The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-04-21
RepIy TO "GreenWood County,"

A contribution signed "GreenWOod COun-
ty," protesting against the continuance of the
dispensary in AbbeVille county Is printed In
the paper this week. That our comment
may be direct, it may be we'll to state that
our good friend, Mr.. w. X. Blake, is author OF
the article.
MIR. Blake has many nice things to say OF
Abbeville; of her Judges, governors, war
riors and statesmen" or these, we grant that
the Greenwood section OF the old county has
furnished her full quota, but we can not grant
hat our greatness. past or present., is peril
nent 10 the discussion in hand. Fully half
the governors, judges. warriors and states
men" of whom Abbeville may boast were
reared during the bar room system in the
county and the other half. those Of latter
years, nave come into power during the con-
tinuance OF the much despised dispe nsary
system.
or course Mr.. Blake's article implies, that
the Abbeville of today should not dis
grace her fair name OF the past, when. as
matter of fact, what ever name this county
may have made for itself In the distant past
was carved out under the worst of all meth
DDS of dealing with whiskey, to-wlt: the bar
room system.
AS Abbeville's past glory has nothing to do
with the question at issue, go we believe that
Greenwood's material prosperity modestly
referred 10 by Mr.. Blake, does not touch the
issue. ...'
1t may be positively stated. that the last
decade has shown greater material prospect
ty in Abbeville than any previous decade In
her history. 1t is certain that the city OF
Columbia has grown and developed more
during the life OF the dispensary in that city
than 1t has for more than double the time. at
any previous time in Its history. We frankly
admit that the dispensary has had nothing
to do with this growth any more than Its
absence has affected the material growth OF
Greenwood. or course there Is the little In
cidental fact of county government, that
Abbevllle county paid all her county claims
cash, last year, without borrowing a dollar
and ran It's schools from seven TO nine
months. leaving a cash balance In the treas
ury at the end Of the scholastic year. And 1t
is also a fact, If our information Is correct,
that Greenwood ives now practically every
dollar OF its last years expenditures for
County purposes, by way OF notes and other
evidences OF debt, and that her schools ran,
on an average, less than six months. But
th ese too, are trivial matters, not GERMAN to
the question at issue. and we would give
them no place in deciding a moral Issue.
Our friend says: with us (Greenwoody pro-
hibition is the fixed policy" We do not
question the wisdom of the policy, as applied
TO Greenwood. We believe hat individual
restraint. and State control, cutting down
the hours Of sale and throwing other safe
guards around 1t is preferable. We have
thought that 1T suited us better. But we are
not prepared to speak for Greenwood. and do
not presume to do 30. 1t is just possible that
the tendency to drink there requires more
drastic measures.
Mentioning the fact that en- election Will
soon be held in this county on the question
Of prohibition our friend says:
MAY we not ask thai you give ua a cup OF
cold water In lieu OF a flask OF w%hiskey?"
We reply that we will not give him either
unless he comes for IT.. The law does not per-
NIT the shipment Of whiskey from one county
to another, while It does permit the ship
ment from Cincinnati, Baltimore and other
towns out Of the State TO his town. While
the business that comes to Abbeville Is con-
siderable, mostly negro trade, the great VOL
ume Of Greenwood's whiskey Ia bought out
of the State. for the reason that the express is
cheaper than the cost OF a trip TO Abbeville.
We would not have our friend mistake
our position on the liquor question. We de-
test the perate use Of liquor as much as
he possibly could; but we are not blind to
existing conditions. In his own language.
"liquor won't stay fenced. II will get over
1t. through 1t or under 1t as the emergency
requires" Believing this we have no
patience with legislation nominally prohibit
Ing. while filling the court dockets, In prohi-
bition counties, with violations Of the Dis
pensary Law.
Some such dissatisfaction with legislative
prohibition, must have struck the State OF
Nebraska, when recently twenty-five towns
which once voted themselves "dry" have
re versed their views, after an unsatisfactory
experience and have voted for license and
revenue.
The question is, whether whiskey will be
sold licltly or i~llicitly? So long as the State
can not prohibit Interstate shipments this
question can not assume any other form.
Granted that whiskey increases crime.
Granted that 1t Is not q violation OF the right
OF the individual to prohibit its sale; the
question remains, does the absence Of dis
pensaries decrease orimef
A statement from the Solicitor Of this cir.
cult, published some months ago, showing the
number OF homicides in the various counties
OF his circuit, put several OF the prohibition
counties of the circuit down as having had
considerably more homocides during the past
year THAI were set down to this county.
January and February OF 1907 the last year
that Atlanta had bar rooms, the worst form
Of handling liquor, showed about 900 arrests.
Prohibition, with its new broom, ca me along,
and in January and February 1908, arrests
were reduced to a little less than 200. But the
legislated morals OF the people broke from
restraints, and in January aud February
1909, arrests jumped up TO about COO, with
every Indication that they would finally
reach 900 the maximum under the bar room
system. That sobflety and decrease OF crime
90 hand In hand we readily admit; but that
universal sobriety is rather a dream than a
realization OF the prohibitionist seems 10 be
the fact.
Mr.. Blake asks: Twill you not help Us TO
place the %brllliancy Of the Attorney Generals
name over against the name Of dispensary,
and of him who engrafted 1t upon US to the
end of timer" We think surely that our cor
respondent must have gotten mixed on his
in Information. We have never heard that the
Attorney General opposes local option as
now applied; he Is the father of. Nor do
we know any reason why, on this Issue, bis
name should be "set over against" the name
OF Tillman. We do not understand, either
just how the recent decision Of the Supreme
Court OF the United States shout send a