The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-12-06

ground alone sustained the constitutionality
of the Law. The State, as Mr.. Sturkey we'll
knows, did not go into the business to en-
courage liquor drinking, but 1t did 30 In
order that the State In many ways might
reduce the evil of LIQUOR drinking.
Will Mr.. Sturkey please tell rs Of one man
who hes been led astray by the dispensary?
vi i'll Mr.. Sturkey give US the name OF one
man who has become a drunkard since the
establishment of the dispensary? Does Mr..
Sturkey claim that the doing away of the
facility for treating has made d%runkards?
When we had bars the habit OF treating
| was common. The habit OF treating is gen
orally believed 10 be a training of men to be
come drunkards.
MIR. SIurkey, regardlefs of facts calls the
dispenhary a baI-rcom. He must know that
that statement Is at variance with the fact
and far from the truth.
Mr.. Sturkey says:
"You [this editoI1 have become morally
b%lind-or as Paul ~.uid say, you have bad
your conscience scared Hs with q hot iron,
until Sou cannot BE any further than your
own pecunlary Interests, forgetting that the
spiritual ana moral LIE OF young mon ID
being corrupted every day"
We really do not know what Paul would
say about plohlbitionisls making figures OF
themselves and assuming martyrdom, but II
q Citizen in this day and time should manu-
facture mis- facts there can be but one answer.
II Paul were here today and pretended 10 be-
q temperance man and q prohibitionist, not
| withdrawing our high esteem OF him, our
confidence in him Would be very much
shaken II he Joined with the license people
and voted against The avowed principle.
We would like 10 ask MIR. Sturkey " show
| what fact supports his all, cation that l am
| less con scientious, or less patriotic, Than he
ia, or that l am more governed by %pecuniary
reasons than he Is. By what night does he
assume that l am more unmindiul OF the
spiritual and moral welfare OF young men
than he Is. But whether he or are more
anxious about the moral and spiritual well
fare OF young men has nothing TO do With
the question. Igrant that Mr.. Sturkey is a
good citizen. l leave II Tor my %neighhors 10
| pass upon our merits or demerits. In Mr..
ISlurkey g boas ling Of himself while seeking
10 bslittle me, 1 would like Tor him TO show
wherein he Is q better citizen. or a more con-
| sistent len perapce man than l am.
Mr.. Sturkey says:
Again, Brother Wilson, when you advocate
the sale o1 whisky in any form DO you not
An tagonize The church anu religionP'
Do you not know, Brother Sturkey, In the
above statement that you violated one OF
The Ten Commandments? You know that !
do not advocate the sale OF LIQUOR In any
forms DO you not antagonize the church
when you violate one Of the commandments
as delivered by the Great Head OF the Church,:
Do you not know that you injure the cause
Of religion by ignoring or violating one OF the
commandments?
Knowing you ss I do I think your misrepre
sentstiLn must have been an unintentional
slip OF the pen anu not a malicious utter
ance. -
II. however, the misrepresent stion was an
intentional Injustice to me l can better anord
TO pass 1t by than you can afford TO make az
u%tterance which reflects more upon the cor
rectnes OF your speech than upon the up
rightn ess or my character. I, therefore. leave
IL TO your sense of honor to make such repa7
ration or such amends as may in your judg-
ment seem just to yourself and fair to me. u
AS to my antagonizing the church and the
cause or religion.
While 1t is the duty Of the church to preach
Temperance and honorable principles. the
political question as to the dispensary is no
part OF the business Of the church OF Jesus
Christ. When. l have the consciousness Of
being right I can face the church, the devil
and a frownipg world. Is the fear Of antago- |
MIXING the church the reason that our
friend departs from his avowed principles
and aligns himself with the license elemeni7
Doesn't he forget his principles when be
votes with the license element? The leaders
of temperance In this State thought II better
not TO agitate prohibition In politics. Then
by what authority or basis Of reasoning does
Mr.. turkey, while claiming TO be prohibit
ZIONIST, seek to become a recruit in the license
army, while trying to drag the church into
endorsing the liquor element In their light
for license.
In discussing this subject I disclaim any
Intention TO cast reflections on the license
people. AS a rule they are honest. We are
proud OF the temperance people, but we are
unable 10 place q monstrosity who, while de-
claring one principle publicly svows his In
tention to vote for another. II Mr.. Sturkey
can lay one hand on his heart, and with the
other hand cast his vote with the license peo-
pie, then be IL 90. But as for me I shall vote
for the best liquor law that South Carolina
h~as.ever had. And I shall do so without fear
Of or making apologies TO anybody. I do not
admit that the church or any other set ofmen
has a right TO dictate to me on a question
about which l am better informed than they. |
What church man In all this land will pre-
sume 10 know more about the liquor bust
ness In Abbeville than / dot
Mr.. sturkey is trying TO drag the
church down into the mud and mire
Of a nasty political liquor fight, in which, If
be and bis license associates are successful, l
believe they win restore to this county the
drunkenness and the crime Of liquor domi-