The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-06-01
WATCH THE DISPENSARY.

WATCH THE DISPENSARY.
It has been sometime since we
have read any discussion Of dis.
pensary matters, but if those
who are opposed to interference
with the law, think they are Sc
cure, let US tell them they are
not, and may wake up to realize
something has happened" We
recognized that some Of the op.
position to the dispensary has
been lulled to sleep by the jing.
ling of coin in the public till, and
especially is this the case in the
towns and cities. but where the
towns and cities have had their
consciences gold-plated and for
the dollars they get, are willing
to :'stand pat" there are others
who are restless under what they
regard disregard of their rights
and they are unwilling to com
placently submit.
At the last session Of the gen
eral assembly Senator Brice OF
York county. introduced a bill,
looking to the removal of dis,
pensaries from towns where
their presence was not desired,
upon a vote of a majority Of the
qualified voters Of the town. On
its passage the bill was so badly
mutilated with amendments that
it's author could hardly recognize
it; as amended and passed, the
Act provides for the submission
to a vote of the people of the
county, instead of town, which
means that if a dispensary is not
wanted in a community, the
people of that community shall
have but little voice in its re-
moval.
There is a strong sentiment in
favor Of local self government in
the matter of selling whiskey
as we'll as everything else, and
when the legislature makes a
statute which ties the hands Of a
community and keeps them tied
until the county flies to the res
cue, it is not in accord with the
American idea Of local govern,
ment. A democratic principle
becomes involved and they are
prone to resent it as tyranny,
especially so, when they realize
that it does not require the vote
of a county to establish a dis
pensary in a town. The anti
dispensarites ask, why not treat
the question fairly9 If to remove
a dispensary from a town re-
uuires the vote Of the county,
why not require the vote of a
county to establish a dispensary
in a town? These are the ques-
tions now being agitated in diff
ferent parts of the State, and
we have no hesitency in saying
that sooner or. later the local
self government idea will pre-
vail. The Brice Act is inopera-
tive, but it will serve, the pur-
pose Of a wedge party driven
into the split; the tinkering with
the law Will continue, and by de-
grees the wedge will be driven
in deeper and deeper until at
last the thing will fall asunder.
We hear nothing of this issue
here, because those opposed to
the dispensary have not as yet
offered their opposition, and
they may. for all we know, be
relying upon the apathy of the
people, and at the last moment
put forward a delegation that
will go to Columbia to aid in the
destruction Of the dispensary
law. The Baptist Courier thinks
it an opportune moment to put
forward a movement looking to
assclear cut local option law by
the next legislature y A church
paper wanting ''local option"
we had no idea it would consider
a compromise of a religious prin-
ciple. The Yorkville Enquirer
is making fight for local option
and so is the Greenwood Journal
and it is our belief the liquor
question will be the issue this
summer in the election Of mem
bers of the legislature. In
making a fight for the legislature
the nti-dispensarites are show
ing good judgment, for if the
dispensary is to be destroyed,
the legislature must cut its tap
root. The election of State Off
GERS will not accomplish it, but
the law making power can, and
from present indications the op-
position to the dispensary will
make a campaign for the legis-
lature.
Col. James A. Hoyt. editor OF