Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-07-05
ADDRESS ON PROHIBITION.
Secretary Bristow Publishes tho Views OF tho
Prohibition Conference.

gave to the press the address of the con-
ference to the voters of South Carolina.
The address follows:
To the People of South Carolua: The
prevailing condition, brought about by
the sale of Intoxicating liquors through
the State agencies and otherwise, is such
as to demand the attention of even the
most thoughtless, and We have endured
the evils arising out Of the liquor traffic
until we feel the necessity for determined
effort to remove the entire liquor busi-
ness. We, therefore, appeal to all good
citizens of the State to join us upon the
following grounds:
The sale of liquors for beverage pur-
poses is not function of government.
The State cannot onter into any compet-
ing business with her citizens. The State
has no better right to engage in the sale
of liquors for profit than she has to en-
gage in cock fighting, in horse racing, in
gambling, or in the setting up of dens of
infamy.
The evils arising out of the liquor busi-
Iess of the State are literally horrible.
1t is generally admitted that three
fourths of all crimes committed by our
people are directly due to the drinking
of liquor. The homicides have increased
in the State since the enactment of the
dispensary law more than 100 per cent,
while crimes of all kinds have kept pace
in proportion.
The dispensary system has increased
it's sales of Intoxicating liquors enor-
mously every year, aud last year it con-
sumed Goethe equal of 100000
bales OF cotton-of the common stock of
the State, and put back in it's stead
moro pittance in education while it
poured into the State millions upon
millions of its own evil products.
The men employed to conduct the
liquor business of the State must neces-
sarily be of low moral conceptions. Be-
fore man can get his own consent to
serve in the business he must put the
money he is to receive for such services
into one side of the scales and into the
other he must put the sorrow and shame,
the poverty aud crime, disease and death
he is to be instrumental in bringing into
TIE homes of the people. If with him
ILe money outweighs and he strikes the
bargain it is because of his moral OBJ
liquity. Hence the dispensary can be
conducted only by the weaker members
of the human family, and ia open to all
kinds of crime az is evidenced by the
large number of dispensers who have
come short in their accounts, and the
general charges of corruption, from top
to bottom, which have become the com
n on talk of the whole State.
The interest and excitement manifested
when it comes to the election of a men,
Der of the liquor board by the Legisla-
ture indicate that the free distribution |
of samples has had tho usual effect,
and it is commonly accepted as true that
members of the liquor board WELD more
influence in legislative matters than any
like number of members of the Legisla.
ture. This, in all probability. accounts
for the fact that enough South Caroln-
ians were found in tho Legislature to
vote the passage of law which allowed
the establishment of a dispensary by the
vote OF bare ma ajority of those in favor
of liquor selling, while it demanded in
addition to majority vote of sober,
GO odfcaring men, a tax of thousands of
dollars laid upon themselves to get rid
of a dispensary.
The constant violation of the dispen-
sary law by those whose duty it is to
execute the law is rapidly carrying our
people into utter disregard for all law.
The restrictive features of the dispen-
sary law have we'll nigh been obliterated,
so that any and everyone, just when he
or she pleases, buys without signing any
request" all tho liquors desired. In
stead of restraining liquor drinking the
dispensers are making constant efforts
to increase sales in order to get more
profit and keep their dispensaries from
being closed by the State liquor board.
Fancy brands of liquor to entce the un-
wary are kept in all dspensaries so that
new and young customers are continu
ously oeing "roped in" especially from
She country people, and as a result there
Is more drinking and drunkenness in tho
State to-day than over before. In
che negro race, who have little moral re-
Straint, it is difficult to find enough sober
hrcklayers and carpenters in any town
or city of our State to build an ordinary
dwelling house, while the common la.
oorors are tending rapidly to drunken
ness.
We present chiefly the financial and
political side of the foregoing, and
endeavor to show to the Intelligent busi-
ness man the Importance of riddino the
State of the great evil The moral and