The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1904-02-10
LAURENs. $. c.. Feb. 10, 1904.
A Case That Is Desperats.

liquor question, Evidently it is writ,
ten by a faithful and conscientious pro,
hibit'onist, Ii of those who was Jug.
gled out of a victory fairly and openly
won In this State in 1892.
We fear that we can offer w p. II.
lite consolation. The whiskey inter.
est Is more strongly fortified in South
Carolina than in any other American
State. La South Carolina the whiskey
interest is the State. They are a part
nership, they are welded, they are
one. The time has come In South Caro-
ma when no man unwilling to support
che ~dispensary dares offer for high Of
lice. He must at least consent that the
Whiskey question is settled. Otherwise
he must face the fact that he has the
strongest machine ever known In this
State to fight. He must foreknow that
our supreme political leader will take
the field against him as he did take il
against Colonel Hoyt in 1900. Our pub
lie men, the former Conservatives in
cluded, tremble when Tillman's name is
told. AS the strength of a rabbit to q
wolf was the power of the whiskey ele.
ment. under the past barroom system
to its strength now, identical as it is
with our very government, armored
with the States commission, robed in
the pride and responsibility of the
States official life aud posing as the
safe guardian of the States morals. In
South Carolina we have deliberately
enthroned whiskey. 1t is our king.
There are those among our great ones
who would worship it as their god.
h is not mere rhetoric. Our people
do not understand it, many would not
acknowledge it if they did know it. but
1t is the plain truth that in the tenta-
Giles of this dispensary Beast the people
OF South Carolina are gripped fast and
helpless. Conducting a business of
$4,000 600 the year with distilleries and
bottle factories growing up under it's
shade" and owned in part by the limbs
of the Beast itself, with an army of
employees taking their orders from
one central authority, distributing
and c%orrupting the taxpayers with
100000 in profits each year (more
than half the amount paid to the State
In taxes) the %dispensary system has be-
come the darling, the pet and at the
same time the terror of the people.
Our friend w. p. T. may at least rest
assured that the whiskey organization
that he speaks of will spend no m%oneyin
and send no literature into South Caro-
lima Itis happy with existing conditions
here. 1t will "let well enough alone"
Grant for the sake Of the argument, 1--WE
doubt the truth of it) the claim that the
ulspensary as compared with barrooms
reduces the consumption of intoxicants
will that disturb the distillers and
Wholesale whiskey and beer dealers of
America? When they look on the man
OF Georgia and see all manner OI WINS.
key shops expelled from ITO or 120 coun-
ties out of 1877, will they worry Over
South Carolina? When they reflect
that the saloons have been driven alb
solutely out of the South, from Texas
to Virginia, save those in the large
cities, will they shed any tears about
insignificant loss Of trade in these re.
gions? Rather, in their alarm at the bat
tie being wsged against them in every
other State, when they see themselves
beaten again and again by the ever ag-
gressive, "nsver say die" prohibition
lists elsewhere, is it rot natural that
they rejoice that South Carolina Off,
cially is their ally and friend-literally
a whiskey Sc ling corporation in the
combine, one Of them and playing for
the same stake? While they see the
barrooms pressed hard for dear life and
yielding township after township and
county after county, it must be with o
feeling of%profound relief that they look
upon South Carolina as one stronghold,
one place of retreat In extremity and
not the enemy's country.
Even los a bill is pending in our
general assembly to give to the towns
where dispensaries are established the
poor privilege of voting them out of ex-
lstence If the people SO wish. Will it
pass? Better inquire If the general as
sembly Will abolish itself. Pass that
bill? Not until the ownership OF South
Carolina changes hands.
In 1893 it was difficult to find q score
Of white men in this town to sign o Pc
tition for a ~dispensary. Landholders
were created by wholesale by deciding
an acre or two Of swamp to so Dr. 60 ne
groes. Thus did the %dispensary find a
Judgement here. 1t is paying. 1t places
about $500 each year Ia the town
treasury, besides paying an equal
amount to the county schools mot to
mention the county's share of the
States profits. No barroom system
paid the people like this. We are in
clined to think that the dispensary Is
In Laurens to stay. Money makers are
always popular.
We should like to see South Carolina
free c more. We should like to be
able to feel that public affairs are not
under the absolute control of o whiskey
ring. However, we recognize the fact
that there is little hope Of o change
Our correspondent is in q desperate
minority. We are with him. 1t will
not be left to the people to pass upor
the whiskey Question-nOt until som