The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-08-11
Over the r.spensary Problem in
Tie Pulpit OF a Church
AT A UNION MEETING.
Merits and Dement'S of the Question Dis
cussed Ia the Historic Red Hill
Baptist Church. One Speaker
Predicts that Prohibit sn
Means Barrooms.

means BarrOOms.
A dispatch to The State saws Hon.
w. Jasper Talbert and Former Solioi.
tor j. w. ThurInond locked horns In
q dtspensary discussion Saturday at a
Baptist Union Meeting at the his.
Gorical Red Hill Baptist Church near
P%arksvllle in EdgeAeld County.
The assembly was large and the
speakers stood in the pulpit. At the
close Of an address by DR.. Bell, Mr.
Thurmond advanced and delivered a
very earnest speech, advocating the
dispensary. He declared that II 1t
was rightly conducted it is Che best
solution Of the liquor evil and that
there would be open barrooms in South
Carolina within two years IL the pro:
hl6ltlonists should win their fight.
In his speech Col. Talbert declared
that the welfare Of the nation de-.
Ponds moro upon the character Of It's
citizens than the strength of It's army
and navy; that total abstinence Is the
only logical and safe practice for a
religious man. Some men remain
moderate drinkers without ruin, but
their example Is d%eleterious to others
who are not strong enough to keep
from excess.
There is no improperly in speak.
Ing Of the ~dispensary in the church.
| believe In fighting the devil any
where. l shall attack the dispensary
anywhere and everywhere. l am
against 1t in any form. If q man
thinks he Gan reform an ancient egg,
let him reform the d~lspensary. 1
W. saw a rotten egg made fresh.
10 say prohibition does not pro.
hiblt III silly. The law against steal.
Ing, murder, arson and rape do not
prohibit, but they restrain. So will
prohibition restrain. I do not think
there can be more blind tigers under
prohibition than under the dispen-
sary as now conducted"
THE prohibition movement is not
a failure; TIC it is due the credit for
the present activity. L love every
inch OF my State and 1 am honest In
my readiness to fight whiskey. When,
ever the church membership of this
country quit drinking liquor, deter
mine to wash their hands of com.
plaisance with those who deal in 1t
for selfish gain and go to work against
whiskey, we will have the prohibition
which we need in South Carolina
Hon. j. w. Thurmond came to the
platform and made an address. He
said that he recognized the graatevil
In whiskey, but that mon migai ION
estly differ as to the best meaHM re,
ducing the evil. Does the ent
mode Of selling liquor :. DID, IRE
evil than other WI, Son4o evils
must be prohibited outright; others
are best prohibited by controlling
them. This Is the case with wills
key.
Prohibition in Edgeleld county
formerly was a complete failure. Ole
OF the worst things o State can do Is
to put a law upon the statute BOOKS
which cannot be enforcsd; and the
prohibition Of liquor cannot be en-
forced. You teach people perjury by
bringing them up before grand Jurics
under circumstances which expert
ence hes shown will make them lie.
II you will take your present law
and enforce it, 1t will be q good solu
tlon Of the question. If you vote pro
hibitlon you will not have 1T but a
year or two. The leaders Of this anti
dispensary movement in Columbia are
working toward high license and pro
hibition Is but q step on their way to
that end.
Today this county gets from the
di8pensary about SO, 900 for education.
The county also gets $4,000 for roads
and the towns SO, 800. The speaker
advocated educating the rising gen
Grafton on money secured from whis.
key taxation. lie said to kill the dis.
pensary Is to take third from the
schools OF the county, and practically
pull down the school houses.
Mr.. Thurmund went on to show the
union meeting attendants how 1t
would touch their pocketbooks. II
they voted out whiskey. His Views
are unique In deliverances before
South Carolina religious assemblies.
But In MIR. Thurmund's address there
was the ring OF conviction.
Col. Talbert asked the speaker II it
was possible for the legislature to vote
open %barrooms, and he unquali6edly
affirmed that it could do 80.
Col. Talbert-"Do you believe that
1t will do TIP"
Mr.. Thurmund-"I believe they
will do 1t within two years time"
Col. Talbert Then, God have
mercy upon their souls"
"A Rioh Farmer.