The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-06-20
CORRUPTION.
When Bar Rooms are Opened South
Carolina Will BE Restored TO Her
Eorrner proud pOSifiou


Former Proud Position.
The State dispeusary should go: There Is
enough corruption and graft brought to light
TO make all honest men shudder. Soutu lar-
oIina's fair name Is worth far more than What
Is derived from the sale of whiskey. Inc
coming primary should decide the fate OF the
machine. Men should be sent to the House
of Represen tatives and the Senate who Will
wipe the state corrupting machine out and
restore South Carolina 10 her former prouo
ion.--Black sburg Chronicle.
No, no; neighbor. 1t isn't time for the dis
pensary to 60. But 1t is time for the corrup-
tion of that institution to GO.
There was time when 1t was believed that
there was great corruption In the Legislature
and in the State offices. The offices and the
Legisture didn't 60. but there was change OF
Legislators and officers, and the corruption
went with them.
There was q time when there was Repub-
lican printing company In Columbia. II was
believed to be corrupt. Upder reform ad-
ministration, the corruption went, but Inc
printing business still goes on in Columbia.
Not SO long ago, there was a great cry of
corruption in one or more county offices In
Greenvllle. We have heard nothing about
abolishing any o1ace in Gteenville, but the
depce.
No; the time for temperance people 10 JOIN
hands with the barroom advocates TO break
up the dispensary has not yet come.
The Press and Banner consents to all the
charges tha: nave been made or can be made
against the dispensary. This paper believes
that oue-half of the sins OF liquor-selling has
not been told The selling Of liquor IN any
form is destructive Of public morals and ipju-
rious to private character. The dispensary Is
bad indeed.
But one barroom Is ten times as bad as a
/ dispenssry.
The high cense barroom system Is ten
times as bad Ms the ordinary license. With
high license would come bars that were kept
by rich men, when poor lnen would be denied
the righ: 10 compete with them In business.
Rich men with power. would feel less scruple
about "doctoring' the liquor or Ia extorting
high prices, or in disCb 'ylng The law.
Barrooms as we had them In former times
were the last to close at night and the fist 10
open In the morning. The back doors OF bar
rooms were not always closed on Sunday.
Yes; the dispensary is bad. very bad. We
all know that, and nobody denies 1t. But in
thirteen years boys have grown to be men,
some of whom were never in barroom.
The advocates Of the bars can with truth
point to the evils Of the dispensary. And
there is no denying those evils. But In tell
ing of the evils OF the dispensary. the ten-fold
more wicked business of the bars, is kept In
the back ground.
Our boys ought to be taught habits of tenn
e oI ohut{ Thara is
no telling what calamity may come upon this
people. When temperance men go into the
LIQUOR camp, as some have done, aiding the
enemies Of the dispensary in their efforts TO
restore the barrooms the country is not sa fe
from flood Of debauchery and demoraliza-
tion.
II our memory Is not at fault, bar keepers
thought before the war that the ideal way OF
managing the sale OF liquor was by high
license. That was some forty or hfty years
ago, when preachers, church people gener-
ally, and temperance men everywhere. were
fgnting for prohibition. No man Of that day
ever dreamed, or ever thought that any re-
spectacle preacher or any honest temperance
man would join the barroom advocates in
their efforts to open high licensed bars.
1ne ulspepsdry gives us plOuIoiLloh iioL'
sunset TO sunrise, and II our dispensary has
ever been opened on Sunday we never knew
Of 1t. or have forgotten the fact. II temper
arce men are sincere in their declarations,
their conduct in going into the liquor camp
Is not understood. 1t is the first time that we
ever knew temperance men to abandon their
fellows to go into the LIQUOR camp. And the
strange thing to us Is, that they manifest no
sense of their Inconsistency, or their lack OF
failure 20 make their actions square with
their words.
We are not Informed as 10 the true position
of the Blacksburg Chronicle. But It's utter
ance would lead Us to believe that 1t advo-
Gates the doing away Of the dispensary In Or
der to restore the bars-high licenced bars at
that.
The Press and Banner is heartily In sympa-
thy with any and all efforts to remove the
corruption that may exist In the dispensary.
Clean out the establishment, and put better
men In their places. Fix suitable salaries for
those who may be put in office. and let our
Legis lators prescribe their duties and fix pen
al,ies to fit any violations Of the law.