Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-06-29
c.. w. & j. e. BAUNNIGHT, Mn1ss4f1Nrs S5AsH
Reply to MoraIlsrs Dispensary Article.

Editors Courier: We have read
"Moralist's" article in a recent issue
of The Courier, and will try to an
swer his questions to the best of our
ability.
In the first place, he asks if it is
not a fact that "where prohibition
has been tried it was failure, and
did not prohibit the use and sale of
whiskey, and blind tigers and the
illicit sale of it were the result ?--so
much so that the people in many
places set aside their so-called pro-
hibition and went back to the bar
room system, even with all its gam
bling, immortality and vices"
We are most decidedly of the
opinion that "Moralist" has been
misinformed on this subject. We
do not doubt for a moment that if q
South Carolina brother should 90 to
Maine and look diligently for blind
tiger Gas we are afraid he would be
likely to do) he would find one some.
where within its borders, for there is
nothing perfect in this world-not
even prohibition State; but we do
not believe that the better class of
the people in Maine consider prohi-
bition a failure, or that they would
be willing to go back to the bar-room
system "with all its gambling, i'm
morality and vices" Are there no
gambling, immortality or vices" in
South Carolina, with its dispensary
systemp 1t is a matter of little con-
sequence whether these things are
done in the building where the whis-
key, which causes them, is bought,
or in some other house. If there is
any difference it would seem that
the man who sells them the stuff
should have to take his share of the
trouble resulting from it.
Texas certainly prefers prohibi-
tion to anything else, I'd she has
tried bar-rooms and . liquor
selling devices long enoL.n 10 know
what shcpis about. She has prohibi-
tiopf2ow in one hundred and fifty out
of two hundred and forty counties.
In majority of other counties pro-
hibition prevails in every precinct
but one in the county. The Herald
and Presbyter says that it is esti-
mated that over One-third of the
population of the United States is
now living under prohibition, either
by States or by local option. 1t is
claimed that over one-half of the
country is "dry" territory.
In the State of Ohio the question
is being rapidly driven up TO the
great cities. During the past year
l38 Incorporated cities and villages
in Ohio have voted out the saloons,
thereby closing more than seven
hundred of them. Nine county
seats in Ohio to. day are "dry," and
three whole counties have no saloons,
while three-f -fourths of the unincor-
porated townships have driven out
the saloon. This shows that much
progress is being made in temper
ance reform.
Moralist asks next if we do not
believe that when we abolish the
dispensary, blind tigers will follow,
law or no law? We'll, that will de-
pend entirely on who is selected to
enforce the law. If the place is
given to some drunken fellow who
does not care a rap how soon the
country goes to the dogs, just so he
draws his salary when it falls due, of
course blind tigers will flourish, but
such man should not be put in
office. All laws are puwerless in
themsel, Seven the Zen Com
mandmeDts; but would it be we'll to
abolish them because officers fail to
do their duty in seeing them obeyed ?
Would it not be better TO elect the
right sort of men to enforce the laws
What is the good of being able to
vote if one can't do that?
We fail to see where the dispen-
sary is superior to the bar-room and
blind tigers, except that it does not
sell on Sundays; but we imagine
that it is an easy matter for man
to get enough on Saturday to last
him over Sunday, 80 that part of it
does not do much good beyond keep
ing the liquor seller from the sin of
Sabbath breaking. But, then, cone
might as well be hung for sheep as
a lamb" as the old saying goes.
''The restrictions as to Sunday
traffic." though, we are informed by
some writer, "and sales to drunkards
and minors, formed part of the license
laws of South Carolina for at least
decade before the dispensary law
came into existence, but they have
been disregarded at times by liquor
sellers, whether under the license
law or the dispensary." Moralist
makes the assertion that "there are
az many drunkards in Maine under
prohibition as there are in South
Carolina with its dispensaries and
blind tigers" MARX you, he says
"disrensaries and blind tigers" class
ing them together, and rightly 80
That seems funny thing to say.
We would like to ask in reply if it
is reasonable to suppose that man
will drink as much whiskey if he
can't get it, as be will if he can?
Moralist says farther on that "pro-
hibition robs the majority of our
people of certain rights that honestly
belong to them" This seems to us
to be an admission that prohibition
does prohibit, to a considerable ex-
tent, at least, and if it does no more
than that IL ia worth truino, fnr StTiba