The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-11-22
An Address From the Central Prohibition
Committee.

Committee.
Fellow Citiyana: Saturday. NOyem-
Der 25th. ia al important date for An
dersOn County. On that day we have
an opportunity to strike q blow at the
greatest of evils, the liquor traffic.
1t is an important date to each and
every voter of the County; for on that
day he has an opportunity to do good
deed. to make his influence felt for
good, both now and upon future gener-
atiOns.
Remember tho day. Saturday, No
vember 2jth, 1905, when we are 70
vote upon the question. "Dispensary"
or mo Dispnnsary."
Since the movement against the dis
pensary began in this county some
things have been happening in the
State that throw q flood OF light upon
the workings of tho institution. The
investigating committee appointed by
tho Legislature hos been at work. The
committee is greatly handicapped by
lack of funds and lack of power. but
even eve, Wit, with its limited opportunities it
mas done great public service. 1t
hHs! shown tho practice Of liquor houses
to buy local dispensers throughout the
State; it has shown how these big
Liquor houses have heretofore filled the
liquor tases with extra" bottles
which tho dispenser could always cell
1or hls own account and put the money
IN his pocket; it has exposed the prnc-
tice Of these came liquor concerns to
buy back beer bottles and liquor bot
ties from these same local dispensers
at many timen their value; it has ex-
posed in como counties the practice of
selling digpeDsary jobs for private
gain; and, in fact, has made 1t clear to
our people that more opportunities for
graft, more opportunities for corrup-
tion, more opportunities for private
gain and for the prostitution of public
trusts exist in connection with the
diepensary than exist in perhaps any
other governmental enterprise that
mas even been devised by the ingenu-
ity of man.
Will you stamp the seal of your ap-
proval upon any such institution7
In our former address to the people,
we called attention to the conditions
that exist in and around the State Dis
peneary in Columbia; TO the fact that a
certain type OF politicians are always
found In large numbers scrambling
for jobs on the State Board, preferring
these jobs t the rate of 9400 q year to
the highest offices in the gift of the
people at many times that sum.
Nepointed ont that the dienenaary Off
cers in this county. and elsewhere have
openly disregarded the law, requiring
that the sale of liquors might be re-
duced. as the law intended that it
should be,
We showed that even as o revenue
measure, the dispensary has been q
stupendous failure, and that it has not
reduced taxes ae was promised, but
that tho taxes in this county have
almost doubled since the diepensary
has been in vogue, Notwithstanding
the fact that the assessment has been
raised from six to eleven millions dur
ing that period.
Those of us who favored the dis
pensary originally, believing that it
would reduce the sale Of liquor, have
been most profoundly disappointed.
The records SHOW s:33aa.. he eensnmptinn
of poisonous liquors has increased every
year, until Last year it reached the
lion dollars, and the dispeneary officers
now refuse to give out information as
to, how much liquor they do soil, We
are spending every year for liquor
enough To give our children a hT0tt.6fass
education that would make them in
dependent. No wonder. as the daily
papers recently showed, that the eta
Of violence in South Carolina during
the reign OF the dispensary here. And
this, OF course, makes heavier court
d0cketS and heavier taxes. .. =.
We cannot rid ourselves of the
liquor demon at one stroke. We must
fight IL. always and the generations
that follow ns will have to fight il.
But let us do onr part and make it
ssssf ss isf faa% vii e SsoSes 80 Ras s1peo
aibie, bat we do expect that it will pro.
hibft from 7H to 90 Der cant of the