Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-12-09


Until the Last bispensary Has Been
Abolished.
The temperance report adopted by
the State. Baptist convention at its
recent session in Chester, makes inter-
esting reading. The full text Of 1t
lfollows:
The supreme issue with our South
Carolina people today Is the mainten-
ance Of law as against lawlessness. In
this struggle to maintain the majesty
Of the law, the best moral elements In
every community find themselves al
llied with those that are on principle
opposed to the manufacture and sale
Of intoxicating liquors.
There has been for many years a
strong under-current Of Prohibition
sentiment In the commonwealth. When
this sentiment had triumphantly vim
dicated itself at the polls by demand
for the abolition Of the liquor saloon,
measure was proposed 80 plausible
that It won the advocacy Of many OF
the most consistent and active tenn
perance men In the state.
That measure was the dispensary
system. Some Of the seeming merits
that won for 1t favor among the ad-
vocates Of total abstinence were as
follows:
| /. The closing of every liquor saloon
lin South Carolina. 2. The states as
suming control of the harmful traffic
with a view to restricting 1t within the
narrowest possible limits. 3. The es-
tablishment Of state dispensaries
where there had been liquor saloons,
and elsewhere only when demanded by
a majority vote Of the people. 4. The
| 80 dtononooru 90 loo IN dQV-
time, and to sealed packages not to be
opened on the premises. 5. The es-
Establishment Of a state constabulary to
prevent illegal traffic in liquors. But
the real inducement that brought
many temperance people into acquies-
cence, was the prospect Of securing
practical Prohibition by keeping the
dispensary at a safe distance from
their own communities.
The best people everywhere have re-
garded the presence Of dispensary as
q menace and curse to the neighbor-
hood. So strongly has this sentiment
impressed itself, that any suggestion
| to Introduce a dispensary where II
does not exist, has been received with
horror and alarm.
The deadliest blow that has been
struck at moral freedom was aimed
by that clause In the statute law which
says that a dispensary when once es-
tablished, can never be removed until
the heavens fall, unless 1t fails to pay
financially. This places the sober and
law abiding element at the mercy OF
the lawless and the inebriate.
We file the following claims against
the present management OF the dis
| pensary system:
/. It has not only failed to steadily
decrease the sales Of spirituous H.
ouors In the state, but 1t has awak-
ened the suspicion that 1t was trying
in various ways to increase them. This
suspicion is strengthened by the re-
cent refusal Of the management to re-
move dispensaries where an over
whelming public sentiment has de-
manded such removal. 1t Is also
strengthened by charges recently made
in leading daily papers Of South Car
olina-which charges have not yet been
denied-namely: That there was
thought Of placing dispensary liquors
when desired, in large grocery estab-
lishments, to be sold by them as agen-
cies for the benefit of the state. Such
an act would reverse the wheels OF
progress and would put US back, In
practice, to the nineteenth century,
when almost every grocery had 1ts
whisky barrel. This suspicion Is fur
ther strengthened by the locating OF
So called beer dispensaries In many
establishments which persons
high in authority have characterized as
illegal.
Q. Our second claim is that many
advocates of the dispensary have
sought to strengthen its grasp upon
the masses Of the people by large ap-
propriations from its revenues for the
/ 80 ha onhnnlQ-Qn
attempt to secure popular support Tor
an institution that cannot stand upon
| it's own merits. With strong arms and
| trustful hearts, we do not need this
blood money to help us educate the
children whom God has given US.
8. We claim that many recent dis
pensary advocates have sought to dis
courage the appeal to local option by
enacting a law which withholds the
special school fund from counties that
vote out dispensaries-a virtual bid Tor
votes to keep whisky in the counties
where it Is now sold, with view to
reducing taxes.
| The heroic independence Of Cherokee
county challenges our admiration. BY
a decisive vote Of four to one, 1t has
closed its three dispensaries, and has
relinquished nine and one half thou
sand dollars profits from them In de-
fence Of great principle, standing
| ready to assume the additional TAX
alton for the maintenance Of Its
schools. Let this noble example be fol-
lowed by county after county from the
mountains to the seaboard, till every
legalized place for the sale Of intox-
icating liquors shall have been closed
by the Will Of sober and God-fearing
people.
With this object in view, we, as
convention, heartily endorse the Tenn
perance Law and Order League OF
South Carolina, and bid it God speed In
its important work.
| We put ourselves on record as
strongly favoring and urging such leg
islation as will give to every county
and community in the state, the un-
qualified right Of voting out local dis
pensaries.
Nothing less than prohibition Of the
lliuuor traffic, whether conducted by In
dividual or by the state, will satisfy
the rising Christian sentiment Of our
people.
| But this is not enough. We must not
Use intoxicants ourselves. 1t Is OF the
utmost Importance that our own MEM
bership should throw their personal
influence In the right direction. The
so called moderate use Of intoxicating
beverages by Christian people 10 ah
swerable for much Of the drunkenness
in the land. We should not touch the
unclean thing.
we, therefore. also heartily commend
the noble efforts Of the Womens
Christian Temperance Workers to IN.
culcate total-abstinence sentiment
among the children Of the state.
With charity for all and malice to-
ward none, we resolve to stand, both
by precept and example. for the great
principle Of total abstinence as the on
liy safe one for a Christian.
We would solemnly emphasize the
Importance Of so instructing our chill
dren as to make the rising generation
uncompromising foes to the use OF In
toxicating liquors.
with such a sentiment widely
spread, It will not be difficult to keep
the dread evil Of drinking away from
lour homes and our communities. with
out such a moral sentiment, all the
laws that may be enacted will fall to
redeem US as a people from the curse
Of drink.
II How often one hears the express
| sion "She lust got married because she