The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-02-28
The Prohibitionists Issue An Address.


Columbia on the 18th of January, 1900,
adopted the following:
"Resolved, That Joel +. BrunsOn, j.
S. Motiat, +. ID. Smith, j.. "A. Hoyt, +.
ii Hyatt, w. C. Thomson and Jeremiah
Smith he and hereby are appointed to
prepare m address to the people OF
South Carolina, setting forth the work
and issues before us, and to .plan for
and perfect an organization Of the
prohibitionists for the coming cam
paign.'
In accordance with the above, we
submit the following address:
TO the People of South Carolina:
The prohibitionists of the State are
encouraged to make another appeal to
the voters for II supreme effort along
the line for the abolition Of the manu-
facture and sale of liquor in South
Carolina. For many years the men
and women of our State have toilcd
earnestly to effect a legal prohibition OF
the liquor traffic, aid gratifying pro-
grcss was being made not only in ban
ishing tho licensed saloon from all ter
ritOry without incorporated towns and
cities, but there was much being ac-
complished i'll the way OF reducing the
number of saloons here and there, and
also in securing control Of the smaller
munic cipaiiiies through the ballot box
OF restrictive legislation. This pro-
grcss in temperance reform induced an
application to the regularly constituted
authorities of the Democratic party in
control Of the election machinery of the
State for separate box in which 10
vote for or against prohibition, and
this privilege was granted in the pri-
mary election of 1892, resulting i'll an
overwhelming majority for the legal
prohibition Of the liquor traffic, and
along with this result there was OBJ
tained clear majority OF members in
the lower house, who passed strict
prohibitory measure i'll accordance
with the verdict of the people. This
measure was defeated, however, and
in its stead was substituted the dis
pensary law for the regulation and
control of the traffic, an importation
that was recognized rs contrary to the
wishes of the people and in direct con-
flict with their asccrtaincd verdict.
Thus the dispensary began its career
as asupplanter, and it has made seven
years of uncanny record, marked by
bloody and disgraceful steps from the
beginning.
The present condition Of the liquor
business can hardly be said to be salts
factory to single intelligent person
in the State. When the dispensary
law was first adopted, thousands Of .Ouz
honest people hoped for, and expected
much fromfit They were told that the
restrictive features of the law would
be enforced by sober State officials,
who, net having any financial interest
at stake, would labor to reduce the
consumption of liquor and make the
dispensary system n stepping stone to
prohibition. The dispcnsary had been
in operation but short time before
the greed. of gold began to manifest it.
self among high officials, and pressure
was brought to bear upon dispensers to
increase sales. The annual salary paid
q common County dispenser would buy
thirty bales of cotton, and he was given
to understand thathis dispensary must
be profitable to the State or it would be
closed and himself dismissed from the
service. The sales increased at once
and have increased month by month
ever since; 30 that to-day the State is
selling nearly as much liquor as ever
did the old bar rooms in their paImiest
days.
And how could 1.-THE otherwiseY The
appetite for drink is the same and
every hindrance to the sale of liquor
has been swept away. The door of
tie dispensary stands wide open to
serve every one that will buy. NO
knowledge of the purchaser necessary,
no inquiry as to the purpose for which
the liquor is wanted, and no signature
to any request; simply pay your money
and take your liquor, as much as you
can carry, if you like. So Indifferent
and demoralized have become our
State and County officials, that al.
thoguh these violations OF law are
known to all Of them, they have neith-
er the manliness nor. moral cour-
age to try to bring the offenders to jus
ticc.
Tourist hotel privileges and beer
shops have been, and are still, con-
Quoted under the very nose of the
Governor of the State withouta shadow
of law, and no effort made to prevent
it. Dispenser after dispenser has
stolen or lost the money of the State
and not one has ever been punished or
even prosecuted, except in one or two
instances. Commissions and rebates
and bribes and thefts snd murders
lave been the natural products of thia
r. y \ ia "a lin1Or oof1in0 opd of