Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THOS. J. ADAMS, PROPRIETOR. I EDGEFIELD, S. C., THUBSDAY, JANUARY 26,1893. ~ VOL. LVJL NO. 52. WHAT THEY THINK;OF IT; A Number of Letters on tlie Evans Dispensary Bill: From J. M. Gaines, Esq. MR. EDITOR : Yours to hand ask ing my views of the new Dispen sary Law. Pressure of other mat ters forbids my entering into an elaborate discussion, but I give a few of the points that impress me most forcibly. On principle I am a prohibi tionist. J believe that whiskey has done the world much more harm than good, and that the liquor traffic under the saloon system is one of the saddest reflections on our Christian civilization. But I am confronted with the conviction that public sentiment ou the ques tion has not yet reached the plane where straightout prohibition can be practically enforced, and that it is unwise and futile to under take to legislate far in advance of the moral sentiment of the people. 1 . When the Dispensary plan was first brought to my attention last fall by a newspaper article, I was k impressed with the idea of its * being the most practicable solution 1 of the liquor question, and have ' since advocated it in private cou venation. The Dispensary plan strikes a happy medium between the in iquitous bar-room system and the, as yet visionary, demands of ultra- 1 prohibitionists. J As a prohibitory measure the . strong point of the Dispensary 1 plan lies in the fact that all per- ( sonal profit is taken out of the ! business, leaving no inducement to push and abuse he sale of whiskey. The "Dispenser" will get a fixed ? salary, without reference to the i amount of sales, for conducting the Dispensary according to rules ^ _fixed by the Board of Control, and ? .??.'?M*ftBi-will. .lie iii! at son busi iTiCeii On i Bacchus comfort in under the new dispensation they will get their corn and rye juice ' pure and unadulterated, and not be poisoning their systems with . vile decoctions of strychnine, cop- 1 peras, etc., and if they persist in ( / worshipping occasionally at tho shrine of their favorite, it is to be hoped their orgies will be charac terized by "tanglefoot" jollity, 1 rather than "popskull" and "j,im- 1 jam" devilment. Our lawmakers have been se verely criticised for alleged incon sistency in enacting a law which condemns and cl >ses the bar rooms, and at the same time puts 1 the State into bar-room business. Now, it seerap to me that the adop tion of the Dispensary plan puts the State in a much stroLger posi tion morally than the old license system. Under the old plan the Stat3 assumes the moral respon- I 8ibility of the liquor traffic by le- '. galizing the I ar-rooms and selling I them licenses, and yet shirks its ' responsibility and insures the I abuse of the business by allowing ] unscrupulous men to control the j sale of whiskey and put enormous profits in their own pockets by i blasting the manhood and de- i stroying the homes of their neigh- i bors. Und^r the Dispensary plan ] the State, while assuming the j moral responsibility of the liquor business, endeavors squarely and i honestly to meet that responsibil ity by taking the business directly under control and adopting judi cious regulations to prevent abuses and excesses while according due respect to personal liberty. Again, under the Dispensary plan the State will receive some compensation for the evils of th? whiskey traffic by using the profits for the benefit of the whole people, including those who may still, perchance, suffer from its abuse. And this reminds us of another Strong point in the law, which is that every tax payer will be direct ly interested in its enforcement, , and in the detection and punish ment of any who may try to handle whiskey in evasion of its provis ions. . Some point to the bitter opposi tion o? the liquor dealers as evU dence that the Dispensary plan will prove good prohibition, I attach but little importance to this, as I doubt if the liquor men trouble to look much beyond tho fact that when the Dispensary plan goes into operation "Othello's occupation is gone," and this alone is sufficient reasou for their fight. No doubt when the plan is put in operation, experience will sug gest desirable amendments, but I look for the Dispensary idea to sweep the country, and in years to come for the people of South Carolina to point with pride to the fact that she was the first State to adopt it. I believe the Evans Dispensary Bill will bo" accepted as proof of the sound statesmanship of its author and promoters, and will ivorthily mark the Legislature ?vhich passed it. J. M. GAINES, Gaines, S.C. From Ex-Senator Call (son. MR. EDITOR : In reply to your ?eques: for my views on the Evans Dispensary Law, allow me to say hat it is legislation run mad. In tttempting to make a thing a ;rime, that no one will believe it o be a crime, the Legislature of South Carolina has forged the greatest crime against the individ lal and reserved rights of the people in passing said law. It was conceived in malice and 3orn amid the throes of. Draconian md factional hate against the :own8 and cities of our State. No inert y-loving people, or self-re