Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-11-17

think Of nothing that was more appro-
pirate than the great moral, living
questions that were involved In the
dispensary situation as now presented
to the people. He reviewed the history
Of the present dispensary law from the
campaign Of 1890. when the people Of
the state by their votes at the ballot
box declared in favor Of prohibition,
and told how the dispensary was af-
terward foisted upon them, and ac-
cepted in spirit Of compromise In
the hope that 1t would be step IN
the desired direction. But instead OF
a step in the direction of prohibition
he declared it had served to fasten the
liquor evil on the state more firmly
than ever. While all the other south
ern states are making progress up
ward from the clutches of the rum
fiend, South Carolina is sinking to
more hopeless degradation. Instead Of
the reduced taxes and moral reform
higher taxes and the liquor evil has
increased. The constitution Of the
state prohibits the. sale of whisky be-
tween sunup and sundown and In
quantities less than one-half pint, and
we find the general assembly violating
its oath of Office in overriding that
constitution. by providing for hotel
privileges that sell by the drink and
at any time, day. or night The thing
has been fastened to our school sys-
tenn, with the hope Of making 1t no
less permanent, and he actually feared
that as another step to ,perpetuate the
evil we may some day see an effort to
require our schools to teach that the
use Of whisky as q beverage Is not
only not harmful but right. Senator
Brice attributed the dispensary law to
Ben Tillman and the devil,"> and urg-
ed his hearers to bend their efforts to
its removal from the statute books OF
the state. ~.
Following Senator Brice. Mr.. New
lille made a few remarks in which
he endorsed all that the senator
had SAID. He stated that he saw more
drunkenness In Yorkville during the
first three months following the estab.
| lishment OF the !dispensary than In all
the eight years of his previous reei-
dence. He urged his audience to give
careful consideration to this question
and to talk over 1t with each other at
their homes. He expressed his deep
sympathy for an estimable mother OF
the neighborhood who was then
mourning the apparent ruin Of her son
by the dispensary monster, and ex-
pressed himself very warmly on the
subject generally. At the conclusion
of his brief talk, Mr.. Neville introduced
as the next. speaker, Thos. F. McDoW,
Esq, who had also. been especially in
vited to make an address.
| Mf. McDow also made g. strong an
ti-dispensary speech. He took occa-
the firm stand he had taken on the
question, and advised r's hearers to
make others do likewis.. He stated
that he opposed the dispensary law
originally because Of his opposition to
| it's originator; but :afterward.. 1t had
appealed to him as being good thing
theoretically, and he had advocated 1t
because he believed that 1t would be
preferable to certain other ob5ectiona-
BILE conditions. Now, however, after
having seen 81 fair test, he had chang
ed his mind and was ,upaIterably OPP
posed to the law. He Had no apollo
gies to make for"changfng his opinion.
| It :is only fools who never change.
He. denounced, -the' administration Of
the dispensary law as corrupt from
the big fellows on the, state board OF
control down to the m6St insignificant
creatures charged with carrying out
the smallest ramiflcationS Of the law.
Without mentioning names, he stated
that a high dispensary official spent as
much as 500 on kilograms during the
| last campaign. :, This imam, he said,
was poor, when he. became a, member
of the state board OF dispensary direc-
tors at a nominal salary Of $400
year, and now he Is reputed to be
worth anywhere. from $4,000 to $780,
600. This gentleman says that the
dispensary system affords the best So
luton of the whisky question and
there Is no reason: to- doubt THAT he
thoroughly believes what he says. Mr..
McDow took occasion to say that the
dispensary at Yorkville is conducted
in strict accordance with law and that
he is satisfied that there Is no corrup-
ton or crookedness In connection with
its management by the county board
of control or the dispenser.
All three of the speakers were lib
orally applauded.
After the meeting the gathering en-
joyed a bountiful picnic dinner, and
after an hour Of pleasant social inter-
course the meeting broke up.