The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-03-17
Mecormiek's Mutual Admiration Society.

mcGoII1ICk ) MUTUAL HuIIllI dIlUH SUCiety.
We learn that an anti-Abbeville meeting
was held one night last week at Mccormick.
The announced subject Of the meeting was
anti.dispensary, but 1t developed That the
and the dlspepsary than against the drunken
ness and tipling habit.
The Georgia prohibition was held up as the
very acme In promoting sobriety and ex.
cellenoe OF department.. Prohibition makes
men in Georgia treat their animals better,
and tina makes men love their wives and
children better.
One good and extra pious brother was not
surprised that the Press and Banner was for
the dispensary and as a reasen for his non-
surprise said the editor Of that paper was OPP
posed to foreign Missions.
Another man who was almost too good to
walk this terrestrial ball as long as the dis.
penssry existed Is reported to have stated
that the court house and city hall were built
with liquor profits.
1t was also said by some one that Abbeville
would later on tear down her new public
buildings to build finer ones, II the dispense
~ was not closed.
In this zeal for temperance and In this holy
horror Of dispensary profits 1t has been sug-
gested privately If note publicly that the
trustees Of the Mccormick school might re-
fuse their pro rata share Of the dlspensary
profits. =
One mighty good man who ia regarded as
perfectly sincere, Is reported to have said, II
he was living at Abbeville he would favor
the dispensary.
While the Press and Banner would not
representing the facts, yet we think a public
speaker should inform himself before attempt
Ing to enIigh:en the people upon q subject OF
which he ia totally ignorant. and whose
statements are not only untrue, but are mis-
leading.
The Press and Banner would set the people
on their guard against misleading statements
OF public speakers whose zeal may prompt
them to manufacture or TO imagine their
facts, without themselves having real knowl.
edge OF what they are talking about.
First-Any sort OF certificates can be had "a
to the effects Of Georgia prohibition. The
Press and Banner regards records Of the city
courts as perhape more reliable b any
OlQ6E. Lucy ChuuoL 10 odLloldCtOEy W nhy
real prohibitionisi. and no prohibitionist
quotes recent records.
1Seoond-The good brother who said that
the Press and Banner was opposed 10 foreign
missions was not surprised that this paper
favored the dlspensary. II the good brother
had been careful to tell the whole truth, just
as 1t is, be could have %truthfully said that the
editor of this newspaper 10 opposed to the
oppression Of little home mission churches
to support the barren, futile and vision-
airy efforts Of missionaries sent to a people
who are totally unable to support a preach
or, even II every one OF them vas con.
verted. This editor is opposed TO crush:
Ing home mission churches TO sustain
an impractical and visionary scheme in a
foreign land. The good brother had no argu-
ment to sustain the relevancy between the
dispensary and the opposition to crushing
home missions.
Third-As far as we are informed, not one
dollar OF dispensary money has gone Into the
building ofthe new court house. II the good
brother who made that assertion had taken
the tsouble to read the law and to ascertain
the facts, as published In this newspaper two
weeks ago, he would not have made the
statement. The court house Is being paid
for by taxation. Some $4,000 or Sl7,OO 0 was
levied onsll the property OF this county for
that purpose last year. We are not Informed
as to the amount Of tax which the supply bill
at the recent Legislature imposes for our
public buildings. The profts OF the dispen-
sary 60: One-third to the town. one-third to
county for roads and bridges and one.third to
the schools. But the people are paying for
the court house by direct taxation. We take
1t for granted that no preacher In Abbevi1le
county would knowingly misrepresent the
facts as to the dIspensary or any other cause.
! For the reason that public speakers. and es-
pecially preachers should enlighten the peo-
pie and not deceive them, they should aa-
certain facts, and not make public statements
upon which the people may not depend, and
which some of their bearers may know is
contrary 70 truth.
~Fourth-Ifany convert thinks the schools
should not have the dispensary money, he Is
right in saying 80. Nobody will knowingly
force that money on anybody. There are
other people and other schools to which the
dispensary none may go.
This newspaper has jokingly referred to
the profits Of the dispensary money going to
nav for the court house, for the reason that 30
mauy misinformed people persist in making
the statement which lacks fact for a founda-
ton. 1t Is not our purpose. however. to let
public speakers assert as a fact unchallenged
statements which contain not one word of
truth. II our public speakers shall hereafter
utter absolute and undeniabie untruths as to
the court house we shall feel called upon to
call attention to ~disreputable or reprehensi-
BILE methods.