The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1909-08-05
THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC
AND DEMOCRACY.
A Correspondent Discusses the Eco
nomic Side of the Question.

nomic Side of the Question.
The coming election on the liquor
question in South Carolina has been
discussed largely from the moral
standpoint, and from the economic
standpoint; but no one has viewed it
purely from a political standpoint.
From this view point let us now con-
slider it.
The great Democratic watchword
has been, Equal privileges to all and
special favors to. none" In the ef-
forts to regulate the liquor traffic by
law this has been reversed. Our fore
fathers used to make their own wines
and whiskies and everybody that
wanted to handle it did So. Political
ly this was in perfect accord with the
above great Democratic principle.
Under this state Of things intemper-
ance- was a serious menace to the fu-
ture wellbeing of our country's citi-
zenry, and our political economists
decided something must be done to
check it. So it was decided. to try
and regulate it by reversing the above
great Democratic principle. and
make it special privileges to- a few
and equal privileges to none;, and 20
the manufacture and sale Of liquor
was restricted by. license tax which
became protection about the few
against the equal privileges Of the
masses.
What has been the result OF this
un-Democratic regulation? In the
first place the greatest capitalistic
and trust combine has grown up,
discriminating, against the consumer,
that is known. Under this protected
monopoly, the price of liquor has
gone up from 12k cents per gallon
to $500 and higher. The created
trusts are growing richer and the
drinking masses are growing poorer.
Instead of high license insuring bet
ter grade of liquor to the consumer,
it is responsible for bad, adulterated
whiskey, that is more dangerous to
the human system. And instead OF
restraining intemperance and its at
tendant evils, these have increased
and intensified under this un-Demo-
cratic regulation.
The strange thing is that the Dem
ocratic party, posing for equal priv1-
leges to all and special favors to none,
the avowed enemy Of trusts and
combines, and the opponents Of pro-
tective, high tariff, should be too cow
ardly to oppose this most stupendous
and oppressive of trusts protected by
law, and even in many cases cham
pions it.
The State of South Carolina sought
to improve this state of things by
turning the whole State into mo-
nopoly of the traffic, forbidding any
Of it's private citizens: making money
by it, or making it even for ones
self. II he buys it, he must buy 1t
from his county dispensary at the
price fixed by law, and the grades ac-
cepted by law. Thus the business Is
taken from under the protecting arm
of the law and placed on the very
throne of government, and proclama-
ton made that whosoever will not
fall down and worship. this monopoly
set up by a Democratic government
for a free people shall be punished
by law. The dispensaries are in
league with the other whiskey COM
bines, since dispensary liquor is
bought from the protected whiskey
manufactusies, and is the same
grades of liquor sold in the licensed
saloons. The price that must be paid
is the monopoly prices. All this is
done by Democrats in Democratic
State, sailing under the colors OF
equal privileges to all and special ia
vors to none, and crying out against
monopoly and the principle of protec.
ton, that forces crushing prices on,
the consumer. Shall not such glar-
ing inconsistency cause the wisdom
Of the ages to- say of US, ."Ye blind
guides that strain out the gnat and
swallow the camel
Democracy has stood as the friend
Of. the poor and oppressed; the labor
ing classes. And it is known fact
that these are the classes that largely
patronize the dispensaries and from
whom most Of the revenue comes. SO
when we hear Democratic politicians,
whose party champions the cause OF
the laborer and poor man, crying out
we must keep the dispensary for the
sake of the revenue, as it will in
crease orr taxes, it reminds us of