The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-11-22
MONDAY, NOVEMBER %, 1920
THE WAVE OF CRIME.

to the grand jury in Anderson last
Monday, referring to the wave of
crime which is sweeping over the
country, said that he attributed it in
large measure to some drug which he
believed the people were taking and
which made criminals out of other
wise peacefully inclined people. We
think he is right. The drug is princi-
pally Savannah River corn liquor,
mixed we think with any kind of a
concoction, or drug perhaps, which
gets the results intended.
Abbeville has been until recently
comparatively immune from the evil
effects following the sale of this Ii
quor, but in late weeks evidence is
not wanting that it is being trans
. ported into this place in large quanti-
ties. There are people who evidently
are engaged in the traffic as busi-
ness. That much was shown by the
fact that last week when officers
made a haul at LeRoy's ferry they
discovered several cars, some of
them loaded with liquor and other
cars suspected of being there for the
purpose of being loaded. We do not
know who the parties were, nor
whose cars were used. 1t is possible
that some of the cars were on lawful
missions, but the evidence casts sus-
picion upon the purpose for which
they were there. Some of these cars
were from Abbeville it is stated. At
any rate Savannah River liquor is be-
ing brought to Abbeville. The fruit
jar is becoming as common as a wea-
pom as the old six shooter.
There are two sets of people re-
sponsible for the blind-tiger liquor
traffic-those who sell and those who
buy. We have no reason to hope that
the man who travels by night to Sc
cure liquor for the purpose of selling
it unlawfully will reform. There is
but one remedy for him, but one way
to get rid of him, and that is to cap
ture him, confscate his property
and put him on the rock pile.
But there are otherwise good men
who buy and drink the liquor which
these boot-leggers buy and then re-
sell. They are as much responsible
morally for the traffic in liquor as
the men who are plying the liquor
trade. The latter could not do busi-
ness without the former. So long as
men buy and encourage others to
bring this liquor into the community
the sale of it will not be stopped.
Some of them buy it for one pur-
pose or another, not all of them
drink to excess, we feel sure. Per-
haps most of them do their own
stomachs greater injustice than
they do other people. But while these
people are buying others are buying
also, and some Of these others become
the laws violators.
We think that the people who oc-
casionally buy liquor from these peo-
pie and the people who drink it do
not stop to consider that they are en-
couraging, to the extent that they do
so, the blind-tiger business; that they
are to that extent partners in crime
with the man who sells; that they are
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ing and to the commission of crime in
this community.
We believe that we may address
ourselves to these men expressing the
hope that instead of patronizing law
breakers, they at least cease to do so.
. 1t is the duty of these men to join
with the officers of the law in stopping
this traffic in liquor, because this is
their community, but if they can
not do that, they may at least not en-
courage the traffic by becoming pur-
ehasers. If they desire to keep down
crime it is their duty to join hands
with the forces opposed to crime
hatcher than secretly encourage it. Is
it too much to hope that these men
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