The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1908-07-22
SOME FIGURES.

uiSpehoaiy Io"u III u ulSpenSary cOun-
ty. During the six months between
December goth, 1907, and June goth,
1903, there were collected in fines $3.50
by the city authorities of Gaffney; dur
ing the same period the fines collected
in Laurens were $2,693.30. The city
clerk of Gaffney estimates that 20 per
cent of the fines in his town were i'm
posed in cases where whiskey was in
any measure concerned; the city clerk
of Laurens estimates that 80 per cent.
of the cases here were in some way
traceable to whiskey. During the
thirty days included by the dates No
vember goth and December goth, 1907,
the city of Laurens collected 1896. 70 in
fines, almost twice as great sum as
Gaffney received in whole six months.
What does this mean? Gaffney has
no dispensary; Laurens has. Our
county furnishes its people with a
CAUSE of misconduct, then the city
makes them pay for it. The county
makes man drunk, he breaks law
and the city arrests him, imposes a
fine, turns him loose to go back and re-
peat the process. Cherokee county
does not furnish its people with whs-
key, does not make them drunk, conse-
Quently the violation of law in that
county is far less than in Laurens.
Cherokee has the reputation in this
State of being county where the law
is enforced as has the city of Gaffney;
her officers are vigilant and faithful, so
the small amount of fines collected can
not be attributed to laXness; Laurens
has an excellent corps of officials, the
enormous amount of fines imposed goes
to prove 1t. But why will we continue
to make it necessary for such fines?
We are making the people pay us for
their whiskey, then fning them for
using it Unexpectedly. THE DISPEN-
SARY is NOT CONDUCIVE TO TEMPER
ANCE; it makes easy the purchase of
whlskey and encourages its drinking.
Talk about the revenue! The PEOPLE
pay that revenue and those fines to
boot. THE DIsPENsARY is JUST ABOUT
THE HEAVIEST TAX THE PEOPLE OF
LAURENs ARE BEARING.
Let every business man in Laurens
join the Chamber of Commerce. 1t is
being re-organized and needs the sup
port of every man in the city.
Why cannot the sidewalks to the de-
pot be paved? 1t is a much-traveled
and the cost will not
be great.
Some papers are solicitously asking
what will Roosevelt do after March
fourth next year," AS for US we don't
care tinker's dam what he does.
The world has progressed a little in
the past 50 years; Laurens has kept
apace in spite of some awfully heavy
drags.
There are number of property own
ers who want the sidewalks in front of
their homes paved. Let them get to-
gether and arrange plan. Some time
ago the city of Rock Hill began work
along this line and now the walks on al
most every residence street in the city
are paved. The Chamber of Commerce
could do some effective organizing in
this direction.
Spartanburg Herald: "This being
campaign year, somebody lied, will be
the popular song of the season. "
Then last weeks disturbance in Lau-
rens politics has leaked out.
Said Willie Bryan to Willie Gonzales:
PLEASE come and play in my yard"
but the South Carolina Willie did not
say: 81 don't wanter play in your
yard"
Will the person who took the EDITORS
please return tits devilish
hot these days.
1t is unquestionably a remarkable
fact how these Laurens men can be
reelected to Offices without opposition.
This campaign year the old county fur
nises a solicitor and congressman and
both without opposition.
The average yearly expenditure in
the United States for education is
1926, 600, 900; for food supply $3.50, OOO,-
600, and for Intoxicating liquors 81 ,3OO,-
900, 900. We do do not know the exact
figure Of the expenditures in Lanrens