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

most bitterly the local option idea. At
thTt time | waS ten wears Younger
titan | am now. Siltcc then have
watched with great care the prohibi-
tlon movements, both in ihiS and 9TH
or states. and have endoavorcd to
study The question carefully and con-
srrvatlvrly with the view Of asccr-
tninin" what was best for prohibi-
lion in the long run.
cor course, what | and other true
pi"hlblli"niStS desire eventually is Il
general prohibition law for the cn-
tire state. but those of Us who think
r"nsrrvativcly upon the subject do
not want to rush into il state Of af-
fairS 'hat can not be maintained. TO
ito $" would be to do irrcparab.a
DAMAGE and injury to the cause
when we do get prohibition (and in
my Judgment that time is moi far
Off we want, to gel law that is so
backed up by public sentiment that it
will moi be farce. The only qucs-
ton, therefore, that presents itself
is: How can such a state of affairs
be best brought about7
''Away back in the S0s, when the
license system prevailed in South Car
DINA, there was tackled on to the
wmskcy laws u local option feature.
think the gifted and lamemted f..
IS. Murray was 'the author of the bill.
'lnder lis provisions various
towns III thc state went to work and
voted out whiskcv. Vigorous cam
pal@nS were made and the prohibi-
ton 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 a ma
Jority Of about 10000. Then came
the diSpcnsary law under which the
local option feature was eventually
destroyed. Under it the sale Of
wliskey WAS thrust upon communi-
ties by all sorts of questionable
methods. When dispensaries were cs-
tablished they could not be voted ont
--and they were established in hooks
and corners Of the state where, pre-
vl"uS to that time, whiSkcv had never
been sold. The result was that, with
out the local option feature, and bv
i""Ing thousands Of honest prohibi-
l"nists into believin" t.lat the. dis
prnNary law was Il step towards pro-
hlhItion. the cause that is so dear TO
our hearts received blow from
winch it may never entirely recover.
The Brice Bill.
Eventually local option feature
WAS grated un to the dispensary law
m the shape Of the Brice bill. What
was the result? Prohibition again re-
rclvcd a tremendous impetus. Coun-
ty after county in The state voted
whlskey out, and by a practical de-
monstration showed that such n law
could be enforced as well as any 9th
2r law.
Under the Brice law, however, the
state dlSpensary machine still existed.
We still had declaration from the
general assembly that it was the poll.
ry OF the State Of South Carolina TO
sell whiskey. We still had in Colum-
bla that great political machine. That
machine fought the Brcc law with all
the vim Of which it was capable. In
various counties in the state, where
whlSkey was honestly Y and fairly voted
ont. all kinds nf contests ON technical
grounds were made and the will of
the people, as expressed at the ballot
box, was thwartcd and ovcrrddcn.
Two Difficulties.
'Indcr all Of the local option
laws that we have had the prohibi-
tl"nistS have had to contend with two
serious difficulties. First. the local
"pll"h features we've tackled on to
laws which clearly defined the poll
ry OF the state TO be in favor of the
whISkcy traffic. Those laws were
passed by general assemblies which
were IN favor Of the sale Of whiskcv
as state policy. The State of South
Carolina did not outlaw the traffic.
'ln the next place, being passed by
legislators, the majority Of whom
were opposed to prohibition, adequate
machinery was not provided for the