The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-02-05

think these influential and smart
statesmen, smart enough and meddle-
some enough in other peoples private
opinions to pass a prohibition law,
forbidding the sale Of liquor by indi-
viduals, and then too weak and I'M
potent to pass law that will enforce
the law. Any communities Of people
or individuals can pass prohibition
laws. So can they "call spirits from
the mighty deep, but will they
Gomez"
Do these so-called really want no
liquor to come within the State? Are
they sincere when they speak so feel
ingly of the danger of liquor to good
health and good morals? No! The
whole cult and cant is great COM
bination Of hypocrisy, deceit and
sharp practice, to either get themsel-
yes or favorites in Office. That's it,
and always has been since the liquor
question has been dragged into poll
tics for selfish ends. (We except the
ministers and the women of course,
the ethics of our social system always
make them stand for prohibition).
If the so-called are sincere, and are
in the majority, why don't they stop
all liquor at the boundaries cf the
State? Why must there always be a
loophole for the prohibs and their
allies to get liquor, while the others
get none. These legislators are afraid
of being met at home by their good
church brethren and prohibs with
"Hello, old boy, you went too far
with that liquor bill; we didn't mean
for us to get none, but just the other
fellows
Some years ago, in the early '8Os,
the temperance advocates in the leg
islature conceived the idea Of playing
Cervantes, On the liquor drinker, to
shame and laugh them out OF busl'
ness. A law was passed. One fine
morning all the barkeepers through
out the State were notified that a
law went into effect that day prohi.
! biting screens or doors before their
bars, and all liquors must be moved
up to the front door, so that wives
passing could see their husbands
standing up to the ba" with three
finger" in their hand; children could
see their fathers, while all the. inno-
cent and uninitiated could see the
working Of barroom in full blast.
And they soon saw it. The barkeep-
ers obeyed the law and the prohibs
laughed and laughed; even the local
prohib paper took shy at the sight
the first time in it's life to see the
! inside of a barroom. Of course it new
er entered the virtuous and innocent
hearts Of the prohibs that the old
sinners would dare enter the whiskey
shop and run the gauntlet Of their
wives and thar children. But they
! did all the SAFE. The old topers just
flocked in town in twos, fives, and
squads, calling out their set up and
while drinking would salute old COM
rades across the streets with "Here'S
! to- you." Then they would laugh and
call for more. Some brazen faced and
curious female would stop and look in
at the crowd, view with wonder the
pictures Of race horses, pugiists and
semi-nude girl Of the stage, all strung
around the walls of the bar. Other
ladies, less curious, would pass the
/ door swiftly, head erect and straight
to the front, while the great majority
passed with bowed heads in silence
and sorrow at this dire insult offered
to womanhood by those who called
; themselves temperance advocates and
friends and protectors Of the boys.
"Under such a flood light. how did
tie temperance people and good
churchmen manage to get their
grog?" Easy. They had the barkeeps
20 cut hole in the partition and hang
curtain thereover. The prohibs
would come through the back door,
tip toe up to this curtain and stick a
finger through. If he wanted corn,
his finger was straight and rigid; rye,
rrnoEod at first Joint PrOhibS al
ways drink alone, and take their medi-
cine straight. The good old church.
men came also through the back door,
but always in pairs, so that each could
advise the other Of the efficacy of IL
quor and bitters no talking out of
school. They would stir and stir their
groy. then pour more bitters in it; one
would tell of his stomach trouble, the
other Of his kidneys, and what the
doctors advised, etc., then slowly