Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-03-05
FROM A FORMER CITIZEN.
Although n Resident OF Another
State, Still Interested In His
Friends.

Although n Resident of Another
State, Still Interested In Hi"
Friends.
The following communication Is from
a former citizen of this community
now located at Blackstone, Va:
Editor Yorkville Enquirer:
Will you kindly give me the privilege
of saying a few words through the COL
umns Of your paper on the dispensary
question now agitating the town OF
Yorkville.
The principal argument advanced In
favor Of the dispensary is that 1t In
creases the revenue, thus giving the
state more money, which money Is, as
1 understand it, used for school pur-
poses. There is no doubt but that the
dispensary does materially increase the
revenues of a state But I hold that
this is the only benefit derived from
the dispensary, and whether the par
ents of the state would rather pay
little more in taxes to educate their
children, or have them educated by
money derived from that which Is de-
basing, demoralizing and injurious to
any community, is a question 1 shall
not touch upon. We have one argu-
ment in favor Of the dispensary-more
money for revenue. The dispensary
will sell more whisky than the blind
tiger. and it will sell 1t to more people,
and to a better class Of people; people
who would not care to go to a blind
tiger to get their liquor. 1t will cause
more whisky to be drank, and for ev-
cry dollar it puts into the state fund
as revenue 1t will take fifty from the
community in which it is located, to go
not to the people of South Carolina,
but to the whisky manufacturers Of
the west. It is claimed that the dis
pensary will break up the blind tigers.
None of us are willing to admit that 1t
will do so. and past experience has
proven that while 1t may decrease
their number, it will not eliminate
them from the business. And If the
people Of a town would conscientiously
try to put down the illicit sale Of IL
quor through the blind tigers, it could
be materially decreased, If not broken
up altogether. Any one who looks at
the financial side Of the question must
see that an institution that takes more
money from home than it brings in Is
a failure, and the dispensary takes an
immense amount Of money away fro9i
the state, and all the benefits, f1nan-
cially, it brings in is the small per cent
age of profit made on its sales. In the
true sense Of the word the dispensary
is financial loss to the people Of the
state.
Let US look for a short while at the
most important side of this question
the moral one. The arguments advanc-
ed in favor Of the dispensary are that
it will break up social drinking. is only
sold in daylight, and is not sold to mi
nors. Now it Is we'll known fact that
in towns where the dispensary is loca-
ted a great deal of whisky is bought
at the dispensary and carried to rooms
and made into punches" "highballs,"
cocktails" etc. 1t Is also known that
boys in knee pants can get dispensary
whisky almost as easily as men Of 21,
and York county has been no exception
to this rule, as can be shown.
; In conclusion, YorkVille Is one Of the
best towns, morally, to be found in the
south. It is remarkably free from
many Of the degrading vices too COM
mon in other towns Of it's size. Its
churches are up-to-date,. its people are
kindly disposed, it has an excellent
school system, and while it may not do
the business done by other towns In
that section Of the country, yet prohi-
bition is not to blame for this. Why
then should it place before its youth
an institution that will familiarize the
use and daily sale Of whisky? Will the
slight financial benefit afforded by the
dispensary overweight the immense
amount of harm done to its young
men? This is a question that the
thinking voters Of the town must set
tie ere long. F. N.