The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-03-07
PrOhibiiiOnists.

.n. Prohibiiionists. ... .
The Prohibition conference held ir
Columbia on the 18th of January, 1900
adopted the following
Resolved, That Joel E. Brunsof, J
s. Moffatt, E. D. Smith, j.. A. sHoyt
F. II. Hyatt, w. G. Thomson and
jeremiah Smith be and hereby are
appointed to prepare an address to the
people of South Carolina, setting forth
the work and issues before us, and tc
plan for and perfect an organization ol
the Prohibitionists for the coming
campaign. ..,
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 a supreme effort along
the line for the abolition of the manu-
facture and sale of liquor in South Car.
olina. For many years the men and
women of our State have toiled
earnestly to effect legal prohibition of
the liquor traffic, and gratifying
progress was being made not only in
banishing the licensed saloon from
all territory without Incorporated
towns and cities, but there was much
being accomplished In the way of
reducing the number of saloons here
and there, and also in securing control
of the smaller municipal ties through
the ballot box or restrictive legislation.
This progress In temperance reform in
duced an application to the regularly
constituted authorities of the Demo-
cratic party in control of the election
machinery of the State for separate
box in which to vote for or against
prohibition, and this privilege was
granted in the primary election of
1892, resulting in al overwhelming
majority for the legal prohibition of
the liquor traffic, and along with this
result there was obtained a clear
majority of members in the lower
House, who passed strict prohibitory
measure in accordance with the verdict
Of the people. This measure was de-
feated, however, and in its stead was
substituted the dispensary law for the
regulation and control of the traffic,
an importation that was recognized as
contrary to the wishes of the people
and in direct conflict with their
ascertained verdict. Thus the dispen-
sary began its career as q supplanter,
and 1t has made seven years of uncan-
nv record, marked by bloody and
disgraceful steps from the beginning.
The present condition of the liquor
business can hardly he said to be salts
factory to single Intelligent person ip
the State. When the dispensary law
was first adopted, thousands of our
honest people hoped for, and expected
much from it. They were told that
the restrictive features of the law
would be enforced by sober State
officials, who, not having any financial
interest at stake, would labor 10 reduce
the consumption of liquor and make
the dispensary system a stepping
stone to prohibition. The dispensary
mad been in operation but a short
time before the greed of gold began to
manifest itself among high officials,
and pressure was brought to bear
upon dispensers to increase sales.
The annual salary paid a common
county dispenser would buy thirty
bales of cotton, and he was given to
understand that his 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 so that to-day the
State is selling nearly as much liquor
as ever did the old bar-rooms in their
palmiest days.
And how could it be otherwise =?
The appetite for drink is the same
and every hindrance to the sale OF
liquor has been swept away. The
door of the dispensary stands wide
open to serve every one that will buy.
No knowledge of the purchaser neces-
sary, no inquiry as TO the purpose TOR
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 although these violations of law
are known to all of them, they have
neither the manliness nor mora! cour-
age to try to bring the offenders to
justice.
Tourist hotel privileges and beer
shops have been land are still, conduct
ed Under the very nose of the Goverh-
or of the State without q 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 punish he'd or even
except in one or two
instances. Commissions and rebates
and bribes and thefts and murders
have been the natural products OF
this system of State liquor selling, and
after Years of such work, its managers
still plead with us to "give it a fair
trial"
Those who manage it say the dispen-
sary paid last year $130,0OO to the edu-
cation of the children of the State, but
they did not tell the startling fact that
the dispensary had drawn from the
people of the State at least twenty
ii nes as much and scent 1t In fat sala-
ries and other expenses, purchases, &c,
of the liquor system. 1t may be SAID
that in addition to the $50, ,O0O, the
counties ard towns received a small
sum each, and to this we reply !: The
expenses incurred by the counties and
towns in the trial, punishment ana
support of criminals, who have been
made such by the liquor sold them ny