Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-08-23

concerns the morals and health OF
the people, and right here is where
we part company in dealing with this
question. The probibitionists in
general and you, my dear doctor, as
one of the leaders, are thoroughly
imbued with the belief that liquor
drinking is dangerous to the morals,
good order, health and safety of the
people, and you would, therefore,
forbid it's sale in any way as a bever-
age and would limit it's use to medici.
nal, pharmaceutical and mechanical
purposes. South Carolina declares
in the dispensary law itself:
"The manufacture, sale, barter or
exchange, receipt or acceptance for
unlawful use, delivery, storing and
keeping in possession within this
State of any spirituous, malt, vinous,
fermented, brewed (whether lager or
rice beer) or other liquors, any CON-
pound or mixture thereof, by what
ever name called or known, which
contains alcohol and is used as a
beverage, except as is hereafter pro.
vided, is hereby prohibited under a
penalty of not less than three nor
more than twelve months at hard
labor in the State penitentiary, or
pay fine of not less than 500 nor
more than $500, or both fine and i'm
prisonment, in the discretion of the
court, for each offense. All alco-
holic liquors in this State, whether
manufactured within this State or
elsewhere, not having been tested by
the chemist of the South Carolina
College and found to be pure and
free from poisonous, hurtful and dele
terious matters, are hereby declared
to be of a detrimental character,
and their use and consumption are
against the morals, good health and
safety of the State," etc.
In the judgment of the legislature
which enacted the law as a compro-
mise, the dispensary system would
bring about the best results. You
and your friends make of this ques-
tion a religious issue, while the sup
porters of the dispensary law con-
slider it political issue and the peo-
pie of the State have six times, by
overwhelming majorities, sustained
our view. You and your friends
have time and time again presented
your ideas and pressed them with
vigor and ability, but the voters
have not seen it as you did.
would be the last man to lower
the ideals of our schools. | would
be the last man to throw temptation
in the way of any one, young or old.
l would be the last man to teach any
child that liquor is not dangerous,
but is it the duty of a statesman to
hobble the devil when he can't be
chained, 80 to speak, or is it his duty
to simply say be wants to see him
hobbled or chained and then let him
loose? The dispensary law, prop
erly administered, does reduce drunk
enness. 1t does conduce to temper
ance and good morals, and teaches
men the uses of liquor rather than
the abuses of it. That the State
board of control is under suspicion
of corruption, with many things
pointing to the belief that the suspi-
cion is well grounded, that the local
dispensers have been debauched, be-
cause of the lax administration or
mal-administration, proves nothing.
Pope long since epitomized this
whole subject in that well-known
couplet:
about forms of law, let fools contest,
That law which is best administered is
best"
And our not agreeing on the dis
pensary question and the liquor ques-
tion comes from the fundamental
difference of opinion as to how it is
best to police the liquor traffic. The
prohibitionists declare it is sinful to
drink in moderation wine or whiskey,