The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-08-23
He DIMES II.
"About forms Of law, let fools contest,
That law which is best administered is
CONTINUED from first page.

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About forms Of law, let fools contest,
That law which is best administered is
best.
And cur not agreeing On the dis
pensarY question aud the liquor Ques
tion comes from the fundamental dif
ference OF opinion as to how it is b;st
to police the liquor traffic. The Pto
hibitionists declare 1t is sinful to
drink in moderation, wine OF whiskey,
while a large majority Of Us cennot
see any foundation in morals or re-
ligion for any such contention. Every
body recognizes the evil Of drunksn-
ness, and how to minimize or to pre-
vent it is the whole question. You
say prohibit the sale. I say sell By
bonded officers, under stringent regu
lstions, in the daytime only, and have
the law enforced. The profit which
is al Incident and not a purpose in
this sale, to 60 where it is most need.
ed; that is, into the school fund OF
the State 1t would make 20 diffsr.
encs if 1t went into the fund OF tie
general treasury, and the school fund
increased from other Sor1cas. But
that is a subtertuge. No one drinks
any more or patrcn!zes the dispeusary
because the profits 60 to the school
fund. 7 cannot see any harm or sin
in obtaining revenue from a traffic
that is irrepressib.e. The Uaited
States Supreme Court protects each
citizen in the right to import for bis
own use, ana no law Of the State can
prevent 1t. The poorer and more ig-
norant classes, who cannot thus CD,
tain liquor, have been. and alwa!s
viii be supplied through scme' local
agency, no matter what the law
against selling liquor may be.
TIE EXAMPLE OF KANSAS.
You quote Governor Hoch, Of Kan
sas, but vtu do no discuss or e1plaia
the official statistics in regard to
drinking and the payment OF the
United States internal revenue license
by retail dealers in that State. There
are 10 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.
]aborers in this fight against the dis.
pensary system, your allies and coun.
sellors, are the editors OF papers which
have always fought the dispensary
and are now schening to get high
licenses after prohibition has failed,
as it will fall. There is not civilized
Government in Christerdom as far as
L know that does not derive a revenue
from the sale of liquor and prohibition
was an unknown thing uuttl about
sixty years ago. The United States
Government received last year from
this source upwards OF sl70, 1000, 900.
I think there are only three States at
this time that cling to prohibition.
Iowa and Vermont had it some years
ago, but they have abandoned 1t fol
local option, with the right to vote In
saloons if wanted, and that is what is
hoped for here by your chief sponsors
CT the press.
One word more and / am through.
Let US see about your historical paral.
lei about the great leader who was
commanded to 90 down against the
Amalekites. The Hebrews Of old,
true to their instincts Of thrift sle"
the abominable tribe, but saved the
best OF the sheep and oxen. as Saul
claimed for sacrifice, and you go on
to state as an historical fact that the
Government OF a State was command.
ed by the moral sense Of the people
expressed 81 the ballot box to go down
and destroy the liquor traffic. And
when called to account it makes the
pitiful plea that while it has not de.
stroyed the traffic it has managed 1t
so as to get money for the taxpayers, .
Your parallel is not parallel at all.
PEOPLE DID NOT ORDER PROHIBITION.
The people OF South Carolina have
never instructed it's Government tc
prohibit the sale OF liquor. In the
separate box provided by the Demo
cratic executive committee In the
Democratic primary Of 1892, the vote
stood, as I recollect, 5000 for prohi-
bition, $4,000 against it, while 81, 0CC
die not vote on it at all. I quote
from memory. That election was a
side show and you have no right tc
magnify its significance.
This is government Of majorities
and no majority Of tie people has ever
gwen any such ORDER, while when the
question has been passed on since d.
recSly and positively a half dozen
times, the people said that the dis
pensary laW was better and more
sane solution. Isn't it about time to
stop alluding to that election. The
dispensary system does not rest for its
support upon the money that it brings
in. It rests en- the claim OF it's &C.
tenders backed by experience Of our
people and statistics, as affordipg
more protection against the vice Of
drunkenness than any other system,
prohibition or license either.
II it has done this il spite OF NAL
administrator and nismanagement,
what would it not do If such men as
DR.. Cromer and his friends would give
to the enforcement OF the law their
great moral support?
We do not ask endorsement, but in
q Government where majority rules
we have had right to expect co-ope
ration ard assistance, and we have
not had it yet. Render unto caesar
the things that are Caesars" was the
command Of tine Master Himself.
When the sta : ute has been practically
annulled by the board OF directors,
when the restrictive features have
bsen allowed to drop into issue, have
the ProhibitionistS lent their assist
ance by standing up boldly for the
1awo Had they f'one so we would not