jpecting man will ever sign a jetition for the establishment of a bounty Dispensary, or go with that n one hand and a petition in the )ther, crowding before His'High ness, the Dispenser, to purchase, it may be, a pint of whiskey for a sick brother. No, Mr. Editor, our DPople will not submit to such iegradation and boss rule, or to lave their civil rights trampled, ?pori in any such manner. The Constitution authorizes the Legis ature to levy a tax upon the prop erty of the'.people sufficient to pay ' -nent. .oriners prying into the household ;o see what the inmates eat and Irink, or if they have intoxicants ii suspicious quantities, io confis cate it without redress. What quantities will the lorde of the Philistines allow us to keep with )ut crimination? Such alawi3 jndemocra?c, and I shall, be very nuch disappointed in the temper md spirit of our people if they will tolerate such interference with ;heir liberty and personal rights, it is altogether outside the func loiis of government to engage in my ?ind of merchandise. Respectfully, JAS. CALLISOX. Callisou, S. C. Representative W. R. Parks. MR. EDITOR: In answer to your request for my opinion of tho EvanB Dispensary bill, I will state, that the said bil1, in my opinion, while not strictly prohibition, is the very best that could have been passed, and I think it is daily growing in favor. Some look upon the measure as a. compromise. Admit that to be ii fact, and all conservative think ers must agree? that the bill is prohibitory in its nature, and ?ood results will follow if sympa thizers and prohibitionists will do their duty. The Evans bill delirninates many of the evil influences common to the bar-rooms. Probably there are defects in the bill, but .it will be an easy matter to make amend ments after the State has once taken hold of the monster. First give the matter a thorough test, then should it prove a failure, ab solute prohibition would follow, but at this time, in ray opinion, Buch a measure is absolutely un attainable. The passage of tho Evans bill was a long stride and a radical move toward the governmental control of one of the great political influences which if continued will sooner or later overthrow our Re publican government. Not only our State, but our National Legis lature, should enact stringent laws that would rogulate whiskey and other monopolistic influences. There are two classes who op pose the measure. First, the bar keepers, and very naturally, be cause of the stoppage of their bus iness ; sec mdly, because after said bill bas had a thorough test, the wisdom of the bill will be so gen erally admitted, that no power can overthrow the law. The other class are the extrem ists who can see no good in any measure passed by the present ad ministration. I am glad, however, to admit that there are but few that are so extreme as to oppose a measure which is virtually the Bame as the one which was ad vocated by them during the last campaign. Yours respectfully, W. R. PARKS. Modoc, S. C. Representative J. H.Edwards. MR. EDITOR: In reply to your questions as to my views on the EvanB bill, and reasons for sup porting the same, I will say that very much will depend upon the men in conrrol of Dispensary as to. the amount of good tobe had therefrom. If our prohibitionists would use their, influence that none but reliable men be placed in charge of same, thereby helping our worthy Governor in the dis charge of his duty, it would bo of untold help. One of my reasons for support ing the bill is, that it takes the profil from individuals a..d gives it to the State, thereby plucking the life from it, so to speak. Second, it does awav with the bar-rooms, and, to a large extent, the social glass. Third, it is of no interest to the Dispenser whether he sells much or little. Fourth, it places the manage ment of the Dispensary in charge I of a Board of Control, who can have the same closed at sunset. Fifth, it gives to every individ ual the right to aid the Dispenser in suppressing drunkenness, even on the highways, by keeping him posted. Sixth, it furnishes nure liouors MK. EDITOR: In cumpiiuuce with your request "to give my views upon the Dispensary law for publication," I cheerfully submit the following hastily written reply : First of all I desire to say that said law did not have its origin with me, although I was consulted as to its general scope and pro visions before its introduction in the Senate by Senator John Gary Evans, and gave my consent to support it with my influence and vote for it in preference to what was known as the "Roper-Nettles Prohibition bill," which had just passed the House and come over to the Senate for consideration. I carried out that agreement and have seen no cause to regret ray action. It must be remembered that leg islation is largely the result of a compromise of opinions among legislators ; that few measures, in volving importan t changes or mod ifications of existing laws or the enactment of new ones, aro ever carried through the ordinary chan nels of legislation without amend ments, additions, or abridgments of some of their provisions. So in this case, the passage of the pres ent Dispensary