The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-10-25

alyncated with all the vim of which [
was capable a general prohibition
law for the entire state and fought
most bitterly the local option idea. At
that time I was ten years Younger
than / am now. Since tnen | have
watched with great care the prohlbl-
ton movements, both in this and 9TH
er states, and have endeavored to
study the question carefully and con-
servatively with the view Of aseer-
tanning what was best for prohibi-
ton in the long run.
"0f course, what I and other true
prohibitionists desire eventually is a
general prohibition law for the en-
tire state, but those Of US who think
conservatively upon the subject do
not want to rush into state Of af-
fairs that can not be maintained. To
do so would be to do irreparabie
damage and injury to the cause.
When We do get prohibition (and in
my judgment that time is not far
off, we want to get a law that is so
backed up by public sentiment that it
will not be farce. The only ques-
ton, therefore, that presents itself
is. How can such a state of affairs
be best brought about?
:"Away back. in the 80s, when the
license system prevailed in South Car
olina, there was tackled on to the
whiskey laws a local option feature.
I think the gifted and lamented E.
B. Murray was the author of the bill.
''Under its provisions various
towns in the state went to work and
voted out whiskey. Vigorous cam
paigns were made and the prohibi-
tion sentiment was revived and built
up. For number Of years this went
on and the cause received such an i'm
petus that in 1892, when separate
boxes were placed at the polls, the
state voted for prohibition by ma
jority of about 10000. Then came
the dispensary law under which the
local option feature was eventually
destroyed. Under it the sale of
whiskey was thrust upon communi-
ties. by all sorts of questionable
methods. When dispensaries we're es-
tabished they could not be voted out
and they were established in hooks
and corners Of the state where, pre-
vious to that time, whiskey had never
been sold. The result was that, with
out the local option feature, and by
fooling thousands of honest prohibi-
tionists into believing taat the. dis
pensary law was a step towards pro-
bibition, the cause that is so dear to
our hearts received a blow from
which it may never entirely recover.
The Brice Bill.
"Eventually a local option feature
was grated On to the dispensary law
in the shape Of the Brice bill. What
was the result? Prohibition again re-
ceived "a tremendous impetus. Coun-
ty after county in the state voted
whiskey out, and by practical de-
monstration showed that such law
could be enforced as well as any 9TH
er law. :
"Under the Briee law; however, the
state dispensary machine still existed.
We still had a declaration from the
general assembly that it was the poll:
cy Of the State of South Carolina to
sell whiskey. We still mad in Colum-
bia that great political machine. That
machine fought the Brice law with all
the vim Of which it was capable. In
various counties in the state, where
whiskey was honestly and fairly voted
out, all kinds Of contests ON technical
grounds were made and the will of
the people, as expressed at the ballot
box, was thwarted and oyerridden.
Two Difficulties.
'Under all Of the local option
laws that we have had the prohibi-
tionists have had to contend with two
serious difficulties. First, the local
option features were tackled on to
laws which clearly defined the poll
cy Of the state to be in favor of the
whiskey traffic. Those laws were
passed by general assemblies which
were in favor of the sale Of whiskey
as state policy. The State of South