The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-10-01
AGAINST DISPENSARY
Earnest Letter From Prominent
Citizens of Boydton, Va,
Who Speak Out Against the Evil Re-
salts of the Dispensary-A Number
of the Best People Who Have OBJ
served Its Workings at Close Range
Say the System is Fai!ure-Read
and Judge For Yourself.
Richmond Times Dispatch, Feb. Is.

BOydtOn, Va, February II.
To the Editor of the Tfmes-Dis-
patch:-In your issue of Sunday, the
first instant, there appeared an arti-
Gle from Boydton pronouncing the
dispensary a grand success. This ar
ticle, as far as we understood it, re-
ferred to the dispensary from the
standpoint of business only. Viewed
from this standpoint alone, the in
stitution has been successful. 1t has
brought a good revenue to the town
of Boydton and has added some
thing to the Golfers OF the State. 1t
is managed by men of character and
fine business ability, and is as thor
oughly respectable as an institution
of it's kind could be.
In it's high responsibility and Or
derliness the great danger of the dis
pensary as a demoralizing agent has
been proved to be a lie, and from this
thoroughly respectable business
house a constantly increasing stream
of intemperance, such a stream as Ii
censed bar-roOm or unlicensed Jug
peddlers never yet gave life to, is flow
ing out into and through our COM
munity, threatening sooner or later
to destroy the character and man
hood of many of our best citizens
and hitherto useful and hOnored
men, as we'll as to debauch and cor
rupt many OF our young men and
boys before they have really arrived
at years of discretion.
There are men in every community
who will have their liquor, and who
are not particular as to where they
get it, but these men for the most
part belong to the lower classes or
are already hopelessly gone them
selves. Gentlemen, as q general
thing, do not patromze iug-peddlers,
and few of them, in this community
at least, patronize open bar-rooms.
But from this thoroughly respecta-
BILE dispensary, wherein "vice itself
has lost half his horrors by losing
all it's grossness,' men of character
and of comparative temperance hab-
it's do not hesitate to purchase, and
purchasing i'll quantity (the institu-
ton cannot sell by the drink, carry
Off more than they want, and gener-
ally treat it out to Others Just as re-
spectacle as themselves, who in turn
buy more from the same respectable
source, that they may return the
treat SO generously given.
In this way habits of intemperance
have been and are being inculcated
to an alarming extent. Men who
had not been known to drink for
years before the opening of this thor
oughly respectable establishment.
now walk unsteadily along the
streets. Young men are constantly
to be met with whose breath smells
of alcohol and whose eyes are not
unfrequently bloOdshot, and our
highest and best element of manhood
in some instances, and what should
belong to our highest and best type
of manhood in a few years, in other
instances, are being gradually but
surely debauched. We hold that rev
enue dearly bought by any State or
community which is paid for by the
debauchery Of the young and the sac
rifce of the manhood of many Of her
citizens. 1t is true that the dispen-
sary does not sell to minors, but
there are always dissolute men
around, who either for a cOnsidera-
ton, or from natural and acquired
depravity Of heart are ready and
willing to get it for them. The great
est danger to the young, however,
we regard as lying in the constant
and thoroughly respectable examples
OF intemperance which are daily be-
fore their eyes.
Another serious objection to the
dispensary system, and we think it a
grave one, is that the whole cOmmu
nifty indirectly shares in the improve
ments which are made with the prof
it's arising from this thoroughly re-
spectacle and thoroughly unholy
traffic. Thus men of honor and char
acter and women Of pure hearts and
noble purpose are made stockhold-
ers in (whether they will or no. this
thoroughly respectable and democrat
ling business. We submit that
neither State nor community has
the right thus to degrade it's citizens
and to compel them to participate in
such traffic against their will
In view of the publications in the
Tin1es-Dispatch, referred to in the
beginning, and in consideration of
the facts herein set forth, and in con-
sideration of other facts not herein
mentioned, we, the undersigned citi-
zens of Boydton, desire to say that
in the light of present experience
(many OF us were earnest advocates
OF the dispensary in the beginning),
we believe the dispensary to be the
most dangerous, misleading and de-
moralizing form in which liquor has
ever been sold in this community;
that we are now thoroughly opposed
to the dispensary system; that we
are satisfied that a majOrity of our
citizens are opposed to the same,
and that it is question of Il short
time when the dispensary will be
abolished. We appeal to the Times
Dispatch and to the members of the
General Assembly of Virginia, to do
what in them lies to prevent this
system from being fastened upon or
permitted in old Virginia.
(SigneO.
c. n, Williams, of Williams &
Goode, Bankers.
B. F. Roberts, Jeweler.
c. Haskins, Hotel and Livery.
{. NJ. Phillips, Livery and Farmer.
NJ. \. Waller, Merchant.
4. I. Snellings, Druggist.
E. ". Wells, Tobacconist.
f. \. Rainey, Merchant.
K. ID. Hightower. Merchant.
W. J. Toone, Merchant.
W. e. Peasants, Merchant.
q. \. Wells. Treasurer of Mecklen-
burg county.
H. \. Beales, Deputy Sheriff.
I. J. Williams, Superintendent OF
Poor, for Mecklenburg.
f. Chambers Goode, Common