The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-07-21

city Under pfOhlbItlOn us COTHTHFFu VII 6"Il
condition existing previous 10 Inc CLOSING a.
the dispeusary, has been received. anu IL
answering your inquiry / nave carelul!y cun,
suited the records NJ tie city poltre coui' ANU
of the local eX press office in All effort TO give
YOU facts and figures that show III Il more
con vincing manner than all other evidence
conditions as they actually are In Anoersou,
The dispensary was voted out OF The county
by a majority ore 10 In an election held IN
November, 1905. 1t was closed on or about
the l4th day OF January; l9OG, and since that
time there has been no legal sale OF intoxica-
ting beverages In the city or county. Probl-
bition has been in force here for more than
three years, a period long enough to give IT q
fair test. Public sentiment Is strongly
against the sale of whiskey and this popula-
feeling against the drink evil has naturally
been of incalcuable assistance to the officers
in enforcing:the law to making prohlbltlon
u real blessing to the CONN unity.
An examination OF the records OF the police
court show for the year ending January HIM.
1906. (the date Of the closing OF the dispensary,
lao cases were tried before the mayor, 10 OF
these being for drunkenpess, During the
year following and ending January l4th, l9OI:
which 257 were for the ~otense, OF drunken
ness. This gives a fair comparison, as each
period covered Immediately before and Inn
medistely after the closing OF the dispensary
EN- braces q full year, and the enforcement oil
the city ordinances was under the direction
of the same mayor and same chief OF police.
than a year to make any just comparison.
The immediate result OF voting out the dis,
pensary, therefore, was TO reduce the totai
number OF cases in police court 81 per cent.
and the cases of drunkenness 81 per cent,
The rate OF decrease in the number OF petty
o~ffenses, including drunkenness, as shown In
maintained since that time in practically
the same proportions. There were 97 cases
brought In the nayor's court for the year
ending July LIST, 1905, 3S4 ofthis number being
for drunkenness. The population of the city,
according to the directory census, has In
creased approximately IS per cent. since pro-
bibitlon went into effect. and the increase In
thenumber OF cases has just about Kept pace
with the increase in population. 1t is fair to
assume that, If the dispensary had been re.
tained, taking the police docket for the last
year the dispensary was open az q basis up
on which to make an exact estimate and
making due allowance for the increase IN
population, the year ending the first OF the
present month would have shown 4 total Oh
1870 cases instead Of the 9l7 under prohibi.
ZION. and l 03 cases OF drunkenness instead OF
the SSf that were actually bror GIT.
1t Ia useless 10 60 further into the record
OF the police courI. They prove that, so IsI
az Anderson is concerned, prohibition doek
prohibit. 1t not only reduces the number o.
cases OF Drunkenness, but you will observe
that the number tof other oteoses has been
reduced In about the same proportion. A.
you well know, many otieneses, such a.
fighting, lond swearing, disoIderly conhuc',
when the sale Of whiskey is prohibited and
drunkenness necessarily made a less fire.
auent occurrence it follows that other viola.
llODS OF lQe law U1uBL GSCTeHS6 III d COIIt-
spending manner. That has been our ex-
perience. You will doubtless ind 1t so
everywhere.
1 have made some effort to ascertain the
amount OF liquor shipped TO Anderson
through the express company. Tho local
agent, a man OF excellent Judgment, by TAX
ing the number Of gallons received on Ger.
tain days and at different seasons, has tried
to arrived at q general yearly average. The
result OF his Investigation leads him to be-
lieve that approximately $1,000 gallons were
received at his office for The year 1905. He
regards this as d maximum estimate. The
average cost Of whiskey Is probably about s.
per gallon. This would indicate hat Ander.
son .1s spending something like $4,000 q
year for Intoxicating beverages. Practically
alrof these shipments represent the cheaper
grades OF whiskey. AS q rule the majority OF
negroes pay 81 TO Sl.0 per gallon, while the
have not available the figures giving the
total sales Of the Anderson dlspensary fol
1905. the last year OF It's existence, but in 1904
the talss at The dispeDssry In this city aggre-
ofbeer amounted 10 Sl0, 1863. 05, making the tC-
tai sales for this city alone Sl24, 63,2 20. This
total does not include, OF course. the sales al
Pendleton, which aggregated SIS, I03.40.
