The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-01-20

forgetting It's past record on the whiskey
question, said last week:
THE receipts of the Abbeville dispensary
for the month Of December were 81, OB.SO. In
four months the sales amounted. u more than
$50, 000.- That is considerably more than Inc
dispensary used to sell In six months. The
Is one Of the most prosperous
things in the county, 1t Is one Of the big en-.
OF the town OF Ab6evllle. When
one concern sells more than S2l, 900 worth OF
business. If things continne as they are this
county noted for the men it has Pooduced. for
the history 1t has made, and for the renne..
mept Of Its people will be known lar ana
as II IL is to be continued for the men in
charge OF the %dispensary advertise that they
have bought 574 barrels OF liquor and 300 OF
beer and $50 cases Of liquors. Besides the
men. Bringing sorrow to many of our women
and children, demoralizing our labor, n
preventing our neighboring state and coun-
Ties from enjoying the benefit OF their tenn
perance avs"
II the christian brothers opposition Is
based upon true, sincere and holy motives, I
would be glad Tor him 10 state why an illioit
still q few years ago was run right under his
nose until the whiskey constable came all
the way from the city d GreenvIlle to break
1t up. That still waslwithin two miles or
thereabout, or 30 to speak. under the very
shadow Of the lone OF the college OF which
the christian brother is trustee. Not until
this day has the brother informed us as TO
how much whiskey that Illicit still sold. or
how much money the distiller made during
his career at Due West.
1t Is the sale Of liquor at Abbeville to which
that paper objects.
From The earliest history OF recorded time
intoxicating liquors have been q great enc
my to the human race, and to intoxicants
are attributed nearly all the pitfalls into
which some OF the best and many of the
worthiest Of the human family have gone
down.
Deliverance from the evils n the dangers
Of intenperance has excited the prayers and
the heart throbs Of the purest and best men
that ever lived in any age. And 1t has even
given to men who may have reached tho
highest and holiest places on earth, the van
.tage ground from which they may emit the
odor that IL, II possible, more ruinous than
the effect of intoxlcants. Into1icants affect
the personality Of the man, but when un-
%lcrupulous men attain the highest n the
hottest places on earth they may sometimes
use their positions for attacking character.
Because OF the known quality OF his goods,
the liquor sellers opportunity to do harm is
circumscrlbed. but when those who reach the
highest and the hottest positions on earth
and who are presumed to labor to build up
and to strengthen character assume the role OF
character assassin their influence is far reach
ing, and their work is perverted to the more
ruinous and less excusable engine Of destruc.
ton. What is to compare in value to tho
immediate jewel OF the soul.
"He that nlches from me my good name, =
Robs me Of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed"
Our Saviour furnished examples Of tender.
ness and mercy for the erring, and tho erring
have given to the hand and heart OF those
who pretend to be purer and better than their
neighbours, the finest chance to exhibit that
unchristian spirit which our Saviour con-
demned in the most severe language known
to men. He was pitiful 10 the erring but he
was severe on those who said their prayers
on the street corners and who claimed to be
purer and better than their %neighbors.
One u%nfairness Of tho Presbyterian IL seen
In the fact that 1t speaks Of the "Abbeville"
as II 1t was not tie Abbeville
county ~dispensary., His manner OF speech
ls such as to create the impression that the
town of Abbeville alone Is responsible for the
1t is fair to presume that the
editor Of the Presbyterian has intelligence
enough to know that any citizen Of Abbe-
Vile county Is as much responsible for the
Of the dispensaay as is any citizen
Of the town Of Abbeville. The reader Is as
able to assign q reason for the implied mis-
representation. or the insinuation OF the Pres
byterian, aa am.
Let us look back at the record Of the Pres
byterian on the subject OF tho liquor bust.
ness.
l. For ten or twelve years no protest was
made by the Presbyterian at sharing in the
profits OF the liquor traffic for the benefit OF
The public school at Due West.
Q. As far as I now recall the Pres by.erian
was! as silent as the grave on the subject OF
running the schools In that town, partly on
liquor money, until the schools OF that town,
ike the schools In other sections, were de-
prived Of the liquor money for q year.
8. During hat year when the profits on
The LIQUOR business were cut OF from the
schools Of Due West and elsewhere. the edit
by a virtuous spasm. When his school
no longer profted by 1t. he became convinced
hat the liquor business was an exceedingly
bad one. And when the school In his town
no longer profted by the sale of liquor. he
would close the county dispensary which il
at Abbeville, and he would now
charge the sin Of the whole whole business
upon the townand the people Of the city OF
.bbeville. II the Presbyterian ever whim-
pered against the Illicit distillery at or near TO
Due West the fact has escaped my notice.
4. When Due West vas receiving part OF
the liquor profits. the Press and Banner, not
because Due West was sharing In the. profits,
but from principle, urged the keeping Of the
iispensary shut until a later hour In the
forenoon, and the closing OF The same was
urged for an earlier hour in the after
80 hat that institution would be open
'or fewer hours.in the day. Not one word OF
or encouragement did the Presby-
terrain give. One year when the dispensary
closed in the Summer time at six O'Clock
40 word Of approval came from the Presbyte-
The profits were then going to the
Due West school. See?
5. AS q further evidence of his conscien.
tious scruples about maintaining, or keeping
open, the county dispensary at Abbevllle, we
find the editors name three times on the pc.
tition for ordering an election TO vote out the
We have no intimation a. to
how many times he intended TO vote at the
proposed election. The signing Of the petit
ton three times may be taken as some EVIL
dence hat the editor was either very much
IN earnest, or else that he may have thought
heca loo Of ca alaaan COS ON tho nart Of thu GIN.