The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-02-07


sssd1um n sumter.
The vote I'm the House OF Represent
atives Friday on the Richey bone
dry prohibition blll--73 for and 2S
against--is an Indication of the dom
inant sentiment OF the people of South
Carolina. The bill may not become a
law at this session. for 1t still has to
run the gauntlet Of the senate, which,
usually. Ii not so responsive to public
sentiment as the House: but, unless
there ID complete reversal of senti-
ment in the meantime. the next Leg
fslature that Ia elected-House and
senats--wili be overwhelmingly for q
straishtout prohibition law. with pro-
Visions for it's rigid enforcement.
The sentiment In favor OF prohibi-
ton has grown slowly but steadily
for moro than twenty years, as the
good effects Of the measure OF pro-
hibition that the State h enjoyed
have become manifest more and more
convincinsiy. When the agitation
for prohibition was first started a ma
5ority Of the people were Indifferent
and the general opinion was that pro-
hibitory laws could not be enforced
and the enactment of such laws
would be q sentimental farce. Each
year public sentiment has grown
stronger, and tho demand for abso-
lutte prohibition and the rigid enforce
ment Of the laws against the traffic
In liquor has become more insistent.
At the outset public sentiment was
not strong enough to enforce the
INV drastically in all PARTS of the
ctate ana for years liquor was sofa
n&ep o. Len cpsnly In nearly. all OF
~ ~ U czH6s -ckKf1sst6n "a
tostIcular brassnly defying the law
and maintaining oi,en bar rooms.
Time has wrought TN almost COM
plete change In sentiment, for the
benefits Of prohibiticn and the evils OF
the liquor traffic have been so thor
oughly demonstrated that even the
old line anti nti-prohibitionists admit thar
suppression Of the liquor traffic Is de.
sirable. Tho economic condition of
the state has improved. crime has de-
creased and South Carolina Is. In all
respects. q better State In which to
live than II was when the liquor traf-
nc was unrestricted. No better IL
lustration OF tho beneficial effects of
prohibition could be found than the
town Of Sumter. Conditions improved
In some respects under the dispensary
system. and the Improvement has been
greater and more noticeable since the
county dispensary was abolished by
vote OF the people q few years ago.
Liquor II still imported In large guam
titiss for personal use. a good many
blind tigers still ply their traffic ana
there is still d certain amount of
drunkenness. but the quantity of Ii
quor imported Is only fraction of
the amount sold by the dispensary
and drunkenness. and crime resulting
therefrorn. have been so materially re-
duced that no one denies that the
town would be better off II the liquor
traffic could be entirely abolished.
We believe that the entire state Of
South Carolina. Charleston excepted,
Is ready for O trial Of bone dry
prohibition. We believe that public
sentiment Is strong enough to enforce
the law In a large part of the State,
and with the right Of import for per-
sonaI use abrogated 1t will be com
paratively easy to suppress the blind
tigers and boot leggers. There may be
some difficulty In enforcing the law in
Charleston. but the balance OF the
State should not suffer because Char
lesion clings to the idea that inter-
ference with the liquor traffic is an
unconstitutional infringement OF a
mans rights and liberties.