The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-05-12
BRINGING UP DOPE FIENDS.

IlOl S1I1i1O esAAS% SOSS"A@ASs SSH~~~
Rutledge County News, publish
ed at Lake City, commenting,
says:
s'This is an evil which is so common
in this section that usage has caused
our people to close their eyes to the
baneful results of this evil and the
ehastly wrecks that are being made OF
men and women in this section OF the
State.
1t is very threatening evil and a
very sad fact that the medical men
here, especially in the country dis
tricts, are meeting cases in their prac'
tice constantly who are wrecks II
health and wrecks in character as the
result of the habisual use OF morphine
or cocaine. Notwithstanding the fact
that there are laws upon the Statute
books of South Carolina prohibiting
the sale of this narcotic it is sold by
general merchandise stores and drug
gists unrestrained and apparently with
out thought OF breaking law OF
damaging a feilowman."
There is no doubt in our mind
that the growing use of narcotics
can be attributed to the curtail,
ment of the use OF milder slim
ulants. We have been reliably
informed that in the upper part
of South Carolina, in the manu-
featuring settlements, it is
common sight to see men and
women. and sometimes children,
under the influence Of narcotic
which they procured from a
drug store, or at most any coun-
try store-nearly all country
carry medicines. The same au
thority told US a large percent,
age of these "dopes" began the
habit by drinking coca cola, and,
as a rule. most of those who
s'take a shot atcertain intervals
through the day, are worthless
for work if they run out of the
stuff. He said that among many
of the operatives in the mills,
scarcely one of them are without
a hyperdemic syringe with which
the happy dust" is injected
into the arm; these victims are
awfully depraved. There is a
law upon the Statute books
which forbids the sale of these
drugs, but they are sold all the
same, nearly everywhere. DC
casionally there is found a cou.
scientious drug store that will
not sell this stuff except in the
lawful way, but as a rule such
is not the case.
There are law and order leag-
ues, and other socities looking
after the promotion of morality
that do not seek farther than the
prevention of the legal sale Of
liquor; in our judgment the least
harmful of all the stimulant
habits. The very matters discus
sed by the doctors of Williams
burg county should open the
eyes of those who feel it a duty
to stand monitor over people
who are Indifferent about their
morals and take the steps neces-
sary to stop Brother Jones,
whose piety and liberality is
highly regarded, from dispen-
sing from his store drugs. com.
pounds or mixtures, that lure
into momentary happiness into
a degrading fendishness.
This is no new discovery made
by the Williamsburg physicians,
and if they will pursue their in
Testigations they will find much
of the trouble can be traced to
stomach washes dispensed at
the soda fountains, patronlzed
by men, women and children.
'sI am dying for glass Of coca
cola and cannot do my work
until I get it, said a young lady
to the writer, she was as nervous
as a man "the morning after" IN
a dry town. This lady had it
fastened in her system, and yet
she would be horri6ed to know
that her condition was but little
removed from those who have
the liquor habit.
Discussing this subject with a
gentleman who is a strong Pro
hibitionist, who entertained
views similar to our own, with
regard to the coca cola habit:
while we were talking another
Prohibitionist joined the discus
sion, but he disagreed, and said,
II take three, four, and some
times more glasses of coca cola
a day, it does not hurt me, but it
gives me pleas :, hence I do
not think my pleasure should
be interrupted or interfered
with Now the Inconsistency.
He drinks several glasses of
coca cola a day and does not
want to be interfered with be-
cause 1t gives him pleasure, yet
this same man would interfere
to the extent of imprisoning
another who finds pleasure IN
one glass of lager beer a day, a
beverage known to all physl-
clans as healthy and strength
giving. The trouble is, did the
inconsistency con6ne itself to
the one individual, it would make
little difference, but here is a,
man active in his efforts to put
down what he calls the ';curse
Of rum" and would resort to ex-
treme measures, bordering on
fanatlcism to carry out his