The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-06-27
PROHIBITION A FAILURE.
The Conditions in Brice Law Edge
:. field Call for Law and Order
League.

To the Editor Of The News and
Courier: In recent issue Of your
Paper you republished an editorial
from the Edgefeld Adviser charging
rae with having done this town and
county a manifest injustice by herald
ing to the world the statement that
prohibition is a failure in Edgefeld.
In justice to myself beg that you
publish the enclosed reply, which I
have addressed to the editor of the
Advertiser.
To the Editor of Edgeheld Adver-
tiser: In your last weeks issue you
charge editorially that in a letter to
the Charleston News and Courier I
| did our town and county a mani
ifest injustice by heralding to the
! world the statement that prohibition
is a failure in Edgefeld,' quoting me
a.: saying, alluding to the recent call
for the organization Of a law and orr
der league, mot only the action in is
suing the call but the call itself is a
confession that the prohibition law
since its adoption in Edgefeld has
been failure I deny your charge,
ard in making it respectfully submit
that you have done me an injustice:
Before presenting what shall have
to say allow me to remind you that
I have been The News and Courier's
correspondent for a period covering
something like ten years, during
which time I have said thousand
things laudatory of this people, and
as many times by my humble pen,
have "heralded'' to the world the
virtues and advantages of this town
and county, and yet as far as I re-
call this is the first time you have ever
copied or referred to any Of my writ
insss, and you now do with at least the
apparent desire to do me an injury.
But as to this I trust am mistaken,
my purpose in this article being to be
perfectly fair and respectful. Mind
YOU, have no protest to enter against
your having copied an extract from
my article, only in all these years you
might have seen some good in my
writings. You only quoted part Of
what I said. For a proper apprecia-
ton Of my position, and Of the issue
between us, it is ::.ma,nifestly" just
that the entire portion Of the article
relative to, the question at hand be
given. After quoting the call I wrote:
Law is generally enforced by its Of
fcers and the individual citizens
this is the natural channel. Abnor-
NAL conditions-fagrant violations Of
the LAWS the justification for an
effort to enforce it through an in
derendent organized body. Not only
the action in issuing the call, but the
call itself is a confession that the
prohibition law since its adoption in
Edgefeld has been failure. Nor
does the law in the writer's mind,
represent~the sentiment of a majority
of our voters. OF course, no one
questions the right and sincerity Of
the promoters Of the organization
and those who will join them, but
there are some equally as sincere who
question the wisdom or expediency
Of the movement
You say that I heralded to the
world the statement that prohibition
has been a failure in Edgefeld. In
the article referred to I expressed no
opinion of my own on this point, I
made no such statement, but the call
itself and the action had hereunder
was a recognition Of the fact that the
law had been failure in that its
provisions have been fagrantly and
N1OldlOO w 1lClllCl VI
not the law has been SO violated, and
whether or not a recognition Of this
fact and determination to stop it,
and hereafter to see to the enforce
men. of the outraged law, led some
of cur good people to form the
League, is the sole question between
US.
If true, then my Interpretation Of
the call is correct, If not, than / hon
eStly confess I have unintenionally
done the injury charged. Law, vio-
lation of which all good citizens,
among whom I modestly make bold TO
number myself, deplore. is generally
and almost universally enforced
through we'll organized and estab-
lished channels-by its officers and
the individual citizen. A stern rec
ognition of its fragrant violation that
goes unwhipt of justice and a rish-