^ ^ ^ ^ ISSUED SEMI-WEEKL"^ ,
l. m. grist & sons, Publisher.. j %^atnilj ficu:spa(!erj_ <#or_ fhf gromotion of Iht political, Social, Sgricultural, and (Komroetitial gntygte o| the gtoglt- {TERM93iNQ^L0coPTYF*?E'cEANTVaANCE'
ESTABLISHED 1855. YORKVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 19QQ. NO, 19.
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J* J5t iXt 55lt Jlftfc Jnl Jftt ^nt fr& fr? fri% iftl
************** *n
CHAPTER V.
SHE Archangel hotel, Mmc. Gipsy's
asylum, was the most elegant
building on the Qual
St. Michel. A person who
paid her fortnight's board in advance
was treated with consideration at this
hotel. Mme. Alexandre, who had been
a pretty woman, was now stout, tightly
laced, always overdressed and fond
of wearing a number of flashy gold
chains, falling in cascades over her fat
bosom. She had bright eyes and white
teeth, but, alas, a red nose. Of all her
weaknesses?and heaven knows she
had Indulged in every variety?only
one remained; she loved a good dinner,
with plenty of wine. She loved her
husband, and about tbe time m. i'airigent
was leaving the hospital she began
to be worried that her "little man"
had not returned to dinner. She was
about to sit down without him when
the hotel boy cried out:
"Here is monsieur!"
"Why, how late you are, my little
man!" she cried as she dropped her
knife and fork and rushed forward to
embrace him.
But he received her caresses with an
air of abstraction.
"I'm tired." he said. "1 have been
the whole day playing billiards with
Evarlste, M. Fauvel's valet, and allowed
him to win us often as he wished.
1 became acquainted with him
yesterday, and now I am bis best
friend. If I wish to enter M. Fauvel's
service as a messenger. I can rely upon
M. Evariste's good word."
"What, you be an office messenger?
You?"
"Of course I would. How else am I
to get into M. Fauvel's house for the
purpose of studying my characters?"
"Then the valet gave you no news?"
"Nothing that I could make use of,
and yet I turned him inside out like a
glove. This banker is a remarkable
man. Evarlste says he has not a single
vice, not even a little defect by
??which his valet could gain 10 sous.
He neither smokes.' drinks nor plays?
in fact, be Is a saint He is worth millions
and lives as respectably and
quietly as a grocer. He Is devoted to
his wife, adores bis children. Is very
hospitable, but seldom goes into society."
"Then his-wife is young?"
"She must be about fifty."
Mme. Alexandre reflected a moment
"Did you Inquire about the other
members of the family?'
"Certainly. The younger son Is an
officer in the army. The elder son,
Luclen, lives with his parents and Is
as proper as a young lady."
"And this niece of whom you have
spoken?"
"Evarlste could tell me nothing
about her."
Mme. Alexandre shrugged her shoulders.
"If you have discovered nothing, it
Is because there is nothing to be discovered.
Still do you know what I
would do If I were in your place?"
"What?"
"I would consult M. Lecoq."
At the mention of this name Fanferlot
Jumped up as if he had been shot
"That's pretty advice! Do you want
me to lose my place? M. Lecoq does
not suspect that I have anything to do
with the case except to obey his orders."
"Who told you to let him know you
were investigating it on your own account?
You can consult him with an
air of Indifference, as if you were not
at all interested, and after you have
got his opinion you can take advantage
of It."
The detective weighed his wife's
words.
"Perhaps you are right." he said.
"Yet M. Lecoq is so devilishly shrewd
that he might see through it all."
"Shrewd!" echoed Mme. Alexandre.
"Shrewd! All of you at the police office
say that so often that you have
made his reputation."
"Well, I will think the matter over.
But in the meantime what does the little
one say?"
The "little one" was Mme. Nina Gipsy.
In taking up her abode at the Archangel
the poor girl thought she was
following good advice, and. as Fanferlot
had not shown himself, she was
still under the Impression that she had
obeyed a friend of Prosper. When
she received her summons from M.
Fatrlgent, she admired the wonderful
skill of the police In discovering her
biding place, for she had established
herself at the hotel under a false or,
rather, her true name. Palmyre Chocarellle.
Artfully questioned by her inquisitive
landlady, she had without
any mistrust confided her history to
her. Thus Fanferlot was able to pose
before the judge as a skillful detective
when he pretended to have discovered
all this information from a variety of
sources.
