Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-12-18

and the anti-liquor parties, do 1t, an;
thus every irresponsible voter Is armed
with the ballot not only to vote in th'
local election but in the next genera
election In the state. Every vena
voter Is thus armed with ballot which
is to sell. In many counties this class
constitutes a balance Of power suff1
cient to control elections. Men bass
enough and rich enough to buy this
vote will buy it, and get into public
office and make and administer youl
laws to the detriment Of the better
elements Of society. A state Of things
now, happily, Of the past, will bt
brought back. Good men must either
submit to the rule of the vicious an6
the immoral or to escape 1t resort tc
methods in elections demoralizing, dan
gerous, humiliating and expensive
This Is one Of the inevitable results II
this bill becomes law. But defeat II
and let the status remain as 1t Is, and
as 1t has been for some years past
since nearly all Of the counties have
under the present local option law out
lawed the liquor traffic, and peace will
reign in these counties, elections will
be fair and inexpensive and the moral
and intellectual standard Of official ex-
cellence will continue to be elevated
more and more at each succeeding Cleo
ton, and the vote which will be made
under the operation of this proposed
law a balance Of power, will be entire
ly eliminated as a disturbing element
in elections.
I have heard only three arguments
in favor Of the bill. One Is that 1t will
stop the agitation Of the liquor ques-
tion. This Is not true. On the contrary
it will probably precipitate fierce con-
tests over 1t in every county In the
state within IL months. Another Is
that it will stop the Illicit sale Of IL
quor in the dry counties and provide
for its lawful sale by responsible bond
ed officers who will not, as do the blind
tigers, sell on the days forbidden by
law nor to minors and drunken men.
There is some force in this argument,
but not so much as those who advance
it think. It would no doubt greatly
curtail the business Of the blind tiger
in day time when the county liquor
shop Is open, but between sunset and
sunrise, when 1t Is closed, and when
under the cover of darkness most of
the dangerous drinking is done, 1t will
be no barrier to intemperance. The
blind tiger will still do business at the
old stand, and will prosper and the
young men and boys who infest the
streets of our towns and cities at night
will still be exposed to its baneful In
fluence. This has been and will con-
tinue to be the case, dispensary or no
dispensary, wherever there are no IL
censed barrooms. Neither the dispen-
sary nor total prohibition can prevent
1t.
The other argument which has been
advanced and chiefly relied on, is that
it will be a great source Of revenue to
the counties and towns in which the
dispensaries are located, and will In
this way greatly reduce the burden OF
taxation. It is even claimed that al
ready there has been found a county
in which no taxes are imposed for
county purposes, because the profits OF
its dispensary amply support the coun-
ty government. Grant that this Is true
and that the dispensary In every coun-
ty will pay all the expenses OF the
county and the people be wholly re-
lieved of local taxes, can Georgia, q
glorious state, glorious in her history,
her traditions and the achievements OF
her illustrious sons, and peopled by
Christian people, afford to sanction a
law making every county and town In
the state proprietor Of liquor shop to
debauch the morals Of the youth Of the
country in order to escape the legiti-
mate burden of local government? Can
she afford to put upon her statute book
a law to coin the tears and blood Of the
wives and children Of weak men into
dollars to fill the Golfers of county and
town treasures that their taxpayers
may be relieved from taxation?
do not think she can, and for these
reasons and others not necessary to
mention, I am obliged in the conscien-
tious discharge Of official duty to with
hold my approval from this bill.