The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-12-27
THE STATES REFORMATION

n following editorial appearing
In The State Christmas morning ar
gues q complete change Of front in the
matter of prohibition. or, rather this
coupled with the entire absence Of at
tack on the prohibitionists during
several moons. How a newspaper with
the standing The State has In South
carolina can afford to line ND with
mis- LIQUOR gang. composed as It is
OF so many men like 1t speaks of in
the editorial reproduced, IL hard to
comprehend. and we believe that both
The State and The News and Courier.
Inc two notable, and only examples
Oh daily newspapers In the State, who
oppose the referendum OF the liauor
question to tho voters Of the State at
10 special election to be hold some
time next year. will finally line ND for
1t. and come out with the South Caro-
INA congressman who presented such
o solid front in Washington when the
matter was voted upon recently.
the CullOElhl III III
cd for the perusai Of our readers.
Whatever may be ones opinion of
uha merits OF the prohibition amend
Iment proposed in Congress and It's
present fate. one Is embarrassed in
discussing 1t. The extreme difficulty
IN defending the manufacturer and
sale OF intoxicants flows from h
methods and character Of the sellers
and manufacturers.
That the whiskey business Is a most
ubiquitous and corrupting influence in
american politics Is in~disputabIe.
When Mr.. Bryan brings forward that
indictment, nc one can answer It.
Were wine. whiskey and beer mer.
chants and makers no more than
merchants and manufacturers, were
their behavior towards the govern
ment OF q kind similar to that OF cloth
sellers and makers, Legislative assault
upon them would muster armies of
voters and newspapers In their de-
iense. but they are, as q rule, az &C
tive In politics as In business. They
are sports" and "heelers," their shopa
are the headquarters and commissair-
at for the worst and most deprayed
political movements.
~ oPoan SountTleb tue case 10
Inherent. The wine merchant In
Paris is no, more a politician fbsn
is. the glove merchant He Is a mt :
chant and nothing else. In New York
he 10 a Tammany Congresaman's lieu
tenant or In Philadelphia his frog
shop is an outpost for Boles Penrose's
iar spreading and carefully organised
gang"
Should national prohibition prevail
In Congress within the next few years,
the victory will be due 10 the en-
forced neutrality OF the voters who
question its; wisdom and expadiency:
who are disgusted with the whisky
traffic not &C much that II is q traffic
lin whiskey as that whiskey Is sold by
such ~fraffickers.
TO be sure. there are numbers Of
wine and whiskey merchants In the
United States VINO do not belong to
this class. One may buy Hour, coffee,
lraisins and rye liquor by the case
from h same shop In Baltimore and
the seller is the same type man that
sells -four, coffee, and raisins and no
rye liquor In Columbia. That type OF
seller unfortunately does not define
and Shx the character OF the s&hiskey
business; II is the ~saloonkeeper end
tlAt UEGNcEf VINO OHtS l1S WHO
ldetle the business and, 6pugsuinE q
policy conceived In stupidity and sure
ly carrgtng them to disaster, under
take TO dehle the government making
II subsidiary to whiskey interests.
in South carniint Q few years ago
D number OF. excellent citizens IN
tsnseiy preseatful ageinst pf0hibition,
helped to seto IN q State government
idistiHctir friendly to the liquor traffic.
II would be Illuminating So. know AZ
they wefG sieased with the kind OF
government they got.
me liquor interests pretend that
they wish 70 obey the law. Unidentified
iy they preferred > liquor trafac pro-
ltactsd by law 10 d that Is outlaw
"a bat when and where aaye the IL
fqnur sellers fbArrfne the exceptional
men OF the bstfer eiaasl .saIiowsd the
flaw to inaerfere with liquor sales, II
thes couta prevent IT.