"The little one is still up stairs." answered
Mme. Alexandre. "She suspects
nothing. But to keep her in her
present ignorance becomes daily more
difficult. I don't know what the judge
told her, but she came home very angry.
She wanted to go and make a
fuss at M. Fauvel's. Then she wrote
a letter, which she told Jean to post
for her. But I kept it to show you."
"What!" interrupted Fanferlot "You
have a letter and did not tell me be
ry ^=^<5=^^=^: if
fc< By- if
Emile it
Gaboriau iif
^=?=^^=5i<s=^: :?
< ?
fore? Perhaps It contains the clew to
the mystery. Quick! Give It to me!"
Mme. Alexandre opened a little cupboard
and took out a letter, which she
handed to her husband.
"Here, take It," she said, "and be
satisfied."
Considering that she used to be a
chambermaid, Palmyre Choeareille,
since become Mme. Gipsy, wrote a
good letter. It was addressed In a
free, flowing hand: "M. M. L. de Clameran,
Forge-Master, Hotel du Louvre
To be handed to M. Raoul de Lagors.
(Very Important.)"
"Oh, ho!" said Fanferlot, accompanying
his explanation with a little
whistle, as was his habit when he
thought he had made a grand discovery.
"Oh, ho!"
"Do you intend to open It?" questioned
Mme. Alexandre.
"Yes." said Fanferlot as he dexterously
opened the envelope.
Mme. Alexandre leaned over the
shoulder of her "little man," and they
both read:
M. Raoul?Prosper is in prison accused of a
robbery which I know he never committed. Threa
days ago I wrote to you on this subject.
"What!" interrupted Fanferlot "This
silly girl wrote and I never saw the
letter?"
"But, little man, she must have posted
it herself the dav she went to the
Palais de Justice."
"Very likely." said Fanferlot, satisfled.
He continued reading:
I wrote to you three days ago and have no reply.
Who will help Prosper if his best friends
desert him? If you don't answer this letter, I
shall consider myself released from a certain
promise and without scruple will tell Prosper of
the conversation I overheard between you and
M. de Clameran. But I can count on you, can 1
not? I shall expect you at the Archangel hotel
day after tomorrow between 12 and 4.
Nina Gipsy.
The letter read, Fanferlot without a
word proctieded to copy It.
"Well." said Mme. Alexandre, "what
do you say?"
Fanferlot was delicately reseallng the
copied letter when the door of the hotel
office was suddenly opened, and the
boy whispered:
"Hist! Hist!"
Fanferlot disappeared with marvelous
celerity Into a dark closet He had
barely time to close the door before
Mme. Gipsy entered.
Alas, the poor girl was sadly changed.
She was pale, her cheeks were
hollow and her eyes were red with
weeping.
On seeing her Mme. Alexandre could
not repress a cry of surprise.
"Why, my child, you are not going
out?"
"I am obliged to do so, madame, and
I came to ask you to tell any one that
may call during my absence to wait
until I return."
"But where are you going at this
hour, sick as you are?"
Mme. Gipsy hesitated a moment
? cslin on l/l "vnu ono cn ornrtH tn
VU| OUC OUIU, JWU M1V wrvr gvww \w
me that I am tempted to confide in
you. Read this note, which a messenger
just now brought to me."
"What!" cried Mme. Alexandre, perfectly
aghast "A messenger come
here and go up to your room?"
"Is there anything surprising In
that?"
"Oh. no."
And in a tone loud enough to be
heard In the closet she read the note:
A friend of Prosper, who can neither receive
you nor present himself at your house, needs to
speak to you. Be in the stage office opposite the
St. Jacques tower tonight "at 0 precisely, and the
writer will approach and tell you what he has to
say to you. 1 have appointed this public place
tor the rendezvous so as to relieve you of all fear.
"And you are going to this rendezvous?"
cried Mme. Alexandre.
"Certainly."
"But It Is Imprudent, foolish. It Is
a snare to trap you."
"It makes no difference." Interrupted
Gipsy. "I am so unfortunate already
that 1 have nothing more to dread.
Any change would be a relief."
And. without waiting to hear any
more, she set out She was not In the
street before Fanferlot bounced out of
the closet.
"A thousand thunders!" he cried.
"Are people to walk over the Archangel
as If It were a public street? Was
ever such Impudence heard of?" he
continued. "A messenger comes into
my house and goes up stairs without
being seen by anybody! And the idea
of you. a sensible woman, being idiotic
enougli to dissuade tbat little viper
from keeping the appointment!"
