The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-12-18

/ For Sale by the Lsurens Drug Com
pany, Leurcns, S. G.
elections in the several counties of th,
State to determine by popular vote
whether intoxicating liquors shall be
sold in them from dispensary or in
licensed barrooms. But no provision
is made anywhere for an election tc
determine by vote of the people
whether total prohibition or the sale OF
liquors IN dispensary shall be the
policy of the county. The bill pro.
vides that upon the presentation to the
ordinary of any county of petition
signed by one third of the qualified
voters of the county he shall order an
election, not to determine whether in.
toXicating liquors shall be sold in the
county or not, but whether they shall
be sold " except in dispensary ''-in
other words, whether their sale shall
be in dispensary or outside of dis
pensari. If majority of the votes
cast be "fora dispensary," then all are
agreed that the sale of liquors in dis
pensary In that county is legalizcd and
provided for. If, on the other hand, a
majority of the votes cast be "against
a dispensary," then such liquors can
not under this Interpretation be sold
in that county in dispensary, but
can be sold except in dispensary I"
that is, can be sold in open barrooms.
Thus under this proposed amendment
Of the existing local option law the
people are robbed of the right to say
that intoxicating liquors shall not be
sold in their counties at all, and the
alternative is forced upon them in the
III counties in Georgia which have rid
themselves of the liquor traffic in all
its forms Of dispensary or open bar
rooms. The people in these counties
have already decided in the manner
provided by law that liquor shall not
be sold at all within the boundaries OF
their respective counties, but under
the terms of this bill thus interpreted
the most irresponsible and Immoral
third of their voting population, ere
gardless of race, color or previous con-
dition," can force them to submit to
the restoration of the liquor traffic IN
their counties either in dispensaries or
in open balrooms. No matter how
the election goes, whether for or
against dispensary, the reAult is the
same-the sale of liquors in the county,
if not in dlspensaries th, in barrooms
This is the construction put upon the
bill by some good lawyers. If It is the
correct Interpretation the bill is unwise
and unfair to the dry counties and
ought not to become law. If not,
then the language is ambiguous, and
it ought not to go on the statute book
because it would give rise TO pickering
and vexatious and interminablc litiga-
ton.
1t is evident that il was drafted with
special reference to the +" wet" coun-
ties in the State, and without regard to
those, more than ninety per cent OF the
whole, i'll which liquors cannot now be
lawfully sold al all. Its effect would
be to precipitate elections in all of the
counties which have, under the local
option law, prohibited the sale of liquor
within their borders, III order to give
the wet counties chance to establish
dispensaries; 10 lose those counties
which have been saved III order to save
those which have been lost; to damn the
redeemed by an awkward device to re-
deem the damned.
Third-Instead of putting quictus
on the agitation of the liquor traffic il
will inaugurate in almost if not quite
every county in tho State fierce con
tests over it, while all Of the most
worthless clement, which is now prac
tically out OF politics by reason of non
payment of taxes, will be brought back
TO disturb future elections, Federal
State, county and municipal. 1t is {
generally conceded fact that contests
ut tho ballot box over. the liquor ques
} ton are more stubbornly fought thar
any other contests which are thus
settled. Men, and women, too, become
enthusiastic and excited and scour thu
country TO bring out every vote and g
down into their pockets and pay al
! past due taxes for defaulters, In orde
TO get their votes in the pending elec
ton to secure the triumph Of their re
: spectiye sides. Both parties, the liquo
. and the anti-liquor parties, ao it, ant
r thus every irresponsible voter is arme,
with the ballot not only to vote lnIthi
: local election but in the next genera
: election In the State. Every vena
Q voter is thus armed with ballot whicl
d is to sell. In many counties this clas
Q constitutes a balance of power suflicien
o to control elections. Men base enoug
and rich enough to buy this vote wi
II buy it, and get into public office an
o make and administer your laws TO tn
a detriment of tho better elements OF 80
9 ciety. A state of things now, happily
II of the past, will be brought back. Goo
Is men must either submit to the rule {
e the vicious and the immoral or [
|, escape 1t resort to methods in electlor
N demoralizing, dangerous, humiliatin
lc and expensive. This is one OF the il
10 evitable results IL this bill becomes
IN law. But defeat It and let the stat,
sr remain as IL is, and as 1t has been 4
'e some years past, since nearly all of Il
III counties have under the present loc
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