Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1909-08-16
MONDAY EVENING AUG. 10, 1909.

BLIND tigers aud ministers Of the
gospel working side by side for prohibit
ton, in South Carolins, the pastor OF the
foremost Baptist Church in the state
speaking strongly in favor Of prohibition
in public address in Berkeley county,
and speaking IS strongly against prohi-
hilton from his own pulpit in Charles
ton. brewers, distilIers and wholesale
1iouor dealers working for prohibition,
make up q condition in the wet-or-dry
campaign now nearing its close that has
had no actual parallel 10 the ethical re-
firm movements of the United 5 a'es.
Charleston Is sgbast at the amazing
snsctscle. Twenty.one Of the forty'two
counties of South Carolina voted out the
di,penssry and went "dry." Charleston
WAS not one of them. In Charleston the
fight for prohibition is led by a commit
tee of which the Rev. Walter l. Her
bert. d. D., presiding elder of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church, is chairman
Other ministers are members OF the COM
mittee, but, as rule, the churches are
takiug no part in the campaign. There
areiu the city of Charleston eighty-seven
blind tigers, or places that sell intoxlca'-
ing liouor contrary to state law. For a
long time the blind tigers have coveted
the business done by the official dis
pensa,ies. which amounts approximate ely
to $500, 900 a year. They have
argued that if they could abolish the
dlspepssrits they could get this
nfar.million-dollar trade for themselves.
A the issue of the present campaign is
confined strictly to a choice between the
dispensary aud prohibition, with no rel
erepce whatever TO a return to the old
licensed saloon, the blind tigers hsd
only one course open to them, which
YVES 10 join the ministers and WORK ior
prohibition. This they bave done
Word is now being passed from man to
man among the customers Of the blind
tigers to vote for prohibition at the
election next Tuesday. Whether or not
these forces can carry the election no
one can predict, yet it seems to be aoso-
lutely certsin that when the votes are
counted there will be found many more
ballots for prohibition than there are
probibitioDists 10 Charleston. The part
taken by brewers, dstillers and whole
sale liquor dealers is less definite, be-
cause less accurately knOWD, but, 1t is
said, without contradiction, that agents
of the liquor interests in license states
are 10 Charleston working for prohibi
ton. To- this Well-nigh unbelievable
situation Is sddod the genuine sensat'Ou
caused by the attitude of Rev. Howard
Lee Jones, d. d., pastor OF the Citadel
Square Baptist Church, in Charleston
the Target and mos. influential Baptist
Church in South Carolina. Rev. DR..
Jones vent over into Berkeley county
to deliver number of addresses In
favor of prohibition. He did deliver
one address, which received the unqual-
fled praise and approval OF all prohibit
tionists who heard it. Then Or. Jones
returned to Charleston, and from his
own pulpit spoke strongly against pro-
hibitiOD, declaring among other things,
that prohibition in Charleston would be
screaming farce" It is idle to pre-
dict the result of tomorow's election,
because OF the unknown forces now lined
up on the side of prohibition.