"Hut. my dear"?
"Did you not suppose tbat I would
follow her and discover what she is attempting
to conceal? Come, make
haste and help me. so that she won't
recognize me."
In a few minutes Fanferlot was completely
disguised by a thick beard, a
wig and one of those long linen blouses
worn by men who go about seeking
work and at the same time hoping
they may not find it.
"Have you your handcuffs?" asked
the solicitous Mine. Alexandre when be
was ready.
"Yes. yes. Make baste and post that
letter to M. de Clamerau and keep
good watch."
And without listening to his wife,
who cried out. "Good luck!" Fanferlot
darted away.
Mine. Gipsy hud ten minutes' start
of him. but he ran up the street he
knew she must have taken and overtook
her near the Change bridge. On
Cliatelet place she strolled up and
down several times, read the theater
bills and finally took a seat on a bench 1
and at a quarter of 9 eniered the omnibus
office aud sat down. A moment 1
after Fanferlot entered; but, as he '
feared that Mme. Gipsy might recognize
him In spite of his heavy beard, I
he took a seat at the opposite end of
the room, where it was dark. * 1
As the Hotel de Ville clock struck 9 1
a man entered, walked directly up to 1
Gipsy, bowed and took a seat beside
ber. He was a medium sized man, <
rather stout, with a crimson face and 1
fiery red whiskers, nis dress was that
of a well to do merchant There was <
nothing in his appearance to excite
ottontlnn Pnnfprlnt wntohed him ea- 1
gerly.
"My friend," he said to himself, "in
future I shall recognize you no matter
where we meet, and this very evening
I will follow you and find out who
you are."
Despite his intent listening he could
not hear a word spoken by the stranger
or Gipsy. All he could do was to
Judge by their actions and countenances
what was the subject of their
conversation. When the stout man
bowed and spoke to her, the girl looked
so surprised that it was evident she
had never seen him before. When he
sat down by her and spoke to her, she
Jumped up with a frightened look, as
if seeking to escape. A single look
caused her to resume her seat. Then
as the stout man went on talking Gipsy
displayed great apprehension. She
positively refused to do something;
then suddenly she seemed to consent
At one moment she appeared ready to
weep and the next her Dretty face was
illumined by a bright smile. Finally
she shook hands with him, as if she
was confirming a promise.
"What can all that mean?" said Fanferlot
to himself as he sat in his dark
corner, biting his nails. "What an
idiot I am to have placed myself so
far off!"
He was thinking how he could manage
to approach nearer without arousing
their suspicions when the fat man
got up, offered his arm to Vme. Gipsy,
who accepted it without hesitation,
and together they walked toward the
door. They were so preoccupied with
....nil,,,.. rnnfni.lnf thnnrrht ho 1
l/lie auutiitri uiai I auiu ivi wuvuou*. mv
could follow them without risk. Reaching
the door, he saw the stout man
and Gipsy cross the pavement, approach
a hackney coach, sent for from
the omnibus office, and enter it
"Very good," muttered Fanferlot
"I've got them now. There Is no use
of hurrying any more."
When the coach started, he followed
at a brisk trot The cab went up the
Boulevard Sebastopol. It went pretty
fast. But It was not for nothing that c
Fanferlot bad won the name of Squirrel.
With his elbows glued to his
sides, he ran on. By the time he had
reached the Boulevard St. Denis he began
to get breathless and stiff from a /
pain in his side, then thp cab abruptly
turned into the Faubourg St. Martin.
But Fanferlot. who at eight years of 0
age had been familiar with every s
street in Paris, was not to be baffled, t
He was a man of resources. He seized c
the springs of the coach, raised him- i
self up by the strength of his wrists n
and hung on behind, with his legs resting
on the nxletree of the rear wheels, u
He was certainly not comfortable, but, t
then, he no longer ran the risk of being t
distanced. r
"Now." he said behind, his false t
beard, "drive on." ^
The man whipped up his horses and v
drove rapidly along the hilly street of n
the Faubourg St. Martin. Finally at j,
the old "barrier" the cab stopped In t
front of a winestore. and the driver e
Jumped down from his seat and went c
in. The detective also left his un- j
comfortable post and. crouching In a s
doorway, waited for Gipsy and the
stout man to get out. ready to follow ^
them. Five minutes passed and they j,
had not alighted. b
"What can they be doing all this
time?" grumbled the detective. h
Stealthily approaching the cab. be g
peeped In. s
Oh. cruel deception?it was empty! t
"Tricked!" he said. "Fooled! Ah. ?
