Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1903-07-14
THE DAWSON DISPENSARY.

MAI or the "0oA News of
the charges made by our Spring
vale correspondent in opposition
to our suggestion that. the Ter
rell county dispensary law was
perhaps the best in the state:
The people of Irwin county are
agitating the question of estab-
fishing dispensaries, modelled
after those in operation in
Terrell county. The campaign
is waxing warm, and a Mr.. A.
P. Rivers of Springvi11e, a Ran
do1ph county village, has felt
constrained to constribute the
power of his pen to the aid of
those who are opposing the dis
pensary system, and has written
a long communication to the Fitz-
gerald Enterprise warning the
Irwin county citizens of the evils
of the dispensary and especially
urging them against coping the
Terrell county idea. Among
other ridiculous absurdities he
saws:
"A gentleman from Terrell
county, less than a month since,
told the writer that Terrell paid
not one cent of rent, but that the
men owning the stores surround
ing the dispensary paid rent in
order to have it located in their
midst to increase their trade.
Another man a restaurant keep
er, told me that he had fitted up
a room, counter, chairs, bar
glasses, ETC., in the rear of his
place, providing a negro to wait
on his guests, which he kept
open until mignight and that the
sale of the beer bottles and
whiskey TASKS to the dispensary
more than paid him for his out
lay, to say nothing of his in
creased trade; and that unless a
man allowed his customers touse
his house-whether he sold dry
goods, hardware or anything
else-to drink in he would be
driven out of business in Terrell
county. So that every store is
practically a barroom and the
provision that you shall not drink
in the dispensary is a nul1ity so
far as preventing social drink
ing
The News has no desire or in
tention to enter into discussion
of the merits or dement's of the
dispensary question, but feels
impelled from a sense of justice
and home pride to brand the fore
going imputation, hurled at the
business men of Dawson, as an
unjust, uncalled for and unqua1i-
fed false statement from begin
ming to end. It is an iron clad
rule with all merchants in Daw-
son that no drinking shall be al
lowed in their place of business
and this rule is rigidly enforced.
Notwithstanding the statement
as Mr.. Rives' alleged gentleman
from Terrell" to the contrary.
The dispensary system, of
course, is not perfect by any
means, and naturally has it's
attendant evil as we'll as COM
mendable features. Like everv
other issue there are two sides
to the dispensary question and
every citizen has a perfect right
and privilege to look at it from
any viewpoint his mind and con-
science may dictate, and all men
will respect his convictions, but
no cause, however just and right,
can ever hope to gain an iota of
strength by the employment
of slanderous statements and
Misrepresentation.
Mr.. Rives, in his zeal to enlight-
en- his Irwin county friends
seems to forget that he is i'm
pugning the honesty and upright
ness of Dawson's best and most
substantial citizens, when he
characterizes their storehouses
as barrooms. His rabid opposi-
ton to the dispensary has simply
run away with his pen. He
should not so ready and un-
questionably accept a premise,
based on unreliable information,
which too often leads to a false |
conclusion.