The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1909-07-22
FAVORS DISPENSARY.
Col. w. G. Smith Does Not Believe
Prohibition Will Prohibit.
[Orangeburg Sun.

Prohibition Will Prohibit.
IOrangeburg SUM-
Col. w. G. Smith, president of the
Orangeburg Manufacturing Com
pany, alderman of the city and prom
inent citizen generally, is the first
man to come out BADLY and advo-
cate the retention of the dispensary
system in preference to the prohibi-
ton measure that is to be voted up
on next month.
The colonel speaks straight from
the shoulder whenever he has any
thing to say in reference to public
matters, and in the interview below,
which he has given out, he tells in
no uncertain way why he opposes
prohibition.
The following is what Col. Smith
had to say:
I have never been dispensary
man, but think that the dispensary,
managed as it is in our county, is
far preferable to blind tigers, and
would prefer my operatives drinking
dispensary whiskey to that Of blind
tigers. If prohibition prohibited,
then I would be prohibitionist. But
l have seen it tried too often and
fail. It does not even succeed in
Maine or Georgia, and l have travel
ed all the States from Maine to Geor-
gia.
The negro is bound to have his
whiskey and the dispensary is the
only way we have of taxing the ma
jority of them. For Orangeburg to
60 dry would materially increase our
taxes. I believe that if an election
was held to-day in Spartanburg,
Greenville or Anderson these coun-
ties would 60 dispensary.
Why, I saw only last week in an
Anderson paper that the case before
the mayor was a negro charged with
being drunk and disorderly, and
where did he get his whiskey except
from a blind tiger?
If my operatives are to drink whis-
key, I would rather they drink good
whiskey.
The trouble with prohibition is
that it can not be enforced. l lived
LII Spd1 So1AS yS1A . eGN "ASh
that town was dry and it was farce.
It is a farce in Augusta, Ga, to-day,
and in Charlotte, n. G.
I know this because I have recent
ly visited both places. The drug
stores in Charlotte are getting rich
and the town and county deriving no
benefit from liquor being sold. At
Spartanburg, Greenville and Ander-
son the express companies have had
to enlarge their offices and treble
their forces to accommodate the
whiskey traffic.
Personally I am a high license
man, with dispensary restrictions.
But the dispensary has been con-
Quoted on such high plane in this
county that I see no reason for
change. Who's going to enforce pro-
hibition in our county if prohibition
is successful in the election? Some
will say the officers of the law; but
they will not do it. There is law
against carrying concealed weapons,
but it is not enforced.
I will guarantee you that If Or
angeburg should go dry and Calhoun
and Bamberg retain the dispensary,
that there will be many a man who
will take his cotton to these places to
sell, even though they may be five
miles further than this city.
Look at North. It's dry town,
and even last week there were a
number of warrants out for persons
operating blind tigers in that town.
The home of the ardent supporters
of prohibition, too.
If majority of the votes polled at
the election shall be for the sale of
intoxicating liquors, it's sale will be
conducted under the present system
under which the city and county de-
rive revenue something like $685.
011.08 a year.
If the voters shall vote against the
sale of intoxicating liquors they will
vote practically for free whiskey, and
the taxpayers will be required to
make up by additional taxation $685.
011.08 of lost taxation.
The majority of blind tigers we
have in the State now buy their whis-
key from the dispensary and the
State derives a revenue therefrom.
But if we have prohibition they will
buy outside of the State and we will
get no revenue.
The difference between blind tiger
and dispensary whiskey is that the
blind tiger liquor has more fire and
birthstone, makes it go further and
the people meaner.
SENTENCED BURGLAR WEBS.