The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-12-17
Mr.. Blease's Plan.

Mr.. Blease' s Plan. T.
News aad Courier. ,...':
The prohibition bill to be introduce
ed by Senator Blease, Of Newberry,
has special signigeance by reason
Of the fact; that Senator Blease di-
rected the attention Of the Senate to
the view that the Constitution does
not preclude the legislature from pro-
viding that intoxicants may be sold
by the drink if they be sold by state,
county or municipal officers authoriz-
ed by the legislature The~point Of
Mr.. Blease, as We remember it, was
that the so-ealfed disp7nsary restric-
tions, which outlaw the safe Of lintoxii-
cants, except in the day time:>in ori-
ginal packages Of one half pint and
over, which must not be drunk on
the. promises Of the seller: are quail
| fed and limited by the word eli
csnse,", no *'iicenses' being lawful
for sales unless they be so restrict
ed, but that the; Constitution permits
sales by officers Of the state, ETC., in
'5such packages and quantities y
and "under such rules and regula-
tions'' as the legislature "deems ex-
| pedient.'' y :@> -: j.: -:
The measure which Me- = Blsase
proposes, as outlined il our New
berry dispatches yesterday, is sim
liar to that Senator OTIS: Of Chero-
kee, contemplates offering in SO far
as it enacts prohibition for the state
and leaves to the counties. the op-
ton Of "voting in' the whiskey
trafice. At present, cou1ties 'hav-
inc the traffic must take = af6rma-
tive action to be rid of it, and the
history Of the operation Of the Briee
law and the Carey -Cothran law has
shown this to be attended with DIFF
fculties. But Senator Blease's meas
ure appears to 60 further and to de-
stroy entirely the county dispe1sar-
les, transferring the sale Of intoxi-
cants 70 private individuals. The
dispensary plan has for one of its
central principles the removal OF
sales from individuals so that thu
motive for private profit be eimi1-
ated, the theory being that an indi-
vidual citizen, as a whiskey mer-
chant, would strive more to increase
sales than, would the state or the
county. This principle has not been
vindieated by experience. The state
dispeasary pushed sales energetical-
! ly always. and multiplied retail dis
pensaries whenever possible, and a
similar policy, as We have already
pointed out, has been adopted in
more than one county under the
county system.
Without implying that Senator
Blease's scheme should have un-
qualified commentator in any event,
| we think its popularity would@be. en-
HANGED were he to include not only
the option of licensed sales, but OF
sales by state, county or city OIL
cials in such counties as prefer that
whiskey be sold by the drink. The
inhibition Of sales by the drink and
of drinking on the premises has al
ways been of doubtful value as re-
ducer Of whiskey consumption
While it may have eliminated drink
| ing in the town saloon, it has pro-
NOTED drinking in alleys and seclud-
ed places about town, and especially
in the country. The dispensary has
probably caused an enormous IN
crease in rural drunkenness, the bot
tie Of whiskey carried to the eoun-
try gathering place, and that is the
probable explanation Of the dispe1-
sary systems failure to show any
decrease in the number Of crimes OF
violence usually attributed to intem-
iperance.