The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-05-24
ANTl-SAL0ON LEAGUE OF SUMTER COUNTY
And Thy Neiekhor as TbyseIf"

N, mas urgently requested that it
be made public, believing that those
who read it, and Just THINK. will
surely find for themselves the answer
to this question Of dispensary or no
dispensary.
AS the author Of this letter, ! sin
cerely trust that no one who reads it
may feel he can detect a spirit of
pedestalism Ga new word) on my part
In making it public Personal rea-
sons prevent my disclosing my
friends name. THE AUTHOR.
Sumter, S. c., May 4th, 1913.
My Dear Friend:
! have read carefully your kind let
ter or the third, and before l attempt
reply, / wish to make an observa-
ton here which seems entirely fitting.
1T has always given me great pleas
ure to seek your advice of both a
business and moral nature, and you
have never failed me. ] have felt and
appreciated the strengthening infiu-
ence of our friendship, and / wish
you TO feel that j now appreciate the
motive which prompts you to ask me
why oppose the re-establishment of
the dispensary. You have not SO stat
ed in your letter, but / know that you
are seeking a cleaer light on the sub
Ject, and that you wish to change your
views, provided you find mine TO be
logical and sincere.
1T did not surprise me to know YOU
mad signed the petition. Many good
men besides yourself signed it. am
just about the last man in the world
who could rightfully criticize anybody
for signing 1t, for had 1t been pre-
sented to me eight weeks ago, l would
have signed it willingly. My mind
does change quickly, but it generally
carries me clear over. Please be pa
tient till 1 tell you how got over on
this. (,
About eight weeks ago / had the
pleasure of a short railway trip with
a gentleman whom we both highly re-
spect and admire, and think YOU will
know who ] mean when / say he is
one of our leading educators. Among
other things We talked liquor. j, re-
marked that it would please me to see
the dispensary re-etsablished here He
asked me why? l tried hard to find
some more enti- ely convincing reason
than that we need the money, but to
save my life l could think of none. At
last | think he took pity on my pre-
will not advance a single argument
against the dispensary but / will say
just three words to YOU, and if you
use the three words, and fail to see
this question my way, l will admit
that your side has merit, from your
standpoint anyhow. / asked him for
the three words, and he gave them
like this. You Just Think. | laughed
and said, all right, but after he left
me / began to know that he had
loaded me down with an awful re-
sponsibility. Now / realize why this
man has gained national reputation
\ for his schools He never tries TO
drive an idea in. He sows the good
seed, and fertilizes them rightly with
sincerity and a good living example
The inborn endowment of the true
spirit of human nature does the rest
of the work for his pupils
Well, at first that thought was about
as big as a newborn MOSQUITO. but
awful busy, believe me. Now II is
bigger than j am, by whole lot. Ev-
cry now and then | scale. off an idea
with which to back up my growing
convictions on this subject, and My
Friend, some of them make the ice
berg that sunk the Titantic. seem %
my mind like summer icicle.
Before l engage the moral side of
this question. wish to unfold for YOU
few facts in regard to our late
county dispensary in the light of a
purely business institution. You are a
business man and former, and it
wont be hard for you to follow the
thought.
For the last three years we had il
mere, its average yearly sales were two
hundred and eighty-five thousand dol.
lars. In round numbers, fifty thous-
and dollars of that represented the So
called profit, which was turned over
to the county and city government
/ lhis leaves deficit of nearly quar-
ter of million dollars gone clear out
or this county, never TO return, TO
"hich you must add the Good Lord
knows how much to account for vast