but I'll make them pay for this!" t
In a moment his quick mind had
run over the gamut of possibilities, n
probable and improbable. v
"Evidently." he muttered, "this man f
and Gipsy entered one door and got n
out of the other. If so, it was because
they feared being followed. If they {,
feared being followed, they have uneasy
consciences; therefore"? v
He suddenly Interrupted his solilo- v
quy as the Idea struck him that he had r
better attempt to find out something a
from the driver. Unfortunately the p
driver was in a very surly mood and
not only refused to answer, but shook ^
his whip in so threatening a manner ^
that Fanferlot deemed It prudent to
beat a retreat '
"Perhaps," he muttered, "he and the
driver are one and the same!"
But what could he do now at this
late hour? He could not Imagine. He '
walked dejectedly back to the Qual
St. Michel, and It was half past 11 1
when he reached his own door.
"Has the little one returned?" he t
inquired of Mme. Alexandre the in- t
stant she opened the door for him. s
"No, but here are two large bundles ^
which have come for her." 0
Fanferlot hastily opened the bun- n
dies. They contained three calico
dresses, some coarse shoes and some 0
linen caps. j]
The detective could not repress a t
cry. "Well." said he, "now she is go- h
ing to disguise herself. Upon my ^
word, I am getting puzzled!" h
When Fanferlot was sulkily walking P
down the Faubourg St. Martin, he had s
fully made up his mind that he would [.
not tell his wife of his discomfiture, v
but once at home, confronted with a II
new fact of a nature to negative all t
his conjectures, his vanity disappear- ^
ed. lie confessed everything?his hopes j)
so nearly realized, his strange mischance
and his suspicions. They talk- a
ed the matter over and finally decided J1
that they would not go to bed before t:
the return of Mme. Gipsy, from whom I
Mme. Alexandre was determined to I
obtain an explanation of what had
happened. But would she return? At
1 o'clock the worthy couple were about
giving up all hope of her reappearance
when they heard the bell ring. At the
sound of the bell Fanferlot slipped into *
the closet, and Mme. Alexandre remained
In the office to receive Gipsy.
"Here you are, my dear child!" she
cried. "Ah, I have been so uneasy E
about you!" 1
"Thanks for your kind Interest, ma
lame. Has anything come for mef *
Poor Gipsy's appearance Lad strlkngly
changed. She was very sad, but
lot, as before, dejected. To her melaniholy
of the last few days had sue:eeded
a firm and generous resolution,
vhlch was betrayed in her sparkling
;yes.
"Yes, two bundles came for you.
lere they are. I suppose you saw M.
iertomy's friend?"
"Yes, madame, rnd his advice has j
w changed my plans that, I regret to p
;ay, I must leave you tomorrow." t
"Tomorrow! Then something must 3
iave happened." 0
"Oh, nothing that would Interest you, c
nadame." c
After lighting her candle at the gas t
mrncr Mme. Gipsy said "Good night" t
n a very knowing way. 0
"What do you think of that Mme. v
Uexandre?" asked Fanferlot emerg* j.
ng from his closet. p
"It is Incredible! This girl writes to c
II. de Clameran to met her here and n
hen does not wait for him." h
"Evidently sbe mistrusts us. She g
mows who I aoi." a
"This friend of the cashier must n
mve told her." t
"Who knows? I shall end by believ- n
ng that I am among a gang of thieves. h
They think I am on their track and are b
rying to escape me. I should not be p
it all surprised if this girl has the b
noney herself and intends to run off f
vltli it tomorrow." a
"That is not my opinion. But listen j,
o me. You had better take my advice v
md consult M. Lecoq." a
Fnnferlot paused to think. n
"Verv well. I will see him. Just for p
rour satisfaction; because I know r
hat if I have discovered nothing nei- 2
her has he. But If he undertakes to
>e domineering I will make him know t
lis place." o
Nevertheless the detective passed an j,
ineasy night, and at 6 o'clock the next b
norning he was up?it was necessary u
0 rise very early if he wished to catch r
if. Lecoq at home?and, having re- ?
freshed himself by a cup of coffee, he s
llrected his steps toward the dwelling t
>f the celebrated detective. e
TO BB^ONTINUED. e
THE COMING CAMPAIGN. P
e
L Warm Time Asanred?The Effort 0
to Change the Rules of the Party, ii
In accordance with the constitution P
f the Democratic party of this state, 8
ays the Columbia Record, a conven- "
Ion of the party will be held In this P
ity on the second Tuesday in May. tl
'he convention will be called by Chair- ti
trmi. t I_ j .1 H
let11 wilie juuca in uuv lime. ?
