The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-12-06
Wednesday,. Dec. 6. 1905.
wouldn,t Listen 10 Reason.

wouldn't Listen 10 Reason.
our good and pious Brother Sturkey Is
iolned TO his idols, or in other words, he per-
sists in lending his influence 10 IA course
which finds its chief support from those VINO
oppose the existing restrictions on Inc sale
Of liquor.
Who said that any considerable numde Oh
our people wanted p1ohibition7 Or "ho 10
foolish enough 10 believe that we will ever
have prohibition? .,
Did not the representatives of prohioltion
meet and solemnly proclaim tn at It was I'M.
wise for them 10 enter the campaign win a
leader representing their views on piohlol'
ion?
The leaders OF the movement In this STATE
spa,nsl The .xistirg legal restrictions on Inc
saIe of l,ouor have distinctly and In Woros
declared that they favor high license. FOR
reasons, u~naccoun,able 10 us, a lew rienos OF
prohibition nave taken up the absurd ioea
,ha, II they JUN the dram drinkers, Inc pa
lions Of tie oars, anu the advocates OF Icense
In their fight against the dispenssry intoxi'
can,s will be prohibited or barred from Int
counties which vote out the olspensary.
There Is not In all Of South Carolina u com.
mittee OF III ohiDluonists who do not recog-
n,ze the TACT That the prohibltlonlsts are
a mere handful of well meaning clllzens b
d. ms iorlty OF whom thoroughly realize Inc iacl
that they al mol even q factor In poiillcs,
.xcep, as lie, may lend their infuence ano
,he,t ,tlts 10 The opponents vi tho very
principle v hich lney cialm 10 ampiCn
We AJAX Mr.. eluIkty 10 stale IL wuros'
upon v hal authority, OF upon what basis u
$500 no A, IN fa a hi h1hltlOHlbl
while supporllpg the II, lowed advocates VI
high I~icense-hiyh license being Inc mos'
wicked and The mott Ctjectlohabie o1 AL
io1 ms OF The i.ganzsd traffic III liquor.
Iask him 10 prove the lacl, or ~ bring
forward the least sembiance oi proof that hs
Is aaNsLeilg lh,LiLul.h ~ ailkhihk NIL
sell WnL ala >Utlg with llkh nc,hse ~
vocates. B"
LIN man is known by the com papy ht
KEEPS Yould ask Mr. SluIkey IN all can
cor, 10 explain Why Le claimed 10 be q pro-
hlbllionlsl v lille voting with The liquor eie-
ment. <'.'f '.."
Wehavs not seen q single utterance D.
any ieauer IN this fight against the disPen-I
sary WHO. has pretended 10 clsiIn hat he ID
an advocate vi prohibition.
Prohtbilionisls al this time can be but
Mile less than recruits IN the army OF the
enemies OF the existing legal restriction.
now placed on the sale OF liquor.
The existing restrictions on the sale OF
LIQUOR will be, fought at the polls by a large
element OF the Slate. They favor some DIFF.
'ferent method Of dealing with II, whereby II
may be more easily or more readily obtained.
This condition OF anairs has been misun-
de,t,tod ty ibtke Wto dem tpTttitiop
TO the dispensary as equivalent to ~favorins
prohibition.
Mr.. Sturkey no doubt opposes the disPen-
sary for the reason that he hopes, by SOME
hocus pocrs, prohibition will follow the
breaking up OF the dispensary restrictions,
but the great multitude whose ranks be bar
augmented are fighting against the dispen
sary for quite another reason than for pro-
hibition. They hope 10 have more whiskey
or to have it In a more accessible shape.
Mr.. Sturkey says:
ut is not my purpose TO discuss methods
lieve that our people are being educated 10 q
higher standard OF morals"
Ye,: the Press and Banner qpite agrees
with Mr.. Sturkey when he says that II it
not his purpose TO Discus the method OF
regulating the whiske y traffic. AS long al
he has bis present license associates 1t would
be impoiltic for him to do 30. These asso.
ciates. II they vote out the dispensary 1t Is
fair 10 assume will regulate the trs INC In
whiskey 10 suit their own notions and with.
out any reference whatever to the wishes OF
prohibitionists.
1 do not gee how Mr.. Sturkey can say "tha,
he does not believe that the whiskey meD
have any part in voting out the dispenssry.'
II he will find one whiskey man In ten who
does not vote to do away with the dispensary
shall be surprised.
Mr.. Siurkey asks:
q you explain to the people why you
are 30 bitterly opposed TO having this matter
placed berore them."
Yes; I believe the dispensary the best
method of dealing with liquor. Under tina!
law we have had less drunkenness than under
any other system. No liquor is sold at night
or on Sundays. No liquor Is sold on credit
No places are open at night for drinking,
where the youth may be corrupted.
Second-Because I believe that, with few
exceptions, the liquor element Ia tired OF the
restrictions now placed around the sale OF
liquor, and for that reason they will vote
against the dispensary.
Third-Because I believe tina we'll mean
ing. but misguided people may vote with toe
LIQUOR element In such members as TO enable
the liquor element to gain the ascendency.
Fourth-Because l believe the doing away
of the dispensary would be followed BY re-
suits which Mr.. Sturksy and every other
good citizen would deplore.
Abbeville has had license, high license and
prohibition. And the tow now has the dis
pensary.
This editor has lived, labored and slept on
the public square for nearly forty years, and
we have seen the workings OF each OF the
AWE. No man has had q better opportunity
for observation. My testimony from a tenn
perence standpoint, is that the dispensary Is
the most ga tisfactory method Of dealing with
LIQUOR. When We had prohibition the drunk
enness and generalization was 80 great that
church people and the Temperance people
united In a petition to the Legislature for a
restoration Of the license system.
Whatever the vote In this county in 1892
may have been 1t is certain that 1t is not now
for prohibition. Temperance people, as q
rule, l believe. support the dispensary. Ii.
quor drinking people, as q rule, l believe,
oppose the dis2ensary. A little handful OF
good people are joining the LIQUOR element
in fighting the dispensary, and because Of
their fight, they seem to claim superiority o
virtue, and assume TO call themselves prohi-
bitionists, when in fact there can be scarcely