The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1905-07-04

cense is not to be thought of for
moment Yet the prohibitionists say
they prefer the dispensary to license
and the license people say they prefer
prohibition to the dispensary while
the blind tigers want prohibition be-
cause they know it means free Ii
quor
The elections now being held in the
counties to vote the dispensary out
are very different to the democratic
primary election which will settle the
question finally In the first place the
vote in those counties where elec-
tions have been held against the dis
pensary has been very small as COM
pared with the regular vote. 1t re-
quires certificate OF registration to
vote at such election while in the pri-
mary the club rolls of the democratic
clubs govern. Then men are indif-
ferent as they were in the prohibition
election in 1892 when only sixty
thousand out OF ninety-two thousand
voted in that box. There are prob
ably thirty thousand or more good
democrats in the state who from one
cause or another are not able to vote
in the elections held under the Rrice
act. That law was shrewdly drawn
and for the express purpose of kill
ing the dispensary | have been told.
These thirty thousand will determine
the question in the future as they have
in the past because they will elect
the legislature and the state officers
in the state democratic primary in
spite Of any combination such as is
now giving us prohibition by mega
tive process. Voting out the dispen-
sary not because the people want pro-
hibition but giving us prohibition be-
cause some people want free liquor,
some people prefer to buy illicit liquor
some people want high license and J..
return 10 the old bar room system,
while many people will do anything
to kill the dispensary with the hope
OF prohting by its destruction.
i would advise every advocate Of
she dispensary who is in doubt to
vote against putting the dispensary
out CT his county until we see what
tie report of the investigating COM
n1ittev IS and then whether or not the
legislature at its next session will
purge the corruption out Of the dis
pensary system and put safeguards
around it for the future. | say un-
hesitatingly it can be done success
fully. The dispensary system has
shown its strength in past elections
because people thought it was honest
j. administered. All that is neces-
sary is to have them understand as
they will understand by 1906 that they
lllSl klll luC law III olOSl ~ SSl ilu
of the corruption and they will make
short work OF it. 1t must be made
clean or it must go. At present the
campaign to vote it out county by
county only brings about confusion,
encourages blind tigers and causes
the counties and state to lose money,
and settles nothing, and it is irnpos-
sble to settle the question in this
way. | repeat it can only be settled
at the general democratic primary
when all the people have heard all
sides and have made up their minds
intelligently.
| desire to add in conclusion that
practically I am a prohibitionist be-
cause | very rarely drink any liquor
of any kind II believed that prohi-
bition could be enforced, understand
ing as | do most thoroughly the
great evil attending the abuse Of IL
quor | would be a prohibitionist but
knowing from the most searching in
vestigation and from the official rec
ords OF the I. S. government that in
Maine and Kansas where prohibition
D. evaiis that there has been most
dismal failure to enforce the law |
prefer the dispensary as the lesser