The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-07-07
Chances for the Blind
Tiger in Abbeville
County Growing Ex-
eeedingIy Slim.
FRIENDS OF LAW. AND ORDER FEEL
ASSURED THAT The DlSPEhSARY
WILL REMAIN With US.
Few Representative Citizens Attend the
Mass Meeting.
communicated

Communicated
The alleged temperance meeting at Aooe-
Vile June neg 2St bro seems M 10 I r s sf GALLOWAY Of
Due West. Among other things he says IN
The Presbyterian:
at was gratifying TO see tne lnoeres, Tbe
tested by men from all over the county; Inc
impression seemed to be tnat pfoniol'ion
would carry the county,
There were, we believe, 1853 persons ptesens
including opponents on o. ot I1ens who we're
Catching how the cat would jump. II tne
interest manifesLed Is pleasing 10 those VINO
would substitute blind tigers tor me n aas.
pensary, II certainly was pleasing 10 onose
who fsyor the legitimate sale OF liquor, as
AGAINST the illegitimate sale by blind tigeIs.
While we we're not In the meeting AZ all,
and while we .b se meetin as as as" ever assembled
at a mass meeting, the impression on our
mind Is that IL was as nat q failure as couio
be found. TIN Impression on our mlno 10
That ali hope for killing the dispensary ano
Installing the blind tiger might just as well
Nv testimony would be that 1t had just
the opposite effect from tne oolect ae sncent,0 oS
had exceedingly few citizens oenlna II
There was TO the call, not the name o, stho
gle old citizen who was identlnea WIN Ine
business interests OF the city or the county
Of Abbeville.
The meeting was called q temperance meet.
ing, wnen in fact 1t was . meelfng 10 ngnt
the dispensary and which II IL nau resu.,
IL must be in the interest OF q system mat
would simply bring violations OF laW.
II has been estimated that ninety per cent
of The men sometimes use liquor themselves,
case of sickness. AS nobody In this country
is Ignorant enough to think, nnoer tne
United States interstate commerce laws, ma
the shipment Of whiskey could oe stoppeu ~
dry counties, and as there Is nobody ioollsn
enough TO think that q free born cltiZen o.
this State can be prevented from ouyips
LIQUOR when he wants II lot nlmsell or ZIG
family, the question is simply this: La IT bet
ter to buy II under the forms oflaW, or Is IL
better to buy 1t clandestinely and In Vloia-
ton OF aw? z u.,o
of LIQUOR Of late have had mach to say, out
those who would regulate 1t according 10
law relying upon the sober and Wise JUG
ment OF the people, nave said lltte. uu,
Not knowing how half dozen, men VII!
vote. we cannot certainly predict the result OF
the election as between blind tigers ana the
dispepsary. I assume, however, that NOBODY
is simple enough to 9,o believe I'VE. 'n mark KGu1 and caI I
assume further that q majority, OF the COCO
and conscientious citizens OF this county 40
not favor q system that would MAKE tnlS d
community of law breakers.
The question before us is not temperance
or intemperance. It is this: which Is worst:
the legal o. the illegal sale OF liquors?
ority in virtue by trying TO dodge response.
bility in saying that any mans vote against
the dispensary will relieve him OF RESPONSE
bility for the sale OF blind tiger llQuor. by
voting against the legal sale, he construc-
lively If not actually, votes for the illegal trsi-
The sale Of liquor cannot be stopped. II
will be bought, either legally or Illegally, and
those who vote for its Illegal sale will have
the double responsibility. namely: Responsl-
bllity for blind tigers: and responsioillty ior
conseouent fragrant violations Of the law.
THE breaking down OF public respect for
law is one Of the most serious evils mai can
aflIct q people. u,o
until his wishes were attained at AooeVllle.
