The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-04-29

hO lVlSiC DOlOW WIS WIlUUcu W U1G
News and Courier by its Yorkville cor
respondents
The friends OF Senator j. s. Brice
have long been aware Of the fact that,
although he had never announced his
views on the dispensary law from the
housetop. he was not favorable
to the law. During the recent con-
test in Greenwood between the friends
of law, order and deoency on the one
hand, and those who wanted State
rum mill established there on the 9TH
er, the editor OF the Greenwood Jour-
nal requested citizen of Yorkville to
give some facts relative to the exper-
ience of this town before and since the
establishment of the State rum mill,
which the citizen did. It is said that
the communication from Yorkville i'm
pressed the people of Greenwood as be-
ing fair statement OF the case and
strengthened the ranks of the anti rum
mill people.
Immediately after the article was
published Ex-Representative McGill,
OF Greenwood, who is said to be an
ardent dispensaryite, wrote Senator
Brice letter, asking him to refute the
statements from Yorkville relative to
conditions before and since our local
mill commenced to grind. Senator Brice
mentioned the fact that, he had re.
ceIved such a letter from Mr.. McGill
in the presence of your correspondent,
and remarked that he could not refute
the statements from Yorkville, and
that what he would write would be of
no value to McGill's side. The editor
OF the Journal was advised as to the
situation and, after waiting quite
while and in vain for McGill to turn
loose his thunder, wrote Senator Brice
for copy of his letter to McGill. On
last Saturday an extra was issued by
the Journal, which contained the fol-
loving reply from Mr.. Brice:
"Your letter received and in reply [
would say am unable to furnish you
with a copy of my letter to Mir. In
substance / advised Mr.. to vote
against the establishment of dispen-
sary in Greenwood; that the Yorkville
dispensary had not increased business,
probably injured it, as great many
dollars merchants formerly received
were now left at the dispensary for
whiskey; that the dispensary here had
increased the sale and drinking of
whiskey enormously; that 1t was de-
bauching a great many young men in
the community; that several citizens
who voted for it we're now ready to
vote against 1T; that while it was
bringing the town and county reve-
nue. of some $500 each per month, it
had not reduced municipal or county
taxes and probably never would; that
while thought 1t had stopped the illi-
cit sale OF liquor to a large extent, 1t
was claimed that blind tigers still flour
ished at night and on Sundays, their
source of supply being the dispensary,
etc.
''And now, Mr.. Editor, permit me to
say, to the citizens of Greenwood that,
in my judgment, they will find the dis.
pensary an intoerable nuisance. So
briefly cannot be legislated into an in
dividual or q community, but nuisances
can be prevented and abated by legis-
lative enactment.
"The legal restrictions and so.called
safeguards thrown around the dispen-
sary, it's entrenchment behind law, the
supreme legal effort to make the sale
of ,,quor respectable, (dress 'ng the de-
vii up for the purpose of deception),
these features are more dangerous, de-
ceptive and even attractive to the
young and unwary than the cut glasses,
the pictures and music of tho old bar
room system.
81 have reached the conclusion that
the dispensary system will soon bring
shame and disgrace on this Common
wealth.