The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-10-09
Wednesday,, Oct. 9. 1907.
DIspensary or Blind Tigers.

Some of our friends are urging an election
az to whether we will have q dispensary or
/, blind tigers. In order TO make against
the dispensary, those of our elbow cit.
izens at q distance who would undertake
to control the town In which they are so
little Interested In q friendly way, ask for the
vote to be for an neutrality-suspicious."
Nobody ever heard OF the enforcement OF
prohibition" But everybody knows that
the race OF blind tigers" has not been elimi
mated from the country.
It may be right for people outside Of this
town to intermeddle with its municipal az
fairs, and 1t may be right to fool the people as
to who Will pay for the court house and the
city hall. Each man may look at 1t as he
plesses, but the fairness or the neighborly act
OF waiting to raise an objection TO the pronts
Of the dispensary until after the awarding OF
the contract for the new court house, and
while the old structure was being torn down.
is hardly commendable.
Having wlthstood the dispeI.s ary for fifteen
% years without objection. and having sat still
while the proposed contract was awarded
IL lll-becomes well meaning men 10 raise q
/. righteous howl under the pretense OF being
better than the rest of us. II a mar is op.
posed TO the dlspeusary from principe. why
wait, until the contract was let-let him say
81 at the right time or else hold his pesce
And then, again. II the people are 10 be cali
eli upon TO vote out the dispeDsary why
fool them about the taxes that are sure tu
follow?
The dispensary. no doubt, has Its o affection
able. features, but II this movement at THU
time Is not prompted by Ill will to AbbevilIe
and q desire 10 place public officers In a d.
lemms, this newspaper would be glad 10
know what IL back Of the effort. Is II
TO be believed that 1t comes from virtuous OF
good motives? II the dispensary is so very
wicked, how Is 1t that honest men, good men,
Christian men, and gentlemen have waited 81
long before finding out hat the dispenssry is
80 bat? Are they better than the rest of us,
or are they simply late 10 finding a chance 10
strike at the town Of Abbeville? II this was
q fair fight why circulate a report to
the effect that half the profits went to the
town and the other half to the city hall? II
this effort Is prompted by good inten.
lions, may we ask how to characterize the &C,
OF remaining silent until after the big
debt had been incurred? II the dispen.
sary Is bad, and we have no doubt thai
1t is. isn't the waiting until the contract wa
let for the court house, isn't 1t more repre-
hensible TO take an unfair advantage? 1.-THE
present p~retense at superior righteousness is
TO be believed. those who are leading in this
fight should tell US how 1t IL they remained
silent 30 long? We respect the conscientious
man, whether he is right or wrong, but who
can attribute the fight at this particular time
to conscientiousness? II 1t is conscientious
ness, how is it that 1t was so lately awak'
ened?
II the conscience is so sensitive about
LIQUOR how is 1t, that 1t ia so callous on the
subject OF abrogating a contracts?
There is one thing about which the people
need not deceive Them selves, even If they