In the fifty years that I have lived, laooreo
and slept on the public square, no lorm OF
regulating the traffic in liquor was 80 bad or
The voting out OF the dispensary is a posi-
bility; but there can be no such thing as
There never has been prohibition. and our
own experience al Abbeville. together WIN
the recent experience in Charleston, augusta,
Atlanta, and other towns before me 40 aGt y
II were possible, 1t Is not right. Inc sale
ofliquor should be regulated by aw-prohi-
billion Is not right. There occur almost DAILY
where feeble old folks need It. Is it for you
or for me to say that the physician shall not
prescribe it,.or that old inhrm people snail
not have II?
But to return to the mess meeting on the
18th ultimo. 1t reads IKE this:
"You are invited and earnestly requested
to attend q mass meeting OF the trlenos OF
temperance in Abbev!lle county, which VIII
be held in the Court House, Saturday, June
26th, at y o'clock, for the purpose OF organiz-
ing the temperance force OF the county.
Addresses will be made oy Key; j. l. marcy
saloon League; j. S. Moftatt, President OF
Erskine College, and Judge Featherstone
(Signed) Rev. &C. wilkins Rev; b; Ken
Rev. Henry Stokes"
1t will be noticed:
First-Thatt those who would break ooWn
the legal sale of liquor to install a visionary
scheme, claim TO be the temperance men.
Second-That Rev. j. L.. Harley 1s president
of an snti-saloon league In q State where
there has not been a saloon In fifteen years.
1t seems that he ought TO nave heard OIL thls
Thirdeit Will be noticed that 1t ia explain
ed that ~. S. Moffatt" is president OF Erskine
College and the Invitation reads very mnch
like he was also President OF Judge teathel-
stone.
Fourth-It was not explained who Judge
Featherstone is. but the people generally IN
derstand that be is q candidate for Governor
on the anti-saloon ticket. But whether car
didate or not on any ticket we praise him tor
his wisdom. his fairness. and his sense OF the
prophecies for not thrusting. himself upon q
people who had not invited him to NEEDLE
with their local affairs. Whatever the facts
may be, the people Of the city and county or
AOD0Vlll6 mHy JGSl ludI luCy i ~ ~ oh-
tend to their own affairs, without importing
men who have not Intelligence enough TO
know that there are no saloons In South Car
DINA.
the friends of temperance? Are they the
good and well meaning men who would
abolish the dispensary?
Are they the Bame men who would make
possible the reign of the blind tiger?
Are they the men who have made little or
no legal provision in case they vote out the
dispensary TO prevent the county from being
flooded with free liquor?
Are they the men who would place tempta-
ton in the way OF weak men, and thus send
an array Of men to the chain gang, even as
Anderson. a short time ago. had So negroes
and II white men, while Abbeville had on
the county chain gang had only IA negroes.
Are they the same men who woula place
temptation in the face OF a white man. q
stranger lin q strange land, and arrest him
for siI violations OF the prohibition law, and
then require him 10 put up $50 In cash, or
suffer worse, for selling in the aggregate per-
haps less than a gallon of liquor?
Are these temperance men any part OF
those who would not under any
ces buy pint otliquor illegally? Would they
II they bought the liquor, then do 80 disrep-
utable an act as TO inform on the man whom
they lad led into temptation?
The idea OF having u. s. Moffatt" TO play
second fiddle to REV. J: L.: Harley" is sug.
gestive of the fact that the President of Frs.
kline College ought TO be q little particular
as to where and when he appears on a politi-
Ii will be seen that "J. $. Moffatt' had no
title given to him, not even Mr." 1t may be
that bis great ability, his high character, his
broad mind, his great intellect, and the ex-
allied place which he holds as president OF
Erskine College made 1t unnecessary TO add
any title at all to his name. Henry Ward
Beecher declined the honorary degree Of D..
D.. Being perhaps the greatest preacher on
this continent he did not need the ID. D.. and
30 1t may be that ~. $. Motfatt" OVERS so
high that he needs no title.
We nave heard 1t whispered that friends OF