Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-09-08


the removal Of dispensaries as well
as on their establishment. He took
no part In establishing the grog shop
in Yorkville; but voted against 1t and
advised others to do the same.
Now, do not ask you to take what
say on this proposition Of the dis
pensary offering the best solution OF
the liquor question, / want you to give
the matter your most careful consider
alton and vote as you please In ac-
cordance with the dictates Of your best
judgment and a clean conscience. .a,
I say that the dispensary law Is un-
democratic. John Stuart Mill said
more than a hundred years ago that
the act of the state In engaging In a
business involving the monopoly OF any
article of commerce, necessarily In
vites corruption because the indivtd-
ual feels that in the matter Of COM
merce he has a right to do whatever
the state does. The history OF the
dispensary has proved the truth OF this
proposition.
Next Senator Brice reviewed the de-
velopment of the dispensary law.
showing how II was at first made to
apply to the whole state-except In such
counties as were previously dry by leg
islative enactment; how there was an
amendment providing that these coun-
ties could establish dispensaries on a
vote Of the people; how the general
assembly afterward provided for the
establishment Of dispensaries regard
less Of the voters and how when the
people Of incorporated towns refused
to stand for the liquor traffic the gen.
eral assembly, In certain instances, pro-
vided for the establishment Of dispen-
saries In the rural districts. All this
was undemocratic; but no more so
than the fact that IL John Sandifer
should sell whisky at night, he might
be liable to Imprisonment In the pen
itentiary: while q rich man might
build q fine so-called tourists hotel In
Yorkville and get from the state board
of control the right to sell whisky
when he chose night or day. by the
drink or otherwise.
But the fact that 1t Is undemocratic
Is not the real objection to this dam
nable law. A more serious objection
Is the fact that 1t makes every man and
woman In the state party to the IL
quor business and elevates that business
to a high eminence Of respectability
where II tempts people who would not
have otherwise come within its baleful
influence.
Then again the statistics show that
the conduct of the dispensary has been
attended by q marked increase In
crime. During the period from 1888 to
1898 inclusive, the attorney general 8
report shows 2,506 cases Of assault and
battery and TT cases of murder. This
was before the establishment OF the
dispensary. During similar period
following the establishment Of the dis
pensary from 1894 to 1899 inclusive.
nf
battery and 1928 murders, an increase
of 70 per cent Of murders and 40 per
cent Of assault and battery. Liquor
causes lawlessness and II Is fair In
ference that the dispensary law causes
lawle ssness in South Carolina In 1899
there were 248 murder cases In this
state-more than there were In Japan
with her forty millions Of people.
After discussing the crime feature
Sc lator Brice proceeded to denounce
the effort to popularize the law by en-
grating II on to the states most cher
ished insti.ution-the free school sys-
tenn. Here he warmed UP to the sub
ject and was most scathing In his de-
nunciation. =,
at is a common cheat and swindle,' y
he declared, "a delusion, a fraud, 2
miserable makeshift, vast lake OF pitch
who touches 1t. 1t Is a deadly vam-
pire whose hellish wings hover over
every home In South Carolina. It Is q
whitened sepulcher, beautiful without;
but within filled with dead mems
bones. It Is the dog returning to his
yomit again, the SOW that was washed
going back to her wallowing In the
mire. Instead Of a step toward prohi-
bitlon It Is a step toward perdition
Instead of liquor chemically pure 1t Is
pure chemicals. In brief my position
on the dispensary system, Is that 1t Is
worse than bar rooms, worse than bline
tigers. worse than no law at ALL
For q dispensary advocate to get UP
before an audience Of intelligent peo-
pie and denounce liquor and talk
about the evils, the barrooms and
blind tigers is like the devil dressed
up in long tail coat and SILK hat
and with q long, hypocritical race
rayening wolf in sleeps clothing
telling the people to beware Of Peel
zebub or he will debauch them, when
the devil with his greater ability, pow
er and influence can make them ten
fold more the children OF hell than
can any Of his lieutenants.
The dispensary needs defense and l,
needs the defense. of man like Sena-
tor Tillman. A weaker man could mol
carry the load. He boasts that 1t Is
his baby. II were the father OF a thir.
teen-year-old baby that was guilty o1
so much murder, so much stealing
and had debauched so many people
until its work had begun to sap the
very foundations Of the state itself,
would hang my head In shame and
confess to the people Of South caro-,
H.. II, ms
God in bringing this unnatural crea'
ture into existence. (Cheersl.
II you do not believe the devil Is In
LIQUOR, Senator Brice advised, just
drink enough Of It, and the blue dey-
lis will come and sit down on the side
of your bed to keep you company be-
fore you reach the home Of Dives.
It Is useless to argue that the DIS
pensary law has not had fair chance
in South Carolina. 1t has never beer
in the hands Of its enemies until last
year. Every change that has been
made in that law has been made IN
its interest, as its friends supposed
I have been a member Of the state
government for four or five years and
I am the worst enemy the law mas
had since 1900. The only important
change in the law since 1896 was thai
the right to name county boards ol
control. The only dlspensary In this
county Is the one at Yorkville. / have
seen to 1t that 1t was In the hands ol
good, clean men who were enemies OF
the system. I selected Mr.. Snider
who discharged his duty honestly and
I also am responsible for the ap-
pointment Of Mr. Sandifer, who Is my
personal and political friend. and
clean man. But this Yorkvllle dis.
pensary is only little baby lion tina,
has not yet cut its claws. II 1t Is mol
wiped out 1t will eventually become as
corrupt as the worst OF them.
1t Is useless to argue that the dispen'
sary system has fallen into the hands
of thieves. 1t Is not the fault OF these
men that they are unclean. They
were honest enough when they TOOK
charge. They did not debauch the
dispensary. The dispensary debauch-
ed them. The thing Is rotten TO the
core and you cannot possibly make II
clean. [Cheers and counter cheers
for Brice and Tillmanl.
If Senator Tillman would take the
position that had been taken by the
Junior senator-that 1t was prop
er for the respective counties tc
deal with this question as they pleas
ed, Senator Brice said he would have
no quarrel with him; but when he as
sumes to say that we have no right
to rid ourselves Of that damnable law,
I will hit him.
This dispensary law involves ques-
tions that are both moral and politi-
CAL I would not try to deny that;
IL.