Ordinarily the convention possesses *
Ittle significance, but this year It may
e of portentlous Import. The conven- b
Ion may do anything It pleases with 0
egard to the rules and regulations of ?
he primary, and, indeed, may abolish 0
t altogether, and return to the con- v
entlon system; but there is no chance tl
or any desire that anything of that A
:lnd will be done. The significance of
he convention lies in the fact that an tl
ffort will undoubtedly be made to b
hange the oath so that Senator Mc- 8
..aurin may not be a candidate in the
enatorial contest. ll
The executive committee wanted to s;
o something of the same kind when 1
t was expected that a primary would 1<
e held last summer. g
That the same question will come up 81
n the convention goes without saying, e
Ihould the convention change the oath ^
o as to keep Senator McLaurin out, r<
he action will not only affect him, but
iiany hundreds of other members of 8
he party. tl
There are ncfW lots of men who are r'
ot McLaurinites, probably, who do not b
.'holly endorse the Kansas City platorm,
and the conscientious ones will t<
ot subscribe to an oath falsely. n
Should the convention then take the P
ction referred to, it appears now that b
t would be the opening of wedge to- a
. ards disrupting the party. All con- S
ention Democrats hope that no such Ci
?1 r, 111 K.i. thnl
auiv.ai atiiuit ?m uc laivcu, uul mat
11 differences will be fought out In the e
arty. tl
There Is some discussion about limit- 11
ng the number of campaign meetings. J1
'here is to be an army of candidates, ^
o much so that it will be beyond the
S<
ower of physical endurance of the ^
nost rated political enthusiast to lis- ^
en to them all In one day, however ^
hort their time may be. The convenIon
may tackle this question, and It
ias been suggested that one or two
neetings, or maybe three, be held in
ach congressional district, and coninue
two days, if necessary, in order h
o let all the candidates have their n
ay without wearying the people to si
eath. Still, the county to county can- t]
ass has been so engrafted on the rules ?
f the party that it will be hard to
nake a change. e
This state has always been noted for Ii
ne of warm political campaigns ^
nd fights between candidates in pub- ..
Ic are no unusual circumstances. If
he Tillman-McLaurin slugging match b
3 to be taken as an ofnen of what is to b
appen this summer, it would be well j,
n nn 11 nut tVio inillt'trv fit OQ -
ng for the purpose of preserving order. b
^or, if all the candidates get to a
crapping among themselves, it will d
ake a military company to quell the
lot among them alone, so numerous
dll they be. Or, if calling out the^ni- is
ilia is too costly, it has been suggested d
hat a sufficient number of deputies be ti
worn and armed with the new style ,
f pistols?one that weighs three '
ounds and is 20 inches long. "
A company thus armed would be g
bout as effective as a military com- t(
any. But, seriously, all the indlca- ,
Ions are that there will be warm
imes ahead.
DON WITH
THE DISPENSARY.
Powerful Appeal to Those
Who Think.
LAII, PfiACTICAL, FEARLESS TfllTE
tesponslbllltj For ' Blind Tlgera" Kent* Dpnn
Thnu Whn Snnnnrt Them, and Red
ponslblllty For tlie Dlnpens*ry Rents Upon
Tliose Who Advocate It With Their Votes
?The Plea That Whisky Brings Happiness,
Business or Prosperity a Delusion
and a 8nare?Materialisation of the Calamity
Threatened, Will Retard the Moral
Progress of a Generation.
Rev. W. G. Neville, pastor of the
i'lrst Presbyterian church of Yorkvllle,
reached last Sunday morning against
he establishment of a dispensary In
forkvllle, In accordance with a prevlus
announcement. There was a large
ongregatlon In attendance; but It lnluded
only a few avowed advocates of
he dispensary, the greater majority
ielng women, children, and well known
pponents to the whisky traffic. By
fay of preliminary explanation, Mr.
Jevllle said that although It was his
urpose to speak so plainly that there
ould be no misapprehension of his
neanlng, he wanted it understood that
ie did not bring his pulpit down to peronalities.
