Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1914-10-28
Statewide Prohibition.

in South Carolina who believe that the
time for inaugurating an active cam
paign for statewide prohibition in
South Carolina has arrived, and look
ing to that end a conference was held
in Columbia last Thursday to begin &c
tive planning for the campaign. The
conference was composed of thought
full, intelligent men from all walks OF
life who were enthusiastic over the
prospect of sweeping victory, each
one bringing report from his section
to the effect that public sentiment is
largely in favor of voting whiskey out
of South Carolina altogether. Through
the circulation of petitions in all the
counties, the legislature will be asked
to provide an election some time next
summer. A report Of the conference as
published in The State, giving in full
the resolutions which were adopted,
will be found elsewhere in this issue.
Three-fourths of the State is already
ttdry'' and it is confidently believed
that the people, if given an opportunl-
| ty, will swing South Carolina into line
with the other prohibitions states. 1t
will be recalled that in practically all
of the elections held upon the question
of the re-establishment of the dlspen-
sary, where the dispensaries were vo-
ted back, the majority in favor OF
the dispensary was exceedingly small,
while on the other hand in counties
like Abbeville and others where the
dispensary advocates were defeated the
majority was overwhelmingly against
whiskey. This leads prohibitionlsts to
believe that even in some of the II
"wet" counties a majority will now be
cast for prohibition. Surely the cltl-
zens of these counties, after seeing
men spending their money for whiskey
who during this financial stringency
need every dollar for the support OF
their families, will vote to remove the
temptation. Are you not glad that
Edgefeld couaty removed the tempta-
tion long ago?
There has been a perceptible revul-
sion of sentiment concerning the right
of one county to sell whiskey to the de-
moralization of all counties contiguous
toit. Many people do not believe that
Lexington county should be allowed
to establish dispensary at Batesburg,
practically on the Saluda line, and
thereby demoralize the people OF Sa-
luda county. The old argument that
one county has right to conduct lts
own affairs to the utter disregard OF
the rights OF other counties has be-
come threadbare and to large extent
has LOST its force.
In settling other problems that affect
the interests of the whole people coun-
ties are not allowed to act separately.
Why then should an exception be made
in dealing with the whiskey question?
In the matter of curtailing the cotton
acreage for next year, the members of
the legislature now in session have not
hesitated, without consulting the peo-
pie, to pass statewide law. Why
not allow the people to take the same
step with reference to whiskey?
Would the members of the general as
sembly consider for moment law
permitting IL counties to 60 unre-
stricted in the matter of planting cot
ton next year, curtailing the acreage
only in the remaining counties? En-
phatically, no. The farmers in the
thirty-odd counties would suffer from
the unrestricted production of cotton
in the II counties. In like manner
many of the" dry" counties are suffer-
ing from the sale of whiskey in the IL
"wet" counties.
We do not any longer hear the cry
that prohibition law can not be en-
enforced. Prohibition has been pro-
nounced success in a score or more
counties for nearly decade, and no
inducement would be sufficient to cause
these counties to return to the de-
moralization that prevailed under the
old whiskey dispensa*ion. Not only is
prohibition success in the counties
that have small towns within their bor-
ders but has also been signal success
in the counties of Greenville, Spartan
burg, Anderson and others. While it
is true that prohibitory law would be
difficult of enforcement in Charleston
and Columbia, yet is itnot true that
now, even now with the dispensaries
scattered about these cities, the law is
flagrantly violated? Blind tigers are
keeping "open house, in Columbia and
Charleston It could scarcely be worse
under prohibition. The only way these
cities would be effected by prohibition
would be the loss of enormous liquor