The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-10-08
Rev W H. l.. McLaurin, in Raleigh Biblical
pocor6ar

Rev. W. H. L. McLaurin, in Raleigh Biblical
Recorder
In signed article, of recent issue OF
your paper, which | clip from the Char
lotte News. a gentleman from LOuisburg
gives his views as to the working OF the
dispensary, which | wish to notice, If you
will kindly grant me space in your ex-
celient paper for that purpose.
The gentleman above referred to very
evidently, like the masses of unthinking
people. has not considered the future re-
suits upon the people, and the effect the
dispensary will have upon the ultimate
overthrow of the whiskey traffic. In Or
| der to measure the merits or dement's OF
| given civic measure, or religious mea-
sure. the end of that measure must be
considered as well as the immediate re-
Fsults accruing therefrOm. But let us no.
| tice the seven points our friend men
tons in his article. favorable, as he sup
poses, to the dispensary.
| l. 1T Pays This statement may be
called in question notwithstanding the
array of figures the writer adduces. But
suppose it does pay from monetary
point of view. Does not this very fact
| lessen the chances of speedy or final
| overthrow? The Word tells us the love
of money is the root of all evil. and it is
this root of evil that inspires the individ-
ual and the municipality, to engage In
| the traffic If there was no revenue in it
| Uncle Sam would never cOuntenance
| such sin and if there was no revenue
| in it. no decent city would think of per-
hitting it in any form, SO that the state
ment that it pays" instead OF being
| thought favorable, should be recognized
| by all real friends of temperance as the
very thing least desirable. We don't
| want 1T to pay even in dollars and
cents. As long as it pays" the majority
Of half-hearted prOfessed Christians are
content ut pays their taxes and edu-
Gates their children. 1t paves their streets
and electric lights. God pity the town
or individual that would sell it's young
manhood and their souls for revenue. F"
Better by far leave the city in darkness
and the children in ignorance, than to
light the one with blood money or
educate the other at the cost of their
souls.
The dispensary is worse than the open
saloon, % in that it postpones indefn-
itely the ultimate overthrow of the whis-
key traffic GU In that it transfers the
sin of whiskey selling from the individual
to the State and to the municipality; and
thus makes the citizen the direct dealer
in such an abomination. (3) Itdebauches
and demOralizes the public conscience,
because of their immediate participation
in the traffic, and consequently lessons
the chances of prohibition. (l 1t costs
just as much to lose a soul under the dis
pensary as through the saloon. If it be
l coli .1,,,ff ln,., ,,lxy
souls lost under the dispensary," | an
swer, the history of the dispensary in
South Carolina proves exactly the con-
trary. In the inaugural address of the
late Governor Ellerbe, of that State, he
stated that the object OF the dispensary
was to lessen the consumption of whis-
| key In his next annual report he
showed, with evident satisfaction to
himself, that the consumption had nearly
| doubled itself, and the revenue coming
into the treasury of the State was pro-
pOrtiOnately increased. The statistics of
South Carolina today will show that,
! with possibly one years exception, there
has been steady growth in the revenue
derived from the sale of whiskey and a
consequent increase in the consumption,
under the dispensary system. If this be
true, does it pay?
That the dispensary has some features
| that are superior to the open saloon, no
one familiar with it will deny, but that
lit pays is the very thing most to be
deplOred; because it makes it more re-
spectacle than the open saloon. and con-
sequently harder to overthrow through
the public conscience or sentiment
These are some of the reasons why
think the saloon preferable to the dispen-
i h ,,1l 10 +I1n, i
for a day
2. 1T reduces the temptation to drink
to the minimum. To some extent we
must admit the force of this argument
though to acknowledge the truth of it in
toto, would be to go in the face of facts
: as the statistics of South Carolina prove
That the social feature of the open saloon
Is one OF the greatest temptations, tC
young men in particular, is not to be de
nied but who that is familiar with the
workings OF the dispensary will deny that
| this same social feature is not supplied il
the home. around the festive board
J | with the dispensary whiskey and in the
byways of the city where whiskey drink
ers meet to imbibe? Men who drink otter
step into the open saloon and take 6
drink and go on and attend to their bus
mess; whereas if they are forced to buy 6
bottle full to get drink they will carry
it home. and having already paid fol
| | it. they will feel freer to invite theil
friends to drink with them and wheI
, that bottle is gone courtesy requires that
, | those who have partaken of his liberality
: should return the favor; and thus many
a debauch be started SO that while
there is force in what our dispensary ad
: vOcate says about the sOcialfeature of the
| l 70 no oafu TO
tain his argument.
3. 1t has abolished night drinking ;
Our friend must not leave his home after
night fall. | undertake to say there is
not dispensary in the State or else
where. but that violates the law forbidine
the sale of whiskey after shutdown. The
facts are that men, who are so lost to al
that is good. as to consent to dispense
the vile stuff in any form, under any sys
TEN. are not to be trusted They have
their friends, and those who have ''pul
on them, and they can get whiskey any
,. time it suits them. But suppose the dis
pensary is closed and not opened after
shutdown, can not and do not the me1
who drink provide themselves Will
J whisRey for the night, just as they do fol
, Sunday?
, 4. Absolutely no whiskey is sold or
| tuiitidS' am SUI pllSti tlliit SUCH Z
statement could find its way to the pub
lie press over signed article. Every body
who has taken the trouble to observe
: knows that everything and everybody
the whiskey traffic touches is corrupted
, and detled. No man who dabbles in il
; can keep himself from its concentrating
, influence. Gods curse is upon it anC
| whoever dares to touch it does so at tn,
| price of his soul and all that is noble 81
worth having. WheresOever. and b.,
! whomsOever and under whatsoever form
; whiskey is sold, it can be bought by
those who have the secret pull. on tn,
: Sabbath day, and our brother had as vel
/ learn that.
, ). 1t reduces the amount of whiske,
consumed by the regulars. This ma,
, be true in few instances, but every on,
: must know that there are cemparativel,
few men who drink regularly. but cal
and do find some means by which to Sc