Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-06-21
WALHALLA, 3. g. :
WEDNESDAY. JUNEaa. 1905.
WILL eReENvILLe ABOLISH OlsPENsARY I

week, at which there were Splendld
speeches made and strong resolutions
adopted asking for an election in the
near future on the question of closing
the dispensares of that county.
From the general trend of affairs in
regard to the whiskey traffic it looks to
as that South Carolina is rapidly drawing
toward the ranks of prohibition, which
is the only alternative If the dispensary
is repudiated by the people of the State.
With strict prohibition law, properly
enforced, there is no question as to the
+. greatness of the blessing such condi-
tion would prove to the State. When
every citizen who will vote for prohibit
tion will also feel it personal duty,
should prohibition become a reality, to
do his full share in seeing that the laws
are enforced, there will be a marked ad-
vance in the social, financial and com.
mercial interests OF the State. The bale
full influence of whiskey is seen in overy
channel of life wherever it is used, and
especially 80 in those parts of the coun-
try where its handling is intimately COM
mingled with politics.
lures, if indeed such thing can be pos
sible in the whiskey business, there is
no doubt. 1t is infinitely better than the
open bar, which, bad as it is, is para
gon of goodness beside the "blind tiger"
When the people of the State are ready
for prohibition and will support the Law
as well as vote for it, we will have pro-
hibition in its true sense, and with it
will come better condition for the
whole State.
The theory is often advanced that the
public schools of the state will have to
close if the dispehsary profits are with
drawn. We have too much confidence
in the people of the proud old State of
South Carolina to believe for one mo-
ment that they will in effect say to the
world, unless we can educate our chill
dren from profits on the sale of whiskey
we will close our public schools. AS a
general thing, it is the poor man who
supports the dispensary, and in doing so
he furnishes the funds for running the
schools. An equitable basis of taxation
can be fixed whereby the schools may be
Kun, and the man who has supported
both dispensary and schools can still as
sist in supporting the schools. There
are few men in this State SO poor that
they cannot stand the slight increase
in taxation that would be neces-
sary to raise funds to take the place of
the dispensary profits for tho support of
the public schools.
In his speech before the Greenvlle
meeting JOS. A. Mccullough, Esq, gave
six reasons why he is opposed to the dis
pensary. They are we'll put, and we re-
produce them here as worthy of careful
and thoughtful consideration by the
voters of South Carolina:
There are six reasons why / oppose
the dispensary, or any other system of
selling Intoxicating liquors as beverage.
l. 1t is condemned by it's own record.
The church, the school and the saloon
all started out on an equal basis. The
church and the school are justified by
their work; the saloon has wrought out
its own condemnation. The people first
cried free liquor; they next tried license
as means of regulation and repudiated
that; they next tried the dispensary, and
will soon repudiate that. The sale of
liquor has no one TO blame for it's down.
fall but itself.
2. 1, lowers our ideals and standards.
1t makes the sale of liquor respectable,
speculates on the weaknesses and vices
of the people, and dcgrades legislation
70 the plane of our lower appetites.
3. 1t is based on false financial ideas
The dispensary profits come from the
pockets of our own people and that, too,
a class i'll able to afford it. We should
not take the bread from tho mouths of
the hungry and clothes from the backs
of the naked in order to ran our public
institutions The dispensary brings no
money from outside of the community
The only just way to raise funds to meet
che expenditure of government is by the
legitimate exercise of the taxing power.
4. II is failure as a prohibition
measure. The little good claimed for
She system is due to it's prohibition fea
tures. But the effect is to extend the
sale by advertising and pushing popular
brands, guaranteeing pure article, and
thereby increase the profits. In case of
luxuries, unlike necessaries, the supply
creates the demand. Just as you cut of
the supply the demand will correspond
Rngly decrease. We do not claim that
prohibition would absolutely prohibit.
So law will do this, but we do believe
that prohibition will diminish the use
and consumption of liquors, and to that
extent benefit society Az witness the OK
perience OF those counties that have
tried both prohibition and dispensary.
3. 1t is an enemy of good govern
ment. Coed government seeks to
strengthen itself by building up the
individual, the dispensary seeks to
drag him down. Good government
means the overthrow of the dispensary;
the success of the dispensary means the
overthrow of good govrnmcnt. The gov
ernment should be consistent.
IA n.