The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-11-04
THE DIspENsARY. i
[coNTINuED PROM PAGE Al

D..
THE DISPENSARY.
lcoNTINUED FROM PAGE 4
-~~~c~>c~s>S>c->>>r~s
the campaign, but a large ma jority Of
the prohibitionists were my friends,
and as the issue promised to make
things very complicated, 1t was finally
agreed that q box should be provided.
at each democratic club In which the
question cf prohibition or license
should be voted on.
Prohibition won by majority Of
ten thousand, the vote standing 25,-
900 against and 35, 900 for prohibit.
tion. But there were more than 30,-
900 voters who did not express them
selves on the question, therefore,
prohibition did II It receive a>maj1rity
In the State. l mention this bee iuse
l have been repeatedly charged with
cheating the proh bit!on!sts out Of
their victory and Of forcing the DIS
pensary Inv on the people. When tie
Legislature met the House Of Repre-
sentativeS felt ccnStrain d to pass a
prohibition law and they did pass
such a till, but sugg sted to he
Senate the ads!sability OF suhs,itut-
ing the Dispensary law f. r the prom.
bition bill and the House accept d the
c1mprOm Sc. The wurd "DiSperss r !"
twas in the prohibition bill. A Of
the frame work Of the pr, sent d spen-
sary law was In the prohib tirn bill, l
only changed the title, struck out
some provisions and put in others and
provided for the dispensary system,
having liquor sold by the State
thi ough It's bonded officers with the
profit going to the people rather than
having it sold by an individual With
the profit going into his own private
| pocket.
l think l did my duty. So far know
you have voted on this issue five
times and the Dispensary always won
and until you see fit to change it am
willing to let it stand, aud l still say
it Is the best control of liquor ever
devised by human hands, and you
have to deal with men and matters as
they are rather II an as you would
like them to be. Now the particular
law giyer and man who deals with
conditions as they are and knows
these conditions Clearly is the man
who Is best qualified to determine
what shall tie done in governments.
The man who no ds his head high and
looks at a beautiful star and moves
forward, with his eyes on the ideal,
Goes not sec the pitfalls which are
about his feet. try to live up to my
ideal, but l keep my eyes ON the
ground so that can see where the
pitfalls are. am rot here 10 say
anything about the prohibition idea.
Ii l felt that 1T was po. sible, l would
vote the DiSpansary Law out, but l
know the prohibition idea can not be
led out. The question is, how
Viii you handle this dom of whis-
key? The Dispensary system is sale
in the way that teaches the people
how TO use it instead of abus ns it.
There are people who hold it is Il crime
TO sell liquor except for medici, a. pur.
poses. There are some who go SO far
as to say, 1t Is crime 10 drink wills
key. lever saw it that way. | had
1t out with the preachers il 1900.
The Bishop down he e at Spa ctanburg
called me liar right out In Confer
ence, and another high muckimuck
from tile Baptist Church in Grecnville
preached a sermon and hlyed me
alive almost, SO went to the Bible,
which l had not studied over muc1,
but no where could / fad any where
that 1t was sin to drink wuiskcy or
to sell 1t. There was one text, l. don't
care to quote it, giving that view
whereas, there are a dozen or more
where men are told TO drink, and in
stances are told in the lives OF pro
phets where they drank.
Rev. Mr.. Hickson: They didn't
have any liquor in that time.
Senator Tillman; Well they had
something that made them drunk, for
old man Noah was made drunk. Tney
did not know how to dlstill whiskey
but they used the juice of the grape
and it made people drunk.
Rev. Mr. Hicksop: Does the Bible
justify old Noah for getting drunk?
Senator Tillman: l didn't say the
Bible justified it. A good many
things are done which the Bible
doesn't justify. Come up here, want
to shake your hand
Rev. Mr.. Hickson comes up on the
rostrum shakes hands with the Sena-
tor and sits down.
Well, as l invited joint discus sion
when | got up here, supposed II any
thing OF the sort was to come Off there
would have been an understanding to
that effect, but l invite the advocates
OF those fighting the DispenSary to
CO me on up. If my friend here makes
any holes In my stocking, simply
want two or three minutes to pick up
the stitches. Taking my view OF pro-
hibiLion, think have made IL clear
enough that 1t is little too high for
US. The old bar room idea Is simply
an impossible thing now, and | can't
conceive Of the people of South Car
olina wanting it back again. can't
conceive OF how the people OF South
Carolina Will ever so back to the Old
sche me Of selling. The bar room with
its tinelmirrows and cut glass which
would diaw your boys in through the
back door on Sunday.
In 1900 when this issue was last
voted on, asserted what appeared
to me to be Il plain fact, that the
preachers and tarkeepers were allied
together, the angels of light and the
sons OF darkness, fighting side by side,
the one to ha". bar rooms and the
other to have prohibition. Are they
together in this fight? | don't know