The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-12-28

pevance speeches were delivered. The
speakers were MesslS. Joseph Sprott,
Joel T. Brunson, Revs. A. n Brunson,
J. NJ. Holiday, and j. o. Cough.
After the invited speakers had con-
cluded. the chairman threw open the
discussion to the audience. In response
to this invitation, Captain D. J. Brad
ham, also talked. The tenor Of all the
speeches was the enormous quantity OF
liquor that was being consumed, and
its evil effect upon society. Rev. Hol-
ladav was armed with figures taken
from the records, and showed the
amount of money that was being taken
from its legitimate source and wasted
upon whiskey. 1t was the old. old story
to do away with the traffic IN liquor
without offering an practical way to
enforce prohibition. The good people
enlistinS themselves N this movement
seem TO think if they can only get the
dispensarv closed the will have ac-
complished great wor22; fo" human
itv. but there is another side to this
fearful problem, and that side does not
seem to strike these earnest people
who would dash the damning cup from
the lips of man. Whiskev drinking IS
bad. the traffic in liquor is bad, the
drunkard is to be pitied, and the man
who deals out the fiery liquid should
be restricted by the strong arm OF the
law, but it does strike us that If
these guardians of the souls of other
men, would extend their solicitude to
more damning sins than drinking-sins
that are more damaging to the human
family, the work of reformation would
ring with more sincerely, but as long
as greater sins are winked at and even
encouraged, just so long will the work
of these GOOD people be hard and their
labors meet with discouragement.
1t was decided to organize temper
ance league, aud Rev. J. O. Cough an
nounced that in this organization those
who enrolled themselves were under
no pledge. but from the reading of the
constitution we regard it very strong
pledge: so much so as to reach the eX-
ercise of the voters franchise, for as
we understand the constitution those
enrolled promise to vote against any
who favors the dispensary. True, no
one was required to hold up their right
hand and swear, nor was the dlspensary
mentioned in it. but a pledge is a
pledge, whether verbal, written, sworn
or given. Those who enrolled them
selves in this temperance league are
pledged to it's constitution, and ii they
are not. then the thing is a mockery,
and a farce.
After it was decided to organize a
league, canvass of the audience was
made for members, which resulted IN
about l35 names enrolled Then the
following were elected officers: Joseph
Sprott, President: E. J. Brown, Vice
President: L. II. Harvin, Secretary; T.
NJ. Mouzon, Treasurer.
The membership will be Increased
and by the next election, we expect to
see a well organized political force at
work to elect men to Office who repre-
sent the views of the organization.
In our Judgment the temperance
league would be more effective, did it
ask for men to enlist under their ban
ner who would pledge themselves to
work for strict enforcement OF the
dispensary law, as it is, they keep out
of their organization q class of tenn
perance men who believe the cause OF
of temperance can be advanced more
practically by having the present law
enforced, than by endeavoring to bring
about destruction of the dispensary
with no way to practically enforce pro-
hibition. However, we are not going to
throw cold water on the efforts of these
people. and if they can accomplish
good with their methods we wish them
God speed, but before we pledge our
self to destroy the dispensary, evil
as it is, we want to be certain that we
will not be led into an avalanche OF
evils