So far as the recent dlspenary
petition was concerned, he had
lot read It. He felt very well assured
hat It contained the names of church
lembers, and that was one reason why
ie had refrained from the reading;
ut, nevertheless, this fact had no bearng
on what he would say. Even if he
iad read the list he would not refrain
rom saying what he intended to say,
nd such caps as he would make would
lave to be worn on the heads they
fere best calculated to fit. He spoke
lso of having been slandered In coniection
with the matter; but he would
save his detractors to reap their own
eward. After reading Proverbs xxlii,
9 to 32, Mr. Neville spoke as follows:
We are again confronted with a pracical
issue in which the best interests
f our community are involved. This
ssue Is far-reaching in its influence,
ioth as to time and direct results. And
inless this question is settled in the
ight way, we will have to suffer for it.
For whatsoever a man soweth, that
hall he also reap." You sow intoxlcaing
liquors, and you will reap drunknness
and crime and poverty and mlsry.
The question Is: Shall we have a dlsensary
In Yorkvllle? Shall we delibrately
and wilfully open the legal gate
f our town and invite whisky to come
n, promising it the protection, the suport
and the encouragement of the
trong arm of the law? Are the qualfled
voters of our town going to the
oils and deliberately vote to bring
hfa cr\ era ntlp onH iinmfHcrntpH Avil In
o our midst and give it permission to
o its hellish work? That is the issue
fhich confronts us.
When I vote to bring whisky as a
everage into Yorkville, or into any
ther place, you may know that I have
ither lost my reason, or my religion,
r both. I have reached the point
'here I can, and do take a stand on
his subject which I will never give up.
ind let me say to you, my friends, that
here is liberty and infinite satisfaclon
in this position. I am unalteraly
and persistently opposed to the
ale of whisky as a beverage in every
arm. I detest the blind tiger; I abomlate
the saloon; I abhor the dlspenary.
There is no good in any of them,
'hey are all potent for evil, and help;ss
for good. Each one of them is a
ateway to hell. There is certainly
omething radically, intrinsically, and
ssentlally wrong with a business that
recks men's bodies, dethrones their
eason and damns their souls.
And do you ask me to cast my vote
nd use my influence for a business
hat is just as sure to accomplish these
esults as the sun shines in the heavens
jday?
What are the arguments for the esiblishment
of a dispensary? They
lay be reduced to three: 1. The disensary
will bring revenue. 2. It will
ring trade. 3. Blind tigers abound
nd flourish. There may be other ar
uments; but these, I think, practially
cover them all.
The first two may be handled togethr
as they are both based on a moneiry
consideration. Has it come to
tils, that men will barter away the
applness and prosperity of their fel>ws?yea,
the very souls of their fel>ws?for
a little money? Yes, with
ome, it has come to this. In order to
icrease their own business (which I
eny) and avoid paying a mere pittance
1 the way of taxes, there are men who
ave descended so low in the scale of
lorals that they would prefer to see
ur boys and our men debauched and
lade drunkards and some of our
omes filled with strife and poverty,
ather than to miss the opportunity to
ave or make a little money. Such is
tie grasp which mammon has on them.
The love of money is a root of all
vil." The dispensary brings trade!
t saves taxes! Yes, and what does
tod say? Let the Almighty speak:
Woe unto him that buildeth his house
y unrighteousness, and his chambers
y wrong." "Woe unto him that giveth
is neighbor drink, that putteth thy
ottle to him and makest him drunken
Iso." The man who votes to put a
ispensary in Yorkville is using his inuence
to establish an institution that
i just as sure to bring crime and
runkenness into our community as
,vo and two make four. And, if he
oes not bring down on his own person
le curse of Almighty God, then I have
iven a false interpretation to the
;achlngs of the Bible. And all this is
one to save or get a little money.
But they say that blind tigers abound
and flourish, and this being the case,
we had Just as well open the dispensary
and get the revenue, etc. That is,
because one place of evil exists, therefore,
we ought to open another. Blind
tigers do exist. They exist In Torkville.
They exist where the dispensary
exists. Go to Charleston, or Columbia,
and you will see. The dispensary
does not kill the blind tiger. Even, if
it did, that would not Justify me in
voting for the dispensary. I am not
responsible for the blind tiger, and,
therefore, am not responsible for the
evils which flow from It But when I
vote for the dispensary, then It becomes
my agent, and I am just as responsible
for the evils that flow from
It as If I had given the whisky out
with my own hands. If a man Is made
a drunkard by the dispensary, he Is
made a drunkard by my vote. If trouble
comes Into a home through the dispensary,
then I am responsible for It.
