Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-03-13
TALKS OF REV. SAM JONES'
DISpENSARV VIEWS
PELHAM, Ca, March S, 1902.

PELHAM, Ga. March S, 1902.
To tho Editor of The Journal:
Who would have thought that Sam
Jones, of Gainesville, would have come
out fiat footed" for the dispensary sys-
tem-the most degraded, damnable system
that ever cursed a country or corrupted
a people, and the greatest drunkard pro-
ducing liquor consuming method OF dis
pensing intoxicants known to this or any
other age. His utterances in last Satur-
days Journal falls rather harshly on the
ears OF some who have been wont to
think of him as preacher of righteous
ness a home defender" an 'ambassa-
dor for Christ
|, AS The Journal only allows me 500 words
in which to reply to Mr.. Jones, cannot
quote him at length, but he says: i am
not the champion of the dispensary, but
know as we'll as 1 know my name that
morally, socially and from every stand
point of decency a dispensary is better
than a saloon" That's enough. Every
whisky man would like to pat him on the
back even for that much. But facts are
what we want, pot mere talk.
On February 20, 1902, addressed the fol-
lowing questions to the editor of the CO.
lumbia State:
/. Does the dIspensary breed lawless-
ness and disorders.
@ Has the dispensary lowered the moral
status of the people generally?
8. Has it increased whisky drinking in
South Carolina? '
To these questions Editor Gonzales an
swered as follows:
81 The dispensary system has wrought
much lawlessness and disorder in South
Carolina. The disorders seem to have
passed, now that the law has been amend
ed and its enforcement relaxed, but the
lawlessness continues in the form or IL
licit whisky selling, there being Is to 90
times as many blind tigers under the dis
pensary system as under the license sys-
TEN.
''2. IT has certainly lowered the moral
status of the people in this: Whereas. un-
der the license system a majority OF the
country people thought the whisky tFaf-
fic morally obnoxious and a thing not to
be allowed, a majority of them now ap-
pear 10 think it a GOO thing, when the
profits accruing from the business go INTO
the public treasury and thus relieve the
pressure on their pockets as taxpayers. >
''s. There is less public drinking than
formerly, but necessarily great deal
more private drinking, for the reason that
purchases are made by the flask or bot
tie and the liquor is consumed at home
or by the roadside, in alleys, in closets,
etc.
"All pretense at morality in the system
seems now to have been abandoned. 1t
much political generalization, because,
after eight years it is beginning to pay
considerable profits to the communities
having dispensaries.'
These are facts which 1 am able to
verify by unimpeachable witnesses as TO
the condition under the dispensary sys-
tenn at Pelham. 1 have seen four men
stand in their tracks and empty two bot
ties Of dispensary whisky, passing it from
one to the other until the last one was
empty. 1t certainly increases whisky
drinking and drunkenness, and though
the dispensaries close at shutdown, the
blind tigers run day and, nigne, and the
damnable traffic continues.
Bar rooms have been doing business in
America for a long time, but they have
never been able to elevate the business,
but when the community or the state en-
CAGES in it, then the cursed business ap-
pears to be respectable, and all the people
are involved in the murder, robbery and
degradation which the traffic engenders.
I nave used the 500 words words granted
me. can say no more. But be IT
known unto YOU, Mr.. Sam Jones, that L
have a paper of my own, with five columns
Of editorial space at my command, ana
that 1 am not through with you.
s. r. BLANTON.