Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-07-15
BROAD RIVER fights LIQUOR
Township Improvement Association
Hears Ernest Addresses.
MEETING Held AT SHARON FRIDAY
Question is Whether Law or Lawless-
ness Shall Govern-Speakers Declare
Moral, Material and Financial Wei
fare of Community At Stake.

II
ness Shall Govern-Speakers Declare
Moral, Material and Financial Wei.
fare Of Community At Stake.
; That Broad River township will
soon become unfit to live in and will
be branded throughout the state as a
| township of lawlessness, poverty and
crime, unless drastic measures are
| taken Immediately to put an end to
the Illicit operation of moonshine
stills, was the keynote of several
| strong addresses delivered by well
known people before a meeting OF the
Broad River Township Improvement
| Association held in Sharon school
house, Friday afternoon. There were
| come seventy-flve or more Broad
River township people, many Of them
ladies, in the audience and all mani
tested q deep interest in the pro-
ceedings of the afternoon. Magistrate
In. L. A. Smith, president Of the as
| sociation presided and addresses were
made by Rev. E. B. Hunter, John B.
Paysinger, w. Beattie Wilkerson
| Jeff d. and G. w. Whitesides, Magis-
| trate ]. L. Duncan Of Bullock's Creek
and Rev. J. L. Oates of Yorkville.
| Made Liquor Near Church.
Rev. E. B. Hunter, the first speaker
of the afternoon said that while he
did not believe that Broad River
| Township was any worse than a
great many others he knew, it was
| absolutely necessary for the friends of
law and order to present solid front
| against the forces Of lawlessness, and
| it was the duty Of every good citizen
to exert every influence toward arous-
| ing public sentiment against moon
shine distilling and to aid and CO.
operate in every possible way toward
| driving the moonshiners out. He told
/ of discovering six places on a branch
near Sharon within calling distance of
a church where liquor had been made
recently.
| j. B. Paysinger pleaded for undivid-
| cd support of the officers of the law
in putting liquor traffic to rout. Point
| ing out some of the evils Of liquor
making and liquor drinking, he said
| that there was a time when man
could become intoxicated and nothing
was thought of it by his neighbors
and friends. But now the finger of
scorn and derision Is pointed at the
drunkard. Nobody will employ him,
| nobody will repose confidence in him.
| The light of a new day iI0m moral
| and educational standpoint s in the
| land and it Is necessary that every
vestige of the liquor business mTct
be put down, lest modern progress
and prosperity be destroyed. It is the
fbnsfness Of every man, woman and
child, he said to get what informa-
ton they can regarding the making of
moonshine liquor and to give that in
formation to the magistrates and
other officers of the law without fear
or favor. He scored those more or
less prominent white people who are
alleged to be backing up negroes and
others in the Illicit liquor making
business and said that every person
should make 1t his or her business to
expose these arch criminals.
History Of Organization.
W. Beattie Wilkerson, secretary of
the Broad River Township Improve
ment association gave a brief history
Of the organization. He said that 1t
was organized about two months ago
and was the result Of conversation
| and discussion Of the growing liquor
| traffic in Broad River township which
was held in the Methodist Sunday
| school at Hickory Grove one Sunday.
| At the time of organization an execu-
| tive committee of seven were appoint
ed-good men from different commu-
mites in the township who pledged
themselves to give not only moral but
| physical support to the officers If
| necessary in breaking up the nefari-
Gus traffic. He asked that members
of the association and good citizens
generally give this committee or the
officers such information as they had.
| The women, he said could be Of great
| assistance and indeed some Of the
most valuable information that had
been given him thus far was received
| from a woman. The association, he
said, realized that it was up against
hard proposition because the liquor
people were strongly entrenched. In
fact, their organization was like unto
labor unions. He had reason to be-
lieve that white men Of prominence
were connected with the traffic. He
lad consulted men at different times
whom he thought he well knew seek
ing their cooperation and assistance
and had later come to learn that they
were in sympathy with the block
aders.
Jeff d. Whitesides, men ber Of the
| executive committee said that al
though little had yet been done in
breaking up the traffic compared with
| what it was hoped to do, a good start
| had been made. He pledged him.
self to do everything possible toward
destroying the traffic.
| G. w. Whitesides, also a member OF
the executive committee thought 1t
wise to conduct a campaign of educa-
ton among the moonshiners so far as
| practicable in order that they might
Zee the error of their way. 1t was his
desire to have the moonshiners see
the error of their way, the harm that
WAS being done the community an a
result of their operations and to see
them led into the light OF law and
order, happiness and prosperity. He
made a plea for more proper Sabbath
observance and clean living generally
and for raising of all moral stand
| ards.
| Magistrate j. L. Duncan Of Bullock's
| Creek said he expected there was
| still or two down his way and If he
had some assistance he believed he
| could catch 'em