The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-03-31
LETTER FROM Mr.. A. H. BEST.

Yes; there was q meeting of the
tenn mperance people in Mccormick 9
few weeks ago.
You. Mr.. Editor, say this was an
anti-Abbeville meeting. ] suppose this
statement Is due to the fact that you
have tried to defend the dispensary SO
long that to you dispensary and Able
Vile are synonmous terms, standing
for one and the same thing in your
mind. ain glad 10 think that this is
not true with regard to many of the
good people of the town of Abbeville
Your reporter says, "The speaker had
more to say against Abbeville and the
dispensary than against the drunken
ness and tipling habit" The truth IT,
there was read one excellent article on
prohibition in Georgia, from Judge
Emory Speer Of the Georgia Southern
District Court, and three speeches were
made. According to my recollection
only one speaker referred to Abbeville
and Abbeviile's new court house build.
ing in connection with the dispensary
The longest and best prepared speech
was devoted to the use and abuse oi
strong drink, emphasizing the duty of
the church in such matters and warn.
ing church members against the abuse
of their liberty.
The connection between the advo-
cacy of the legalized sale of whiskey,
and the effort to discourage the people
trying to send the gospel to the heathen
is, the one endorses q traffic that means
the enslaving of the youth and man.
hood Of our own land, undermining
the peace and happiness Of many
homes; and the other Withholding
from a people in darkness and suffer
ing the light and joy that Jesus Christ
came to bring to all people. We know
the devil is opposed to prohibition and
missions The writings of the editor
of the Press and Banner on these lines
are not misunderstood by thoughtful
people. Talk of crushing struggling
churches in the home land in order to
send the Gospel to the heather, re-
minds me that a few years ago the
Baptist of this country split on the
question of foreign missions. Those
believing in foreign missions have mul-
tiplied in numbers and increased in
wealth until they are one of the strong
factors in the worlds uplIft today.
Those opposing foreign missions have
shrunken and shriveled until they
count for but very little in anything
that Christianity stands for They
have been busy trying to take care O1
themselves. Talk Of the preachers
putting burdens upon the laymen Of
the church. Is it not the thoughtful
business laymen who are pushing the
great laymen's missionary movement
that is agitating this country now2
AS to the new court house at Able
vile being built with dispensary mon
ey: I will say when I was in Abbe'
vile about two years ago, was relia
bly, informed that those in authority
said if the people would let the dispen
sary stand, that in five years they
would build the new court house anC
city ball without dollar from the peo
ple. When a petition was being cir
culated to get thepeople's signature fol
permission to build the new cour
house, the promise was made that tht
people would not be taxed for this pur
pose. Now the people are being taxeC
|
beginning to learn that it Is not safe tt
venture an assertion as to where dis
pensary profits has been or may be ap
piled.
No one said at this meeting "If they
lived at Abbeyille they would favor
the dispensary." Nor have I heard o.
any one in or around Mccormick init.
mating that the dispensary profits
might be refused by the Mccormick
school. My, how some people car
manufacture news.
AS to prohibition in Georgia: I will
say that Bishop Gambler ia reported. tc
have said, "There are more blind talk.
ers than there are blind tigers" Ex
Governor Terrell of Georgia was-inter.
viewed in Columbia the other day, and
is reported in the State as saying, that
Georgia is all right and with the ex.
ceptfon of two or three places, prohibi'
ton was being successfully enforced
Judge Emory Speer Of the Federal
bench of the Georgia Southern dist rict
court is on record, as rendering q ju.
dicial opinion as to the far-reaching
benefits of State prohibition In Geor.
gia. The police court records show
that the arrests for drunkenness has
decreased. These are some of our Ger.
tificates as to the success of prohibi.
ton in Georgia. What are yours
was in Union. County when the
dispensary was voted out, and al.
though the enforcement of prohibition
in that county was made difficult by
the INSCRIPTIONS methods of the ad.
yocates of the legalizsd sale Of whis.
key, yet can bear testimony as. to the
improved conditions under prohibi-
ton. Ispent three years in Newberry
County where the dispensary had been
voted out, and I believe nine out every
ten good, honest, thoughtful, and 80.
ber men would sign statement testi.
flying to the improved conditions dn-
der prohibition. Men who had been
strong supporters of the dispensary
system. told me that the conditions
under prohibition were far better til ian
with the dispensary in Newberry.
A final thought for the people of Alb.
vile County to consider. saw the
statement few days ago, that anyone
boarding the Seaboard train at New
Orleans going to Richmond, would
find but one place on the whole run
that they could legally buy bottle Of
whiskey, and that place was the town
of Abbeville. 1t used to be tauntingly
said, that the advocates for the prohi-
bition of the sale of whiskey were
composed of long-haired men and fan
atical women. Is it possible that these
long haired men and fanatical women
have succeeded in duping all of the
L. fro, H.S1o IL. 4