The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-07-23
ARGUMENT FOR PROHIBITION.
Some Of the Many Reasons Why the
Dispcnsary Should Not be Re-
established.

county dispensary. This matter il
worth great deal of our most earnest
thought, and we all feel disposed to
weigh carefully in our hearts and
minds, all issues attending, SO that
our votes may be cast for what we
feel is best for all of us.
The writer of this article is against
the dispensary, but his attitude is not
of the closed mind type. All reasons
which are advanced in this article in
support Of prohibition, are built upon
foundation Of pure fact and truth,
and so any man who will, is invited
and welcomed to controvert these rea-
sons and the facts behind them If he
can, and as this movement for the dis
pensary has had good men behind it,
| (though many of them we know for
fact have changed their minds) there
Is no reason to doubt that some OF
them at least who still linger on the
other side, will come out into the
open and tell the voters frankly, what
they conceive to be good reasons
founded on fact, why we should again
set up in the liquor business.
We all possess in our hearts the
mastery of truth. We know that our
hearts and minds turn to truth as the
magnet turns to the pole. When a
complex matter is presented to us, and
we find it possible to reduce all OF
the elements Of the matter into a
simple yea, yea"-''nay, nay" and
We know which side of the question
holds truth, no argument is needed to
convince us if our answer shall be
yea or nay. Not one of us out Of a
random thousand will decide against
right and truth when We meet it and
know it for what it is Can you search
your heart and deny it?
Each one of us feels that we would
like to perform somo great deed OF
heroism, or make some good personal
sacrifice. 1t is because those things
are loved by God and man. Even
when small opportunities fall in oul
paths, and we obey the impulse OF
good from within. we feel the instant
tonic of brotherly love tingling with
in us. Such opportunities are bless
ings.
In the humdrum and rush of our
personal affairs. we are apt to miss al
most all of the best things in life. w,
know truth when we meet it naked in
the road, but not very far out of oul
way do we go to search it out. We
know what We are seeking, and we
know we are not finding it, but we
keep up the quest. We are seeking
happiness, and no man has yet lived
: so wise, that he has been able to tel
us how to find it. Some of the wisesl
men have said that happiness come.
without bidding, and stays but a fleet
ing time, but that her visits are
known only to earnest seekers after
/ right and truth.
Now we are presented for our con
sideration a question which affects Sc
riously our lives as q people. 1t is
/ the liquor question and the principles
involved in it must surely be princi-
, pies Of right or wrong, for without
single exception, every church OF
God in this country is lined up on one
side of it. Before we vote on thi:
question, we wish to strip it stark
naked, and take a good look at il
from every angle. Then we shall
know when we vote, if we have beer
true to ourselves. and to our fellow
beings here.
We believe liquor to be menac,
to the life, health, morals, and com
posite well-being of this community
! Our attention is drawn to it, and oul
natures revolt against it because il
makes a tiend or a fool out Of tn,
best man among us, when used to ex-
cess. We start by thinking it al
agreeable stimulant, or tonic, q good
sociable excuse, but the grip it takes
on our nerves and appetite is more
than we can fight against, and so down
we go with it. We ruin our business
and we use money that we had hoped
to educate our children with. 1t is
needless for our friends to argue with
ua as to what liquor is doing fol
US. We, the victims, know the facts
even better than our friends. Nont
of us have far to go to locate friends
grave that liquor filed and we know
the trail OF sorrow and want that i,
left behind.
Now how does all this affect our
community? We had the dispensary
here for number of years, and :,
seemed good enough to us then. Our
own affairs were not seriously intetfer-
ed with. 1t is true that our wives and