Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-01-18

school district bonds to the amount OF
s12.5OO to be used in the erection OF q
suitable home for the Yorkville Graded
school. The petition is being pretty
generally signed, and there Is good rea'
son to hope that the undertaking Will
be pushed through to success WITHOUT
friction. If there is any one thing tna'
the town of Yorkville needs more than
It needs a first-class school building
we are at loss to say what 1t is.
In this column, in the last issue OF
THE ENQUIRER something was said
about the liquor traffic as conducted
by Yorkville blind tigers through the
assistance Of the Southern Express
company, and although all the facts
given were matters Of local notoriety'
the statement has attracted not lit
tie attention. Several citizens have Ia
ken occasion to speak to the writer
about the situation, and at least one OF
them has suggested that although ne
would be glad to see an end to this dis
graceful state of affairs he is at a loss
to know what may be done. He did
not suggest a remedy; but 1t Will no
doubt speedily occur to the reader that
If a whole community can be subject
ed to an annoyance for which there Is
no remedy that community Is certainly
in a bad way for a people who are sup
posed to be their own rulers. 1t Is not
at ell certain that the community IS
fe'pless in this matter. On the contra
ry, it is quite certain that the commu-
nifty is not helpless. Take new look
at the situation. The daily whisky re-
ccipts run from a half dozen to three
dozen Jugs. Put the daily average al
one dozen jugs. 1t Is admitted that
most of this whisky is brought here by
tigers and that these tigers bring II
here to sell in violation Of the law. The
object of their business Is money. That
is one side Of the question; but under
the circumstances there Is another par
ty to the transaction. That other par
ty Is the Southern Express company.
II is also in the business for money, and
it realizes out Of the jug traff1c not
less than 30 cents a jug or at least
$3.50 a day. In order that the Southern
Express company may make S360
day, the whole law-abiding portion OF
the town Of Yorkville must be subject
ed to this disgraceful and abominabie
nuisance. Do we have to put up with
q
interstate commerce and mention the
fact that the express company is
common carrier. Yes, but these facts
offer no excuse. The fact that the eX-
press company Is a common carrier
does not give it the right to debauch
this community in any such manner
as it is doing, and If the town council
will take hand 1t can probably be
stopped. For instance, let proper rep
resentation be made to the express
company, and let this representation be
accompanied by polite request for the
abatement Of the nuisance. Possibly
the company will comply with this re-
quest. If it Is a really sensible compa-
ny it will hasten to do so. But in the
event it does not comply with the re-
quest or undertakes to evade and equiv
ocate, let the town council impose a
license fee of $1,000 on it. Can't do
that? Well, don't be so certain. A
small town in another part of the state,
q few weeks since, imposed, the very
reasonable license Of $50 per annum on
the express company. The company
was not disposed to pay, and realizing
the fact that it had the town at its
mercy, showed fight. In effect 1t said:
You presume to tax me, do you? Then
you get no more express" and the office
was closed. So the matter stood for
few. days, when the town authorities
appealed to the railroad commission
and that body, after looking into the
matter, advised the express company to
reopen the office. The express compa-
ny did so, and paid the tax. So per-
haps the people of Yorkviile are not so
helpless in this matter as some would
suppose. A trial will demonstrate that
the express liquor traffic can be stop
ped, or curtailed without a great deal
Of difficulty and before we conclude we
will remark that the thing can be so
managed as to do away with this tiger
business without interfering in the
least with such whisky as is honestly
intended for personal use. If neces-
ary, it can be arranged so the express
company will not bring whisky into
the town, unless it be labeled with a
certificate from the chief of police or
other properly designated authority.
At any rate the express company
should be prevailed upon to dissolve
partnership with the blind tigers.