The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-08-25
LETTER FROM MAJOR IZLAR
BIackville, 5. c., Aug. %.

until further ordered. / do 50 now.
a / like TO keep posted as to how
things are moving along IN the Brick
City while l am away. There are
- many south Carolinians IN and
around OcaIa. I might as well give
you d few items for general circu-
lation through the soft, silver light
%: the Evening Star.
Well. first Of all. the crops are
.good-che best for some years.
know that will be interesting 10 all
in general, and DR.. BooZer and Col.
Rooney in particular. II l can find
.any vegetable or mineral curios |
will take them down to Dr. B. for
his daily increasing museum, and if
/ can pick up any new ideas as to
good road building | will not forget
Col. r. AS | said before, the crops,
the staple crops, are the best in this
county for some years, and the far
mers are all naturally in a good
humor and hopeful of good prices.
Just now it is quite dry in this sec
ton. but the drought is not extens-
i've in territory and up to this time
has not done any great damag>.
Speaking of dry weather reminds
me of another item of news You
know that some years ago, and for a
number OF years, the legal sale OF
liquor in this state was restricted to
Idispensaries we'll guarded by specific
regulations. A few years ago an
other law was passed which gave the
Ipeople the right to vote on the
question of dispensaries or no dis
pensaries. If a majority in any
county voted no dispensaries, then
they were all closed up within a Civ
en- time, and that meant that each
county SO voting was a dry county
or prOhibitiOn-sO far as that cOun-
Ity was concerned. These elections
could be called by any county every
two years, like the wet or dry cleo
tions in Florida. Every county in
| the state, from time to time, held
these elections and while a few never
did go dry, most of them voted out
the dispensaries. Among the rest
this (BarnwelD county voted dry. AS
Is0On as the time came when they
could call another election. they
Icalled it. 1t was held last Tuesday,
Two years Of so-called dry" was
Iquite enough for the people, for the
fact had been demonstrated beyond
all question that conditions were far
worse than when the dispensaries
were in operation. There were blind
tigers in bOOt-Iegs, in the bushes, in
saddle-bags, in cellars. in autOmo-
biles and in every other kind of
Iplace. This was we'll known and
done openly and above board and lit
tie or nothing done to kill the tigers
or suppress the trade. 1t was de-
ImOralizing to a fearful degree and
the thoughtful people concluded that
ter be done legally and under re-
IstriCtions, and so at the election
TUESDAY the people, by a good large
majority, voted the dispensaries back
Into existence Of course, the blind
tiger element worked and voted
lstrenuOusly to keep the county dry!
The same state of affairs existed in
the adjoining county of Bamberg
and the election Tuesday resulted as
i did in this. Thus history repeats
itself and brings back the oft re-
Touring thought and question, Can
moral reforms be brought about by
the enactment of civil or criminal
Ilaws?" | must confess | doubt it.
1t would seem that moral evils must
be reached through mans spiritual
mature and there is only one way of
!dOing that and that cannot be done
by laws enacted and promulgated by
mere man. The dispensaries may be,
land doubtless are, far better than
the blind tiger method of dissem-
Iinating intoxicating liquors, but aft
Ier all is not the best way of bring
ling about all moral reforms that
which has been promulgated by him
who declared that 'It is not that
which entereth into the mouth of
man that defileth him, but that
which proceedeth out of his mouth -
If His teachings are, followed, his
laws obeyed, then the blind tigers
will go, The dispensaries will go.
The saloons will go! Selah!
|
i But l have said a whole lot more
THAN | intended when I started out
to tell you to send We the Star here