The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1908-11-19
THE PROHIBITION MOVEMENT.
Rev. John L. Harley Writes Of the
Work Done i'm This State.


Please allow. me through your COL
umns to make some report on the
temperance work in South Carolina.
For six months We have been on the
firing line, and in that time we have
seen things new and old, and have
learned as We never knew before
what it means to contend for CIVIC
righteousness. AS we look back over
the field we are constrained to say
thank Godsomething has been achlev-
ed in our beloved State.
Any who will take the pains to
look over the personnel of our Senate
will note quite change IN that BODY.
Several gentlemen of the old Senate
who stood for the dispensary system,
did not make the race for reelection,
and gentlemen of different views on
the liquor question will take their
places in the new body. In other
counties where former dispensary
Senators stood for reelection, they
were defeated by gentlemen OF pro-
hibition proclivities. In fact we lost
only two prohibition Senators in the
whole State. 1t is encouraging, also,
to note that large majority of the
men in the House of Representatives
stand for Statewide prohibition. But
the LIQUOR question in South Caro-
lima is not settled yet. The old dis
pensary faction is dying hard. At
the next session of our legislature all
sorts of moves will be made, doubt
less, to thwart the prohibitionists In
their plans. Some OF the gentlemen
selected to the State Senate, and also
to the House, are in favor of State
wide prohibition, while others favor
referring the matter to the people
as was done in North Carolina last
spring As we see the matter from
our viewpoint the latter is a better
plan for more reasons than one.
If we can have a State election,
with all personal features eliminated,
and let the soveign voters OF the
State cast their ballot for or against
the dispensary system, our victory
will be so signal that 1t will make an
impression upon the entire country.
Moreover, if such an election is plan
ned the people in every county in the
State, will be educated in the cause
Of temperance through the meetings
which would be held, and thereby
create a sentiment which would go
far toward enforcing the law after 1t
is passed. We have had some indica-
ton of what can be done and how
the people feel by the victories won
I'm Laurens, Union, Clarendon, and
Chester in the past few days. A few
speakers went into each OF these
counties and held public mass meet
ings in the interest of temperance a
few days previous to the election, and
while these counties may have gone
prohibition anyway, it is safe to say
that a three to one vote would not
have been polled. We have now 22
counties with seven hundred thous-
and population in South Carolina
where no liquor is sold legally. Twen-
ty counties yet hold on to the dis
pensary system, but some OF them on
ly have one dispensary. Hence, 1t is
plain that the legalized sale OF llg-
quor in South Carolina is being
greatly curtailed.
We have arranged for DR.. P. A.
Baker, our national superintendent
of the Anti-Saloon League, to be with
us at Laurens, South Carolina, and
speak on Sunday before the South
Carolina Annual Conference the 29th
instant. We sincerely hope that the
people in the surrounding country
win make an effort to hear this noted
temperance advocate at that time.
DIR. Baker will also speak in the First
Baptist church. Spartanburg, South
Carolina, Wednesday night, Decem-
Der the End.
Our plans have been perfected for
q great State Convention, to be held
in the hall of the House of Represen-
tatiyes, Columbia, South Carolina,
Thursday, December the 4th. We
hope that every member of the State
executive committee of the Antl-Sa-
loon League of South Carolina, and
every other officer of the organlza-
ton, will be able to meet with us IN
the Senate chamber at Columbia We'd
nesday afternoon at three O'Clock,
December the 3rd Every minister
of the gospel in this State, every
State Senator, every legislatureman,
and other gentlemen will be es-
pecially invited to attend this
meeting. Please, brethren, make
your arrangements now, and be
sure to go. We have written
DIR. Anderson, our national legislative
superintendent, and hope to Sc
cure his services for the State Bap-
tist Convention, to be held in Union,
December Sth-13th.
Many things are transpiring
Throughout the whole country to en-
courage US and to urge us on to VIC
tory. More than nine thousand bar
rooms have been closed in the United
States since January first. Accord
ing to the report of the commissioner
of internal revenue there has been
decrease because of the great prohl-
bition wave this year. of $685.
094.74. We have now nine whole
States in the prohibition columns.
Only five States in the union are re-
garded as purely liquor States, while
many others, because of their local
option laws, are sweeping everything
before them. From Maine to Callfor-
-, ,nd from North Dakota to South