Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1914-12-02
Concerning the Prohibition Election.

Interest in the prohibition movement
is steadily growing, and it is encourag,
ing to note that q large majority Of
the newspapers are supporting the un.
dertaking, believing it to be timely
and wise. Practically all of the daily
papers except those of Columbia anc
Charleston will give their hearty sup
port to statewide prohibition. Severa
days ago the Greenville News had the
following to say editorially:
ssThe News thinks the movement
which has been started is a wise one
The prohibition question is one de.
manding attention. 1t may be put
down for time. but eventually il
will come up again. 1t should receive
careful and dispassionate thought, ano
in order that the attention may be dis
passionate, The News believes the
best plan is to have the matter thresi-
ed out by itself, and free from the can
didacy of any man OF men.
call over the country the prohibition
question comes repeatedly to the fore,
SO it is not question of dragging out
something which otherwise would re.
main in obscurity. 1t will come up
and should come up. soft remains fol-
the state to treat it in the most sensi-
BILE way possible. ;,
"The prevalence Of illicit liquor sell,
ing has vexed but has not inf1amed the
question for some time. The state is
in the proper frame cf mind to consider
sanely what it wants. 1t can consider
the question of being either dry or wet,
and yet avoid bitterness. 1t can con:
slider the question aside from personal
preference for this sor that candidate.
"South Carolina has recently turned
over new leaf. She has started on a
course which during four years she had
ignored. She is now prepared to con-
slider educational matters and public
health matters. Why not consider also
the great question of liquor selling? 1t
goes hand in hand with other measures
of vast Importance. The state once
gave its preference for prohibition, but
got the dispensary instead. The dis,
pensary system proved disappointing.
It was a compromise which did not
work satisfactorily; so the question re-
mained unsettled. 1t is time to give
the people another chance to say what
they think about this matter. There
is nothing to be lost by putting this
question to vote, and should any con
sid erable number of voters request the
election, the general assembly will be
acting only as representatives of the
people should they allow the election.
At the special session a disposition
was evidenced to let the voters decide
what they wished to do. This same
disposition should be prevalent at the
next regular session. True it is that
prohibition was not an issue when the
general assembly which will meet in
January was elected, but that should
not alter the case. If we wait until
an assembly is chosen on this platform,
we shall once more mix candidates.
with the question of prohibition-one
of the things which we wish to avoid.
''The liquor question has for a gen
Grafton been a bone of contention in
South Carolina. 1t has caused almost
endless strife. One reason for this is
that it has not been treated to itself, as
it should have been. Leave it out of
the realm of politics, and the most
vexatious features will not be so prom
inent. Treat it as a social moral and
economic question, or, in other words,
a question to be thought out in the
light of logic and facts, rather than
fought out in the light of personalities
and other political issues"