Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-07-21
Miseellaasol1s 8eading.
THE pIsPENsARY ARRAIeNEp.
A Statement Issued In Anderson A.
to the Law Governing the Situation.

dress:
To the Voters Of Anderson County:
You are to have a chance to express
yourselves for or against the South
Carolina liquor dispensary. There Is
/ to be yino excitement, no beating OF
drums, and blowing of trumpets, but
there is quiet, steady determination
upon the part of our citizens to bring
this Institution to the bar of public
opinion.
| It was promised that the dispensary
was to be a great moral institution" :"
Has 1t met that expectation fairly?
1t was promised that It would greatly
reduce the sale of liquor, and many
of us believed It, and determined to
give 1t fair trial. We are not pleas
ed with results.
| We are not pleased that the con-
sumption Of legalized poison should
have increased every year until 1t
last year reached the enormous total
Of $3.500.000, and that dispensary off,
cials have reached the point, as the
daily papers recently reported. where
they now refuse to give out informa-
ton as to how much of the stuff they
do SELL
| It was promised that the revenue
accruing from the dispensary would
greatly reduce taxes. 1t has not done
| ha 70 raf 70 In a q
almost doubled since the dispensary
has been In vogue. Notwithstanding the
fact that the assessment has been
raised from $6,000,000 to $11,000,000
during the same period. The assess
ment throughout the state has been in
creased proportionately. yet the rate
for state purposes is higher In this
year Of grace 1905 than II has been for
Is years. while the deficit in the state
treasury Is greater than 1t has been
for many years 1t is evident, then,
that the dispensary as a means Of rev.
enue has been stupendous failure.
We are not pleased that beer shops
or additional salesrooms have been
grated on to the system-in violation
of law. as many think-in order that
the receipts of the moral institution
might be increased and the volume Of
business grow.
We are not pleased that the liquor
dispensers, officers Of this state, SOL
emnly sworn to observe and uphold
the law, should openly and f1agrantly
violate the law. requiring from pur-
chasers written requests" for IL
quors, for fear that the sale of liquors
might be reduced. as the law intended
that II should be.
We are not pleased that the officers
whom we have put in charge Of the
dispensary to see that the law Is en-
forced. should think that we put them
there to ply a commercial venture-to
coin deuars for a proud state at the
expense of citizenship-to push the
sale" Of poisonous liquors among her
young men and among the helpless
states treasury at the cost Of those
whom the state should be most solic-
itlous to protect.
We are not pleased that men should
more eagerly seek the "jobs" or posi-
tions on the state board Of control In
Columbia at s400 a year than they
seek the governorship of this proud
commonwealth. and more eagerly than
they seek seats In congress from South
Carolina at $1,000 a year.
And we regard it as most significant
that those who were friendliest, those
who hoped for most from the dispensary
as regulative measure. cannot longer
avoid the stencil Of its moral atmos-
phere and are being driven to admit
that the institution reeks with corrup-
ton and lawlessness and that the ex-
pertinent has failed.
True. we get a little income from
the dispensary. But at what cost!
We put in tens of thousands to draw
ou. hundreds: we have heavier court
dockets and court expenses and heav-
Ter taxes every year: we give our young
men, at great economic loss. to the
demon Of drink: and. worst Of all. we
make our mother state the agent to
furnish to them the means Of de-
bauching their characters and destroy
ing their souls.
Some say that Anderson county
Twill not enforce" prohibition law.
They enforce It in Marlboro; can we
not do as well as Marlboro? The
Charlotte News. week ago. showed
how we'll they are enforcing 1t there:
Is public sentiment In Anderson county
not as enlightened as 1t Is In Meek
lenburg? Our neighbors tell us that
1t is well enforced in many counties In
Georgia, and we do not believe that
the moral atmosphere and the stand
ard Of citizenship In this county Is in
ferior to that of any counties In our
sister state.
In Marlboro county the first con-
victed blind tiger" keeper was
promptly fined s4OO. He moved to
another town and opened up again.
He was promptly convicted again and
fined $500. when he quit the business
in disgust. Anderson county will profit
by her example.
Let us all, at the very beginning Of
this movement. pledge ourselves. as
this committee does, to do our full duty
in enforcing the law when we get 1t.
Certain citizens fear that to disturb
the existing conditions is to take a
step towards high license" and open
barrooms. They need never fear that
South Carolina Legislature will dis
regard the expressed wish Of the voters
In any county; and public sentiment,
In this county. has advanced too far
for open barrooms to ever again be a
real menace here Furthermore, the
advocates of "high license" In the leg
islature will find themselves solidly
opposed. not only by the present advo-
Gates of prohibition: but also by the
upholders of the dispensary system;
and they would be doomed In advance
to a worse defeat than that which
now awaits the dispensary And. final
| ly, under the present constitutional
provisions. the municipal authorities
m a,ot lioapo. opd tho lppiSla ture cam