The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-03-20
DISPENsARY AFTERMATH.

DISPENSARY AFTERMATH.
After the battle ls over and the vic
tory won. it is always interesting tt
talk about 1t. While the firing is on,
there is no time for talk After il
is over, all the maneuvers, hopes and
fears, may be lived over, either in joy Oh
sorrow.
Politics as has been often said
makes strange bedfellows In this dis
pensary fight the saloon keeners and
the prohlbitionists lay down together,
and while wearing the livery of heaven
to serve the devil in, they marshalled
their forces most adroitly They am
pushed the bill from both Sides The
prohipitionists wrote letters and got ur
petitions attacking the measure as q
whiskey selling project, cnnningly de-
vlsed by the devil, purely for the
money there was in it. While on the
other side their political allies, the
liquor dealers, attacked it as temper
ance measure, ruinous to their trade.
And thus with consummate skill
worthy OF a better cause they placed
the bill between their firing lines and
tried to shoot it to death.
1t required the most watchful care
therefore, to save the bill from being
murdered In the house OF its friends
and it required the most persistent
energy and unremittlng work to get it
considered upon its merits. The sena-
tors during the recess had been busy
upon other matters and had not thought
much upon this measure. To focus
their minds upon it; to present its
fl ,rits, to explain the crying need for
relief, and present the earnest prayer
of ninety per cent of the people of Co
lumbia, was the task of the several
gentlemen who quit their private in
terests and spent days and nights in
Nashville to serve this righteous cause.
Speaker Seay, Senators Adams, Nc
Farland, Graham, Bell and Others, at
heart good friends of the cause, wanted
the matter postponed. The advisory
com mittee from Columbia, thought
differently; and Senator Erwin, some
what against his judgement, yielded
to the wishes OF his constituents. 1t
was a dangerous, almost desperate
thing to do, to force the fight against
the advice and over the protest OF these
leaders OF the majority. But it was
done, and no sooner was the bill read
than Adams asked for it's postpone
ment, and failing in that moved to
send it to the table. That looked as ii
he intended to fight it to the death,
and the fear of that made the whole OF
Columbia heart sick. But Senator
Adams position was not against the
bill, but against its immediate consld'
Grafton; and when the Senate had de-
clined either to postpone or to table 1T,
he then set to work to cure it OF lts
defects ana to pass it. The committee
having the bill in charge had qultea long
conference with him Wednesday night,
which resulted in certain amendments
being proposed the next morning, ano
then the way was clear.
But over ana above all others, Sena
tor Erwin deserves credit for the fina
passage of the bill. Except for the
speech of Senator Seay, he was its sole
defender ON the floor. With the coo
deliberation of born leader, he par
ried every blow, voted down every
amendment intended for its hurt. yield
cd nice point here and there, waltet
with wonderful patience and forbear
aSee for every member to speak to hl'
hearts content, then concluding the
dsbate with far the most logical, clio
quent, comprehensive effort that hat
vet been made. 1t was to his tactfu
management, his standing among his
fellows, and the courtesy they weei
constrained to show him, that crowned
ar united efforts with victory. Hac
he been less able less popular, less
experienced or tactful, less true arc
10 al to what he knew to be botl
60 tbe best interest of his constituent,
and to their wishes, the blighting ours,
of the open saloon would have beer
fastened upon the community for al
indefinite time All credit and praist
aud thanks to him.
The great difference between the dis
persary system and the saloon is, tn,