The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-09-30

tnere nau at least these. good results
How about Fayetteville? When the
dispensary was established, the saloons
fiourished galore in that good town. There
was much politics mixed up with the es
adjustment and the repeal of the dispen
sary. But when finally the matter was
submitted to vote of the people as to
whether they would have prohibition OF
license, they voted prohibition by a great
majority. And Fayetteville took the
three steps: license dispensary, prohibit
ton. At least this shows that a dispen-
sary encourages temperance and makes
for prohibition!
Ho wabout Monroe? 1t had been cursed
with bars A dispensary was established.
1t worked well and "a mcajority of the
voters of the town believed it was the
best solution. But the matter was sub
mitted to the voters of the whole county.
| What did they do? Voted out the dis
pensary and have established absolute pro-
hibition
Do not these cases cited against the
dispensary prove that dispensary, even
when voted out, promotes temperance?
Take the cause of Louisburg 1t was
once rum-soaked on some of its streets
|
! parts of other strets. A dispensary was
established. The people who were at first
violently opposed to it, now declare it is
the best way to regulate the liquor traf-
| fic. The money that formerly went to
make the saloon keepers rich now goes to
the town, county, county government and
| to schools. The net dividends last year
were $1,000 and the consumption of whis-
key and drunkenness were less than ever
| before.
Take the town of Waynesville. The in
come to town, county and schools Iva
year was $7,7S5. and whiskey drinking de-
| creased. Nobody even suggested opening
bar-rooms in Waynesville.
| Martinsvlne Boydton, Franklin and
other towns in Virginia report improve
ment in business and in sobriety since
their dispensaries displaced the bar-rooms
How is it at Warrenton? Writing to
! the News and Observer on the 18th of
February, Mayor W. A Burwell, of War
renton. says:
eve have here in Warrenton, N c.. a
dispensary, and it is very much better
than the bars / have been mayor of the
! town since May, 1899, and have just taken
time. 1 find that the number of arrests
made in town since the opening of the
dispensary have been, for the same length
of time, just so per cent. of what they
were when we had open Saloons
The last town in North Carolina to es-
tablish a disrensary is Oxford People
who very antagonistic to the idea of a
dispensary at first have come to believe
~. Il. 4
yet offered, and the town is practically
solid for the dlspensary. The Oxford Pub
lie Ledger edited by Mr.. John T. Britt
who is Clerk of the Superior Court, says
| of it:
"In another column appears a statement
of the Oxford dispensary from March Goth
| to July 1st, 1903. This report speaks well
for the anagement of the dispensary, the
net profits for the three months and ten
days being 81, 351.43. Messrs. Shaw. e'ar-
ker and Bullock are to be congratulated
The dispensary has certainly been sue
cess in Oxford so far in every sense
Drinking has greatly decreased and gen
eraly good order has prevailed
CHANGED HIS MIND ON THE DIS
PENSARY.
Mr.. Thos A. Ratliffe of Anderson, S.
c., who formerly lived in Reidsville. in a
letter written to Mr.. John T. Oliver, OF
Reidsville, who asked about the opera
lions of the Dispensary, wrote him a
long letter from which the following ex-
tracts are taken:
| Yes, you are correct. l was opposed
to the dispensary system when I came TO
South Carolina, because, like you. / had
not the opportunity OF investigating for
myself. Since becoming a citizen OF the
State, l have studied the conditions and
am fully convinced that six months RESI-
dence in well policed town with a dis
pensary managed like the one at Andcr
son, will convince any honest man that
the dispensary system is as far superior
| to the open bar-rooms as light is to dark
ness.
I'm conversation with Treasurer
Payne this morning, gathered most Of
/ the data given above Mr.. Payne has al
ways been pronounced ProhibitionlsG
and was elected on the city council here
in most exciting contest as dry"
candidate. Being asked his opinion of the
| dispensary as a reform measure, he said
that there was no comparison between
the dispensary and the open bar-room.
and that he personally would not go back
1
Grafton He said that fully 80 per cent
of the ministers of the State shared the
same opinions and in this he was corrob-
GRATED by County Auditor Boleman, him
| self also Prohibitionist."
| Mr. Ratliffe's experience is worth the
opinion of thousand men. who say that
the dispensary is a failure. because they
could get whiskey from a hotel in Char
/ lesion or Columbia. He was opposed to
| it. He became a convert from seeing the
actual operations day by day in his new
home. He was written to by an anti
dispensary man looking for argument;
against the dispensary. He frankly con-
fessed that opportunity of investigating
the system had caused him to change his
mind.
Moral: Vote for the dispensary in
Raleigh.
LADIES MEET TODAY.
The ladies of Edenton Street Methodist
church are called by their President, Mrs
B.. f. Dixon, to meet in the Sunday School
room this afternoon at four o'clock This
meeting is for the purpose of arranging