The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-08-25
HE DIMES IT.
CONTINUED from first naga.l
about forms Of law, letfools contest,
That law which Is best administered is

That law which is best administered IS
BEST"
And our not agreeing on the dis.
pensarg questicn and tbs liquor qucs
t!cn Gcmes from tho Fundamental az
ference Of opinion as to how 1t Is best
to police the liquor traffic. The Pro.
hibitiOnists declare 1t Is sinful to
drink in moderation, wine or whiskoy,
while a large majority Of us cannot
see any foundation In morals or re.
ligion for any such contention. Every.
body recognizes the evil Of drunken.
ness, and how to minimize or to pre-.
vent 1t Is the whole question. You
say prohibit the sale. / say sell by
bonded officers, under stringent regu
~lations, In the daytime only, and have
the law enforced. The profit which
is an Incident and not q purpose in
this sale, to go where 1t is most need.
ed; that Is, into the school fund Of
the State. 1t would make no differ.
ence If 1t went into the fund Of the
general treasury, and tho school fund
increased from other sources. But
that IL a subterfuge. No one drinks
any more or %patronizes the dispenssiy
because the profits go to the sunool
fund. l cannot see any harm or sin
In obtaining revenue from a traffic
that Is irrepressible. The United
States Supreme Court protects each
citizen in the right to import for his
own use, and no law Of the State can
prevent it. The poorer and more ig.
nOrant classes, who cannot thus OBJ.
tain liquor, have been, and always
will be supplied through some local
agency, no matter what the law
against selling liquor may be.
TIE EXAMPLE OF KANSAS.
You quote Governor Hoch, Of Kan.
sas, but vou do no discuss or explain
the Official statistics in regard to
drinkiDg and the payment Of the
United States internal revenue license
10y retail dealers in that State. There
are no saloons in South Carolina for
the young to see any more than there
are in Kansas. God forbid they
Should ever return. Some Of your CO.
laborers in this fight against the dis,
pcnsary system, your allies and coun
sellers, are tho editors Of papers which
have always fought the d~ispsnsary
and are now scheming to got high
licenses after prohibition has failed,
IS 1t will fall. There Is not a civilized
Government in ChristeEdOm as far as
l know that does not derive a revenue
from the sale Of liquor and prohibition
vas an unknown thing until about
sixty years ago. The United States
Government received last year from
thi8 source upwards Of $l70, 900, 900.
| think there are only three States al
this time that cling to prohibition.
Iowa and Vermont had 1t some years
ago, but they have abandoned 1t for
local option, with the right to vote In
saloons II wanted, and that In what is
hoped for here by yoIr chief sponsors
Of the press.
One word more and I am through.
Let us see about your historical paral.
lei about the great leader who was
commanded to go down against the
A~malekitcs. The Hebrews Of old,
true to their instincts Of thrift slew
the abominabie tribe, but saved the
oest Of the sheep and oxen, as Saul
claimed for sacrifice, and you SO on
to state as an historical fact that "the
Government OF a State was command.
cd by the moral sense Of the people
expressed at the ballot box to 20 dow
and destroy the liquor tfe nc
when called to account it makes the
} pitiful plea that while 1t has not de
; stroyed tie tratlic 1t has managed II
| so az to Get money for the taxpayers
Your parallel is not a parallel at all
PEOPLE DID NOT ORDER PROHIBITION
The people OF South Carolina have
never instructed It's Government tt
prohibit the sale Of liquor. In thu
separate box provided by the Demo
cratic executive committee In thu
Democratic primary of 1892, the Yott
stood, as ~recOllect, 35, 900 for prohi
bitiOn, 25. 600 against 1t, while 80, OCt
die not vote on 1t at all. Ct quot,
from memory.) That election WIS
, side show and you have no right II
magnify It's significance.
This Is a government Of majoritiei
and no majority Of tie people has eve,
given any such order, while when tn,
question has been passed on since di
rectly and positively q half dozer
times, the people said that the dis
penSary laR was a better and NOR,
sane solution. Isn't it about time tC
ston a'ludihg to that election. The
), Glspensary system does not rest for it,
support upon the money that Ii bring.
in. 1t rests on the claim OF It's de
tenders backed by experience Of oul
people and statistics, as affordinl
more protection against the vice O
drunkenness than any other system
prohibition or license either.