The sales for 1904 exceeded the sales for 1903
by q little more than 80 per cent, bat in the
absence Of figures for 1905 (Which. l am In
am not prepared to give the exact sales yoI
1905. But in the event that the sales in 1905 IN
the city showed the same ratio Of increase
over II previous year, luSu bOuGIQlOR ike
Sl5O,OOO worth OF whiskeyl must have been
solo,, Let Us, suppose, for The sake Of %illustra-
ton, that the dispensary was still open In
Anderson and that the sales. instead OF show
ing the enormous increase OF 30 per cent, for
one year, had only kept pace with the In
crease In population. The population in
creased more than 40 per cent, since 1904
according ito the directory censds. Add 40
per cent, to the total sales for 1901, Sl24, 6O9. %.
and you have approximately SIZE, 900. II the
average salable value Of dispensary LIQUOR is
son would today be consuming whiskey al
the rate OF 81 sou gallons a year. In 1901, as a
matter Of fact, they actually did consume
over 1900 gallons. If we take 81 as the ave.
rage retail price.
The accuracy of the comparisons l have
made may be attacked on the ground that
the whiskey sold through the local dispen-
sary was distributed over a larger territory
than the 5000 gallons received at Anderson
in 1908. Let us look a little into this phase of
the question. The smaller places in the
county situated on railroads have been
regularly getting shipments of whiskey. but
I am sure that the total amount received by
them In 1908 Is far more than offset by the
sales that were made even in 1905 by the
Pepdleton dispensary TO that section OF the
county and by the Greenville and Abbevilie
dispensaries TO the northeastern and south
Tns Psns sies19n sis % 1ss SG soId SIS ss EGG &c wor;G
OF whtskey in 1904. and the total amount OF
sales made by the Greenville and Abbeville
to Anderson, probably equaIed this sum.
The location OF the city OF Anderson, in the
center OF q county OF large area, Is such that
few sales were made to people OF other coun.
ties. Anderson bought largely from dispen.
saries in adjoining counties for the simple
reason OF convenience and accessibility by
railroad, while the citizens OF other counties
for the same reasons were not forced 10
patronize US. They bought all their whiskey
at home. and their own counties got the
profits.
The closing of the saloons in adjoining
states has had a marked effect in decreasing
interstate shipments. II seems that the
farther away the base OF supply is removed
the more difficult or announcement IT becomes
TO the drinker TO get what he wants. Up to
the lst OF January, 1905, practically all OF the
whiskey shipments came from Augusta, Ga.
After that ready and quick source OF supply
was cut of, l am told, by the express agent
That the year followiDg showed a decrease in
the shipments OF about 40 per cent. On the
LIST OF January, 1903, the North Carolina
saloons were closed. and up 10 April the fall.
ing Oh In shipments amounted 10 about s per
cent. At present Richmond and Jackson
Vile furnish Dearly all the liquor that comes
ulated so as TO make IL unlawful for q wet
state TO send whiskey into dry territory, the
greatest obstacle to the the thorough enforce.
ment OF prohibitory laws would be removed
and prohibition would be absolute. However
with state after state placing the ban on the
sale Of whiskey and the base OF supply being
constantly removed farther away, geographi-
cal difficulties, entalling increased cost OF
transportation and uncertain delay In receiv-
Ing shipments, seem gradually to be accom-
plishing the end that interstate regulation
could reach at once.
Perhaps in your county the Issue In the
approaching election may resolve itself into
q financial rather than Il moral one. IL may
be contended that as a result OF the l0ss OF
revenue the tax levy will have to be Increased
10 hnrApngnmp nrnnnrftnne no ,,I ~