law was the out growth of conflicting opinions and demands as to the license laws as ; they existed and were enforced. The more I have reflected upon this now law as a whole, the more I am satisfied that it will moot tho favorable consideration of a ma jority of the citizens of South Carolina when once they have wit nessed its practical operation. It meets my ideas of the justice and wisdom of distribution of the reV'-imes arising from the salo of vinous and alcoholic liquors as provided under this Dispensary law. The only class of people who will be materially affected by the operation of this new law ii that class now engaged in tho salo of intoxicants either as wholesale or retail dealers-more seriously the former (and ! must say that I appreciate the apparent hardship upon them). But they must re member that thoy engaged in tho business with a knowledge of tho fact that they had no organic shield against legislative interfer ence with their business. If they presumed that the policy of the State would not be changed so far as their business was concerned, it has proven to them an unwarV?bfc.] able presumption, and they are1 like the man who has been elected or appointed to a lucrative office, and, under the presumption that he would be continued in such posi tion for successive terms, has made considerable outlay in providing for such expectation, but when the next biennial or quadrennial election comes around he finds he has failed of his expectations and has therefore to "get up and get" to some other employment. As to the moral question of the Dinpensary system, about which certain moralists raise their hands in "holy horror," I would say there is no new principle of mor ality involved, peculiar to the new law, since the old license plan bo galized the traffic, imposed a license iee, an? the state received a pro raia of the same. In any event, the difference is only one of degree, or of amount of income de rivable from the practical opera tion of the law. It is true this is an untried system in this state, but we have the experience of other countries which have tried a plan somewhat similar to this to encourage us in its trial here. I refer to the Dis pensary laws of Norway and Sweden, and to the monoply law of Switzerland which has proven BO effectual in that country in the threefold relations-financial, po litical, and moral. Now I do not persume to claim that the Evans Dispensary law is perfect in its provisions, but that when it is put into operation its defects will become manifest and can and will be corrected by subsequent, legislation, or that if the law, when tried, should prove to be unwise and impracticable (as some suppose) it will doubtless be repealed and such other legisla tion had as the dictates of experi ence and wisdom may suggest. I hope, Mr. Editor, the above . ._ora an. As a piece of temperance legisla tion the Dispensary law is not satisfactory. A years time is re spectfully asked for before attempt ing to answer the question whether it will lessen the use of intoxicants. It is not necessary to charge the faults of the law to the General Assembly. They asked for an ex pression of the people's will at the August primary. Had a majority voted for prohibition our law makers would hardly have had the hardhood to defy the expressed will of the people, at the risk of their political headB. I prefer to believe that they would have obey ed it gladly. Presuming that a majority of our white voters favor prohibition, it is to be hoped that they will have another opportunity to say ?o at th? ballot box, and that it will not again be neglected. "With the fact before them that only about one-fourth of the voters asked for prohibition, our law makers turned their attention to the revenue value of the liquor traffic, as three-fourths of their constituents seemed to require them to do, and i any one has in vented a plan o arger promise to distil revenue for the State, he ought to have a patent and a pen sion. Morally, the Dispensary law is no worse than license and that is, perhaps, the best that can be said of it. License makes the Stale a partner in the liquor traffic, and the profits are shared. Now the other partner can turn his talent toother pursuits, and the State will sweep all the shekels into its own till. Nor is it morally any better than license, and that is, perhaps, the worst that can be said about it. At any rate, "it is as well to be hanged for an old sheep as for a lamb," and if South Carolina is to rest under the reproach of this awful traffic, I see no good reason for sharing the spoil with any one who may be willing to swap one dollar for twenty or fifty or one hundred. J. S. JORDAN, Phoenix, S. C. Ayer's Pills are constantly ad vancing in the estimation of those who use them. They improve the appetite, promote digestion, restore healthy action, and regulate every function. They are pleasent to take, gentle in their op1 ration and powerful in subduing disease. THE NEWLY DISCOVERED. Gospel of Peter-Translated from the Original Greek By Profes sor J. Kendell Harris, F. P.S. Cambridge University, England, But noDe of the Jews washed their hands, neither