You may try to shift the responsibility
and clear your own conscience, but it Is
simply impossible to escape the moral
logic of this position. There is a very
serious feature of this question, which
I desire to emphasize Just here?it is
this: When you vote for the dispensary
you place your responsibility in
a sphere where you can have no control
over it: When I vote for whisky,
I not only put my endorsement
upon; but I take the bridle off of
it, turn it loose in the field and
give It license and liberty to accomplish
all of its diabolical purposes.
You do not destroy the sin that'is
connected with the business by legalizing
it. You can't eliminate the evil by
making the business respectable. Yea,
we sometimes Increase the evil by giv
ing the business a kind of respectability;
for in this way we give the gigantic
evil opportunities for accomplishing
its hellish designs which It would not
otherwise have. Thus, instead of decreasing
the evil, we increase it.
But the most alarming feature of the
business in connection with the issue
before us is this; The man who votes
for the dispensary deliberately assumes
all the fearful responsibility of the
dreadful results which necessarily flow
from the sale (ft intoxicating liquors as
a beverage. He is like the enemies of
Christ who persisted in demanding the
Savior's crucifixion, and when told
what a fearful sin they were committing
said: "His blood be on us, and on
our children." So the man who votes
for the dispensary says by his conduct:
I am willing to assume the responsibility
of all the results which are sure to
follow the establishment of a dispensary.
Let me now call your attention to
some positive arguments against the
establishment of a dispensary In our
midst.
1. This business has a bad look.
WlfVi oil ttio offnrfa tn matra fVio hiia.
iness respectable, still it has a bad look.
I know there are men who seem to have
no consciences and no moral perception.
These men can see no more harm
in selling whisky to men and making
them drunk than in selling them corn
and meat. They can vote for a dispensary
and see them get drunk on dispensary
whisky and never have any
moral misgivings or compunctions of
conscience. I trust, however, that this
class of men is at least comparatively
small.
But men, who have a moral sense,
even though they do advocate the
establishment of a dispensary, must
have some trouble with their consciences.
These men are on the defensive.
How can they be sure about their
position from a moral point of view?
When a man is forever trying to Justify
himself, it is good evidence that he
has doubts himself about the righteousness
of his position.
When I vote against whisky, my conscience
places its endorsement upon the
act; I have no doubts about the righteousness
of my cause. I know that I
have done right. There is a moral instinct
in my very being which heartily
approves my course.
But, if I should vote for whisky (and
I can't vote for the dispensary without
voting for whisky), my conscience
would whip me for the act. In fact, I
would never hear the last of it, and I
ought never to hear the last of it. God
I has placed the conscience within our
being to reward us when we do right
and to punish us when we do wrong.
In this connection, let me asy, Why
is it that the authorities who have been
so zealous in establishing dispensaries
over the state have had a special law
enacted which prohibits the establishment
of a dispensary within a certain
distance from Clemson college? It is
because they believe it will be against
the best Interests of that institution.
Blind tigers may abound and flourish,
but no dispensary is to be established
anywhere in the community. They will
protect the boys at Clemson against
the evils of the dispensary; but they
don't care what becomes of your boy
and my boy in Yorkville.
I understand the administration has
never been in favor of establishing a
dispensary in Rock Hill. Why? Because
Winthrop college is there. They
know the dispensary can be of no benefit
to a community, and its very presence
in Rock Hill would injure Winthrop
college.
The dispensary has a bad look even
to men whpse moral perceptions are
not very keen. It has nothing in Itself
to recommend It for our approval.
Therefore, it is the part of wisdom and
prudence to use our influence against
it.
2. The dispensary will increase
the sale of whisky?Just as sure to
do it as it is established.
I know there are men who will on
account of the paucity and weakness of
their arguments maintain that there
will be less whisky sold where a dispensary
is located than where one is
not; but I don't suppose there is any
one who has any sense at all that will
believe such a statement. Such a position
as this is simply puerile?it is absurd.
Oh, how some of the advocates of the
dispensary are mortified (?) when they
see a few little Jugs come into town.
