The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1913-07-30
PROnlBITl0NISTS
WORK EARNESTLY
Preachers, Teachers, Doctors,
Lawyers, Bankers, Fan mers,
Merchants, Are Taking an
Active Part.
DEGRADEs TIE PEOPLE

ActlFe 1aIt.
DEGRADES The PEOPLE
To the people of Lexington county:
On Monday, July II, 1918, meet
ing of rare interest and Importance
was held at Lexington. Every Sec
tion Of the county, except one or two,
was represented by men of as high
character and intelligence as the coun-
ty affords. Preachers, teachers, doc
tors, Lawyers, bankers, merchants.
farmers and others turned from their
daily toll and at their own personal
expense came to the county seat to
confer about matters of the frst i'm
portance to every man, woman and
child in Lexington county. They
were not there as politicians or par
tizans, but as the friends Of humanity.
1t is doubtful if our temple of justice
ever witnessed such q meeting as that
held in it on July IA. It began with
prayer, it progressed in prayer, it end
ed in prayer and singing hymn of
praise to holy God. A large majori-
ty Of those present were men of pray
er. During the four hours of constant
deliberation the very atmosphere of
the place seemed charged with spirit
Of solemn purpose and enthusiastic
earnestness. Those were serious men
with q serious purpose for imperative
work. That meeting instructed the
undersigned to prepare and publish an
address to all the people of the county,
especially to the voters.
1t is we'll known that an effort is
being made to reestablish the Dispen-
sary in our county. The success Of
that effort spells calamity to all our
people aud to the moral. standards OF
our county. 1t will be long step
backward and downward. No fact is
more patent than that the liquor traf-
fc degrades the people engaged in it.
The supreme need of our country Is a
higher type of manhood. Intoxicat-
ing liquor, in its sale and use, mutt
lates manhood in its maturity or de-
stroys it in its making. We, in South
Carolina and in Lexington county,
are not without painful experience as
to the baneful, ,blighting effect of the
Dispensary on onr people. From the
church Of God down, the life Of our
people has felt and shown the wreck
and ruin Of rum. Knowing all this,
the one purposeof the meeting men,
tionedabogeswasate raise . standard
against IL. Wesare convinced that all
that needs to be is to get the people to.
think. When that is done the battle
is won. What is to be done? What
do you think ought to be done? The
issue is before Us and its decision is in
our hands. What shall the answer
be? A case es solemn, even more
solemn than life and death is on trial
and we are the jury. What shall the
verdict be? We are fully aware of
what many. are saying: liquor is a
bad thing, the Dispensary is bad, but
And then we hear lot about blind
tigers and profits, and men haye vi
sions of good roads. paved streets,
more and better schools, lower taxes,
etc., etc. If there were no blind tigers
in Dispensary counties there might be
some force in the argument, but as
is well known blind tigers in their loirs
and clubs are just as numerous where
Dispensaries are as where they are
not. The idea in all this is that as
much, or even more liquor, is con-
sumed in dry counties than in others.
Many good men, loyal citizens, firmly !
believe it. Why? Simply because
they have heard it so often. Do you
know that this matter has been tested
by thorough investigation in two
counties in this State? Well, it has
and here is the result. In Chester
county it was shown that under pro-
hibition the quantity Of liquor con-
sumed was about one-fifth or one
fourth of what it was under the Dis
pensary. In Sumter county, where
the investigation was made jointly by
the friends and foes of the Dispensary,
it was found that about one-fourth as
much liquor was consumed under pro-
hibition as under the Dispensary.
Please bear in mind that this was
at time when there was no restric-
ton on liquor shipments from outside
the State. In that respect conditions
more favorable for prohibition than
they have ever been.
1t is simply impossible in an address
Io NV, AVIAN cpoo1 mort of