did Herod v.or any of his judges, and when they wjuld have washed them, Pilate rose up: and thereupon ?Herod the king bids that the Lord should be taken off, saying to jthem, Do with Him as I bade you do. And there was come ihither Joseph, the friend of Pilate and of the Lord,aud knowing that they aro going to crucify Him he came to Pilate and begged the body of the Lord for burial. And jPilate sent, to Herdo and asked for His boy; and Herod said, Brother Pilate even if no one had asW for Him, we should have had ,to bury Him for already the Sabbath draws on : for it is written the law that the sun must not go d??wn upon a l?urdered person, on the day be fore their feast, the feast of un leavened bread. But they who ?P taken the Lord were pushing Him along at a run, and saying ijjpt us hale the Son of God, now that we have Him in our power; a&d they clad Him with purple, and theo seated Him on a seat of jtjdgment.saying Judge righteously CfKingof Israel ; and one of thom b?ough*. a crown of thorns and set ityapon the head of theJLord. nd others standing by spat on face, and others again struck Him on the cheeks ; others pricked Him with a reed, and some were scourging Him and saying, This is(the honor wherewith we will hcfior the Son or* God. And they brought two malefactors and cruci th? Lord between them. But He was silent, as if in no wise feeling pain : and when j they set up the cross they inscribed the words, "liis ii the King of Israel." And ?vii nas He ?done? and [the Jews] being provoked at him commanded that his legs should not be broken, in order that he might die in torment. And it was now mid-day, and darknfs covered all the land of Judea, and they were troubled and in anxiety lest the sun should be setting, since He was yet alive ; for it is written for them that the sun should not set upon a murdered man. And one of them said, Let us give Him to drink gall mingled with vinegar, and when they had mingled it they gave Him to drink ; and thus they brought all thing to a fulfil ment, and filled up the measure of 'heir sins upon their own head. And many went about with lanterns, thinking it was night,... and they fell down..., And the Lord cried out, saying, My Power, my Power, hast thou forsaken me? And when He had said this He was taken up. the And same hour the veil of the temple of Jerusalem was rent in twain ; and then they drew out the nails from the hands of the Lord and laid him on the earth and the earth was wholly shaken ?nd great fear came upon them.Then the sun shone out,and it was found to be the ninth hour. But the Jews rejoiced greatly, and gave the body to Joseph to bury, for he had been an observer of all the good deeds which Jesns did. And he took the Lord and washed Him and wrapped him in a linen cloth, and brought Him into his own tomb, which was called Joseph's Garden. Then the Jews and the elders and the priests, when they ?aw what an evil deed they had done to themselves, began to beat their breasts and to say, Woe to our sinB, for the judgment and the end of Jerusalem is at hand. And I with ray companions was grieving, and being wounded in heart, we hid ourselves, for we were sought for by them as male factors andas men who wished to burn the temple. And we were fasting i.ver all the60 things and sitting down, grieving and weeping night and day, until tho Sabbath. And the scribes and Pharisees and elders were gathored together for they had heard that all the poo were murmuring and beating their breasts and saying, If such mighty signs are wrought at His death, consider how righteous a man He is ! The elders were afraid and came to Pilate,beseeching him and saying. "Give us soldiers, that we may guard His tomb for three days, lest His diciples come and steal Him away," and people sup pose that He is risen from the dead, and do us ill. And Pilate delivered to them Petronius the centurion with soldiers to guard the sepulcher; and with them there came elders and scribesjjto the sepulcher; and they witd the centurion and the soldiers |who were there all together rolled [a great stone and laid it at the door of the tomb, and they plastered eeven seals, and pitched a tent there and mounted guard. And early in the morning, as the Sabbath was drawing on, there came a crowd from Jerusalem and from the surrounding country to see tho tomb which had been sea led. And in tho night when the Lord's day was drawing on, as the soldiers were on guard, two and two in each watch, there was a great voice in heaven, and they saw the heav ens opened, and two men descend thence with great radiance, and they stood over the tomb. But that stone which had been cast at the door rolled away of itself and withdrew.to one side, and the tomb was opened, and both the young men entered. When those soldiers saw this thev aroused the centurion and the elders for they also were present on guard); and as they were relating jvhat they had seen, again they behold three men coming out jf the tomb, and two of them were supporting (he third, and a cross was following them ; and the headsoftho two men reached to the heaven, but the head of il i m who was being led along by tlaem was