The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-10-04
THE D|SPENSARY At
CLAYTON.
A Few of the Inestimable
Benefits Conferred.
Crime and Drunkenness Reduced IS to 80 Per
Cenl--- industrial Activity in The
Town.

To the Editor:-The people of Clayton
dictate a policy to the people OF Raj
eigh in the local fight on the dispensary
question. While they have our sympathy
and good wishes in their endeavors, yet
L notice in the News and Observer OF
October End, where you say there Is cir
culated reports in Raleigh that the dis
pensary in Clayton is failure, and that
our dispensary is a warning to the people
of Raleigh.
Now as we are brought in by these ac-
cusations, we propose to defend not only
the dispensary but our citizens, and we
positively deny the charge, and the man
who says it will not come out on the
stand and say it publicly.
In order to further refute any charge
that may be brought against us, we de.
sire to make the following statement:
Our dspensary dates back to July 1sc,
1S99-one among the Oldest in the State.
How did we get the dispensary? To OBJ
viate the worry and turmoil of an cleo
ton, like that which you are soon to un-
dertake, we went around 10 our saloon
keepers, seven in number, and persuaded
them to go out OF business and let us
have the dispensary in peace, and they
agreed TO 90 so provided we would take
their stock at cost. This we accepted.
The Legislature was then in session and
We at once sent a committee to Raleigh
and had the law enacted without any
opposition or petitions.
For the first twelve months we found
fn ha oalalxr
upon the grounds of a government still
running near by and its influence, to-
gether with few other dsgrunters, cut
down our revenue to .little more than
expenses. Soon our Legislature convened
again and we by petitions got a law
passed prohibiting any government still to
be run in Clayton township-what is now
known as the Watts law You see by this
that we are the real authors of the Watts
bill. We did so without any opposition
After securing this law we have had
smooth sailing without ripple, and pay
ing US a reasonable revenue and the peo-
pie satisfied. / suppose 80 per cent of our
people today would vote for the dispen-
sary.
Since this became law we have re-
duced the crime and drunkenness 70 to so
per cent, dS the JONu DOCKET Will snow
as to the number of fines collected dur
ing this time. With a population of
about 1900, we have only one policeman
We have built one bank, one cotton mill,
one planning MILL one school building at
"a cost of $4,000, and which will accom-
modate 500 pupils, have enlarged one of
our churches, have graded and macada-
miZed all of our main streets and given
our town such sanitary conditions that
typhoid fever is rare, and we are now
building 4 $500 oil mill Does this look
like retrograding? Does this look like the
dispensary will ruin the business of any
town? Pshaw! 1t is all rot No one can
stand up and make an argument that our
dispensary is failure. 1t is true that it
is not all perfection but we think the
town is more capable of controlling the
evil which the State incense grant than
the saloon-keepers.
But we don't propose to go into any
discussion between the saloon and the
dispensary questions. We find no argu-
ment whatever for the saloon and don't
want to waste time in discussing it, be-
cause we think you people have the
ground pretty well covered, and your sue
cess is ours, giving all the praise to Sen
ator Tillman, the founder of the dispen-
sary.
Very respectfully yours
j. NJ. TURLEY,
Chm Board Dispensary Commissioners.
Clayton, n. c. Oct g.