The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1906-08-15
The Lexington Dispatch.
Wednesday, August 10, 1906.
An Open Letter.

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Gentlemen taxpayers, what do you
think? Hear we are on the eve OF an
election and the only talk is the liquor
business, dispensary and prohibition.
Well, God made the much talked
about stuff in the grain and gave man
the wisdom to get it out. God said
all things were good. Now the pro-
hibitionist want to put what God
made and gave to man out of mans
reach, but will never do it. We can
not do away with all that man can
sin by.
Then the dispensarites want to give
the whole control to few men. We
all know it is nature for man to work
for his own interest and it seems that
there are few that are strictly honest.
The liquor business is one of the lar
gest businesses of our State and to
put it in the hands of few men and
say to other citizens, keep your
hands off," looks like we are coming
to monarchal government.
We have some experience of the
dispensary law. Commissioners have
been accused of fraud, which is bad
on us, then comes an investigating
committee costing it's thousands of
dollars which is piled on the poor tax
payers. I am no candidate, nor no
wise man, but it looks like any sim
pleton can see how things are going.
I have seen the time when any man
that chose could put up distillery
or run bar room and there was no
more drunkenness then than now.
Men then drank pure stuff and did
not 60 crazy from poison in the drink.
I heard the "daddy'' of the dispen-
sary say give him control of the stuff
and he would pay half the taxes with
it, but taxes have been on the rise
and this year, I suppose, to pay this
investigating committee, we will have
our assessments raised and our oaths
as to valuation raised-another step
towards monarchy.
Think about it, if any man who
chose to sell it was allowed to sell
and was charged a reasonable license
say only in incorporated towns, each
dealer would strive to sell purer IL
quor at as low a price as possible to
meet his competitors, then if we are
fools enough to buy and drink it is
our own fault, if fault. AS it is the
man who don't drink is taxed to run
the business same as the one who
drinks.
Some say; Oh, the dispensary is
such help to education. Well, it
has been said, educate the negro you
spoil a good plow hand. Now, I tell
you, the white boy is not far behind
the negro in that, but take the boy
who has worked out his education
himself-he is worth three times the
boy that is educated by the public.
Now the liquor is here and is as
good as anything else in it's place.
Even Christ made it at the marriage
feast and it was pronounced good. It
is offtimes the DOCTORS last resort to
save life and it is as everything else,
we can sin by it if we choose and a
man should have his choice. God
gives him the right to sin if he chooses,
but does not will it. Getting drunk
is no more sin than the eating of the
forbidden fruit by Adam. Noah got
drunk, it don't say he sinned, but a
mark was put on his son who made
sport or laughed at his nakedness.
So you that's making big boo hoo
about the liquor business best look
out. G.. w. Reeder.
Edmund, S. c., August 2, 1906.