higher than the heavens. And they heard a voice from heaven which said, Hast thou y-reachedto them that are asleep? ? And a res ponse was heard from the croso ? .XT .'0 .lfi M nen mose who were with the centurion by night saw these things, they hurried to Pilate, leaving the sepulchre which they were guarding, and they related all which they had seen, being greatly distressed and saying, Truly this was the Son of God. And Pilate answered and Baid to them, I am pure of the blood of Son of God, but this deed was your good pleasure. Then they all drew near and besought him and entreated him to command the centurion and the soldiers to say nothing of what they had seen. For it is better for us. they said to be guilty of the greatest sin in the sight of God, than to fall into the hands of the 'people of the Jews and be stoned. Pilate there upon ordered the centurion and be soldiers to say nothing. And at th? dawn of the Lord's day Mary Magdalene, a disciple of the Lord, who, beiDg afeard of the Jews because they were inflamed by anger, had not done at the sepulchre as women were wont to do over the dead and those that were beloved by them, took her friends with her and came to the tomb where he had been laid; and they were afraid lest th? Jews should see them, and they s??1 though we were not able to ki-ty and bewail Him in that day when He was crucified yet now a t tho tomb let us do so. But who shall roll us away tho stone wh'"ch was laid at the door of the tomb, that we may enter in, and sit by Him and do Him His due? For the stone was a great one, and we are afraid lest some ono should see us, and if we are not able [to carry out our plan], let ns cast down al the door what wo are carrying injremcr'^rance ot Him, and let us weep and .vail until wo reach our own homes. ^And.they came there and found the sepulchre opened; and drawing near thither, they stooped down, and they see a young man sitting in the midst of the sepulchre, beautiful and clad in a most daz zling robe, who said to them, Wherefore aro ye como? whom do ye seek? Is it the ono who was crucified? He is risen and gono; and if ye do not believe, stoop down and see the place where He was laid ; for He is not hero; for He is risen, and has gone to tho place from whence Ho was ?lent. Then the women fled away m fear. And it was the jast day of the feast of? unleavened bread, and many people were going from the city to their homes the feast being ended. But we the twelve disci ples of the Lord wept and grieved, and each of us in grief at what had happened withdrew to his house. But I Simon Peter, and Andrew, my brother,took our nets, and departed to the sea, and there was with us also Levi, the son of Alphaeus, whom the Lord. * * * [END OF THE FRAGMENT.] All who are troubled with Constipation will find a safe, sure and speed relief in Ayer's Pills. Unlike most other cathartics, these pills strengthon the stomach, liver, and bowels, and restor the organs to normal and regular action. Bring your school checks to the ADVERTISER office, if you want 95 per cent, of their face value. Final Settlement and Dis charge. NOTICE is hereby given that there will be a final settlement of the guardianship estate of M. L. Timmer man in the Probate Office at Edgefield on the 18th day c* February, prox., and at the same time application will be made for a discharge as guardian of said estate. W. II. TIMM ERM AX. Notice to Debtors and Cred itors. ALL persons holding claims against the estate of Miss Annie May, dec'd, will present them to me as ad ministrator, properly attested, on or before the loth day of February, 1S93, and all persons owing the estate will please pay the same at once. A. A. WERTS, Adm'r estate Miss Annie May. Peterkins Cluster. OOO BUSHELS Cotton Seed, ^i\J\J "PeterkinsCluster," for exchange, at the rates of one bushel for four of other seed. F. P. HOLLINGSWORTH, 2m Edgefield, S. C. WM. SCHWEIGERT, Tlie Jeweller, Corner Broad and McIntosh Streets. Ga? E. R. Schneider, IMPORTERS OF VINE Wines, Liquors and Cigars, AND DEALERS IN Bourbon Rve and Corn Whiskey. 6oi and 8o2 Broad Street, nroN ' KU Q w, - - GA. QUICKEST SALES. HIGHEST PRICES. BEST WEIGHTS SHIP OR HAUL YOUR COTTON TO CRANSTON & STOVALL, Fireproof Warehousemen. 7 3 9 DEWIE IT-HST O TJtJD'JS SJT _R, E B T , AUGUSTA, GEORGIA. They have had long experience, are liberal, progressive, activo and guarantee quick sales and prompt returns. We will make full cash advances on alljconsignmenta. Cranston & ?tovail, AUGUSTA, GEORGIA. General ? Repair ? Shops, EDGEFIELD, S. C, G. B, COURTNEY, PRPR. I have opened General Repair Shops at Edgefield, S. C., where I will be pleased to receive the patronage of the public m therine of General Repairs and Overhauling, such as: Wagons, Carriages, Buggies, Road Vehicles, of all Kinds. Steam Engines, Mowers, Reapers, Gins, MANUFACTURER OF - iii Material. In fact anything and all things in the way of Machiner)- tba may need repairs will receive the most careful and conscientious attention "t my hands. All work guaranteed and done at short] notice. Give mo a trial. Prices Low and Stricty Cash. Gr. B. G OURTNEY Near. X>e>;pot, EDGEFIELD C. . - s-c