They profess to be great advocates of
temperance. But hold on a minute before
you form your estimate. You
watch these men closely, and, as a rule,
you will flndthat they will not lift their
little finger to suppress the blind tiger
business. . More than this. You get
the dispensary here and you will never
hear them open their mouths against
whisky coming in by the barrel. They
strain at a gnat, but they can without
difficulty swallow a camel. Direct descendants
of the Pharisees!
in case a dispensary is esiaDiisnea
here, instead of seeing a few jugs coming
in on the express, you will see it
coming in by the barrel. Instead of
seeing Ike pushing the little two wheeled
cart up from the depot with a few
Jugs, you will see a man sitting on a
two-horse wagon hauling it up by the
barrel or case.
Last year the dispensary at Chester
sold $57,681.87 worth of whisky. Year
before last the same Institution sold
$57,707.39 worth of whisky.
According to statistics furnished by
the National Temperance society and
secured from the commissioner of internal
revenue, during the first five
years existence of the dispensary in
this state the number of gallons of
spirits has increased from 37,843 to 84,926,
and the number of barrels of fermented
liquors from 5,270 to 71,900.
Let me give you some more statistics
from the same source. "Of criminal
cases in 1893, the year preceding the
adoption of the dispensary system,
there were in the courts 1,686, while in
1898, there were 2,687; admissions to
hospitals for the Insane in 1893 were
315, in 1898, 424."
"So it appears that after five years'
trial of the dispensary system the number
of criminal cases in court is nearly
twice the number under the last year
of license and the number of insane
one-third more."
Again, let me say that while social
drinking may be decreased by the dispensary,
yet the total amount sold is
Increased for the reason that you can't
buy by the drink from the dispensary.
You have to buy by the bottle, in larger
quantities than by the drink. This
has a tendency to increase the sale of
it. Then the very fact that the dispensary
is an institution of the state gives
a kind of respectability to the business.
For this reason many will buy from
the dispensary who would not buy.
from a regular saloon or blind tiger.
Another point In this connection: The
dispensary seems to be much worse on
the home and home-life than the saloon
system. Men buy from the dispensary
and then they go home to do
their drinking, and thus the evils of
this curse are carried directly Into the
home. I heard just the other day of a
sad and distressing case. A young
man who lived with his mother near
town was the town dispenser. The
mother who had been an exemplary
member of the church became a degraded
sot through the whisky brought
Into the home by her own son.
I tell you, it becomes us to realize
what we are doing when we settle the
issue that is before us. If Yorkvllle
should permit this evil to enter her
borders, she will take a step backward
from which she will probably never recover
in this generation.
As we are interested in the boys and
young men of our town and county, as
we love our homes and are interested
In the homes of our friends and neighbors,
we had better be up and doing.
There Is certainly enough whisky consumed
In our midst already. By placing
a dispensary here, we will greatly
increase the volume of this stream of
Iniquity. We will practically put It In
easy access of every person In the community.
We will open the door and Invite
them to come In.
3. ip a dispensary should be established
in Yorkville, it is here to
stay. There Is no provision In the law
for its removal. It will be saddled on
us forever. It can't be established as
an experiment. We can't have the
privilege of trying It and then abolishing,
provided It is not acceptable to a
majority of the people. In other words,
we can't put in on probation.
If the advocates of whisky are successful
In this struggle, we will hand
down to our children and to our grandchildren
an institution that manufactures
drunkenness,, misery and poverty.
What a legacy to transmit to posterity!
You read the law. The framers of
this law never contemplated the removal
of a dispensary. I have great
respect for the right kind of law; but
I say deliberately that this feature of
the dispensary law ought to be spurned
by every liberty loving citizen. For
it completely takes away from us that
principle of self-government which is
so dear to us all. And for this very
reason the establishment of a dispensary
ought to Be resisted by us all.
Let us bear in mind that if a dispensary
is established In Yorkville,
that it Is here to stay. You may groan
under your burden; you may pray to
the powers that be to remove it; but
your cries will be in vain.
Let the case of Tirzah be a warning
to us. You remember liow It was there.
When the people realized what the
dispensary really was, when the whole
surrounding country was feeling the
1 nt atnnonHnim PftllfSP mpn
UUIUCil VI VlllO uiuFv..uvUU ?v?.. ...
getting drunk who had not been drunk
before, labor on the farms demoralized
?then the people went to work to get
rid of this unmitigated evil. Every voter
in the little town, except the dispenser,
signed a petition to have this
nuisance removed. Prominent people
in the surrounding country signed the
petition. They went before the proper
authorities with these petitions. But
those men turned a deaf ear to them.
And I don't suppose the dispensary at
Tirzah ever would have been removed
had it been a good paying institution
and had there not been such a strong
sentiment for prohibition manifested in
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