. Forester is really desirous of having
less liquor sold, then let him act sensibly and
practically. That our LIQUOR law needs attep-
ton is not denied.
and shorter hours for the sale OF liquor. II
he will make effort to secure these things he
| will find an earnest supporter In the Press
and Banner. The Press and Banner propose
to hold to the immense advantage which
has been already gained. And We are as
| ready as Mr.. Forester, or any other earnest
advocate Of temperance, to make another
steP III tHe AoeuioSAone oPon 'no o@ie VI
The fact that Mr.. Forester is sustained by
nearly every saloon man In the State Is
enough TO put him on enquiry u ne 1s not
being made cats paw by men who are
views which are radically opposed TO his own
principles. Neither Mr.. FORESTER nor the
prohibition candidate for Governor have lit
of the votes cast for Col. Hoyt are really pro-
hibition votes. They are votes TO break up
the dispensary In the hope that other modes
Of selling liquor may be found.
4 which Mr.. Forester adopts In conducting
4 this campaign. and 10 show how nearly bis
language comports with Teacher OF n NaZareth,
connection. we copy bis article TO the Index.
i 1t will be notice that he uses very chaste
and elegant language. Five times he uses
the word dishonest" "vicio9s, aps, seven seven
times; scandals" one time. etc., etc.
i He says Everybody knows that the dis.
! pensary exists for the money that ls In IL.
!. 1t is rum for the revenue as matter
Well, now, Mr.. Forester makes a state
ment in the above sentences which Is not In
accord with the facts There are plenty OF
men who are just as good and just as pioos
statement. Mr.. Forester, like majority OF
prohibitionists. assumes that he Is purer and
Than Others and 70 ac
speech and manifesting courteous, or Chris
} tian demeanor. When preachers write such
as the following, do they not lower the pub
lie respect for the ministry?
To the Editor of the Index Last week
: arraigned the present dispensary system OF
, South Carolina as an un-Democrattc concern,
!, Thomas Jefferson would groan in his grave,
80 10 speak. II he knew that one OF the origi-
nal, liberty-loving States Of this Republic
} had gone 80 far astray from the glorious prin-
[ ciples OF freedom which he more than any
other bad the ability to express. Having ar
lraigned the dispensary then as un' Democrat
lie, now arraign II as dishonest.
| When ! say that the present Dispensary
leystem Of this State is dishonest, do not re-.
fer to the many scandals that may be charged
|against Its administration. Those, In all con.
. sciousness. are bad enough. But they are by
} no means the worst II may be BET down as q
: general truth that vicious acts are not as bad
as vicious principles. A vicious act may be
) isolated and solitary vicious principle be.
comes the root OF many vicious acts. boil
on the skin may be a trif1e; poison In the
blood Is far more serious. So the vicious ad-
M ministration OF the dispensary system, while
, 1t Is bad enough, Is not as bad as the vicious
principle which underlies that system.
Why do say that the dispensary system,
as we have 1t. Is dishonest? Because 1t pre-
tends to be "police" measure, while 1t Is In
reality very different sort OF measure.
There Ia the hypocrisy of 1t. There Ia where
the worst dishonesty Of the concern comes
: in. lay my finger upon that leprous spot.
and raise the cry OF warning. While others
talk Of the vicious administration Of the dis
: pensary, 1 dare to proclaim that a more vi
cious thing about 1t is the vicious principle
tbot updarIfao tho uhola hnainase HvnOc-