Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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not belong to me but belongs to the people and they will have the right next year to choose my successor and I will bow to their will, whatever it may be, without a murmur. I do not believe that the fall of the dispensary necessarily means my fall. I do not see what association there is or could possibly be between the dispensary question and the position which I have taken upon it and my fitness for the high office which I hold. If my health: continues good I shall ask the people to continue me in the place, not because I am the father of the dispensary but because of my services in Washington. I am not uneasy in the least. So much for that branch of your letter. Now let us come to the dispensary question and your treatment of it. You quote with great unction from the decision of our supreme court: "That liquor in its nature is danger ous to the morals, good order, health and safety of the people, and is not to be placed on the same footing with the ordinary commodities of life such. as corn, wheat, cotton, tobac co, potatoes, etc." I wish I had that decision before me so that I could give its essence in brief form rather than take an isolated sentence. You are too good a lawyer not to know that the state could have nothing to do with the liquor traffic were it not for the exercise of the police power which rests upon the right of the state government to control or for bid any and everything which con cerns the morals and health of the people, and right here is where we part company in dealing with this question. The prohibitionists in gen eral and you, my dear doctor, as one of the ixaders, are thoroughly imbued with the belief that liquor drinking is dangerous to the morals, good order, health and safety of the people, and you would therefore for bid its sale in any way as a bever age and would limit its use to medic inal, pharmaceutical and mechani cal purposes. South Carolina de clares in the dispensary law itself. "The manufacture, sale, barter or exchange, receipt or acceptance for unlawful use, delivery, storing and keeping in possession within this state of any spirituous, malt, vinous, fermented, brewed (whether lager or rice beer) or other liquors, any com pound or mixture thereof, by what ever name called or known, which contains alcohol and is used as a beverage, except as is hereafter pro vided, is hereby prohibited under a penalty of not less than three nor more than 12 months at hard labor in the state penitentiary, or pay a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $5o0 or both fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court for each offense. All alcoholic liquors in this state, whether manufactured within this state or elsewhere, not having been testred 'by the chemist of the South Carolina college and found to be pure and free from poisonous, hurtful and deleterious matters are hereby declared to be of a detrimental character, and their use and consump tion are against the mo 3, good health and safety oi the .te," etc. In the judgment of .the legisla ture which enacted the law as a compromise, the dispensary system would bring about the best results. You and your friends make of this question a religious issue while the supporters of the dispensary law con sider it a political issue and the peo ple of the state have six time by overwhelming majorities sustained our view. You and your friends have time and time again presented your ideas and pressed them with vigor and ability but the voters have not seen it as you did. I would be the last man to lower the ideals of our schools. I would be the last man to throw temptation in the way of anyone young or old. I would be the last man to teach any child that liquor is not dangerous; but is it the duty of a statesman to hobble the devil when he can't 'be chained, so to speak, or is it his duty to simply say he. wants to see him hoibbled or chained and then let him loose?. The dispensary law properly administered dJoes -educe drunken ness. It does conduce to temperance and good morals, and teaches men the uses of liquor rather than the abuses of it. That the state board of control is under suspicion of corruption with many things pointing to the belief that the suspicion is well grounded, ththe loc1l dclpensers have been debauched. because of the lax admin- e istration or mal administration provfs d ntting. Pope long since epi:omizeci t this whole subject in that well know.i o couplet: b "About forms of law, let fools con- s test, t "That law which is best adminis- j1 tered is best." t And our not agreeing on the dis pensary question and the liquor ques- a tion comes from the fundamental ' difference of opinion as to how it is -best to police the liquor traffic. The prohibitionists declare it is sinful to drink in moderation wine or whiskey, r while a large majority of us cannot r see any foundation in morals or re ligion for any such contention. Every body recognizes the evil of drunken ness,and how to minimize this or t to prevent it, is the whole question. You say prohibit the sale. I say sell 5 by bonded officers under stringent t regulations in the day time only and have the law enforced. The profit, which is an incident and not a pur pose in this sale. to go where it is most needed-that is, into the school t fund of the state. It would make no di.fference if it went into the general fund of the treasury and the school fund-increased from other sources, that is a subterfuge. No one drinks 1 any more or patronizes the dispen sary because the profits go to the school fund. I can not see any harm 1 or sin in obtaining revenue from a traffic that is irrepressible. The Unit ed States supreme court protects each 1 citizen in the right to import for his own use, and no law of the state can prevent it. The poorer and more ignorant classes who can not thus t obtain liquor have been and always will be supplied through some local agency no matter what the law 1 against selling liquor may be. You quote Gov. Hoch of Kansas 1 but you do not discuss or explain I the official statistics in regard to 1 drinking and the payment of the Unit ed States internal revenue license by retail dealers in that state. There I are no saloons in South Carolina for the young to see any more than there 1 are in Kansas. God forbid they < should ever return. Some of your 1 colaborers in this fight against the dispensa.ry system, your allies and 1 counsellors, are the editors of papers which have always fought the dispen- 1 sary arid are now scheming to get hig~ licenses after prohibition has failed, as it will fail. >There is not a civilized government in Christen dom as far as I know that does not derive a revenue from the sale of liquor and prohibition was an un known thing 6o years ago. The Unit ed States government received last year from this source upwards of $170,000,000. I think there are only three states at this time that cling1 to ~prdhibition. Iowa and Vermont had it some years ago but they have abandoned it for local option with the right to vote in saloons if wanted and that is what is hoped for here by your chief sponsors of the press. One more word and I am through: Let us see about your thistorical parallel of the great leader who was commanded to go down against the 1 Amalekites. The Hebrews of old. true to their instincts of thrift, slew the abominable tribe 'but saved the best of the sheep and oxen, as some claimed for "sacrifice"' and you go on to state as an historical fact that "the government of a state was corn manded by Une moral sense of the t people expressed at the ballot box to go down and destroy the liquor I traffic. And *when called to account it makes the pitiful plea that while it has not destroyed the traffic it I has managed it so as to get moneyf for the taxpayers." Your parallel isi not a parallel at all. The people of South Carolina have never instructed its government to prohibit t'he sale of liquor. In the separate box provided by the demo cratic executive committee in the democratic primary of '92, the vote stood, as I recollect. 35,000 for pro hibition. 25,ooo against, while 32.0oo did not vote on it at all (I quote from I memory). That election was a side ~ t show and you have no right tc. magni fy its significance. This is a gov einent of majorities and no majori ty of the people has ever given any such order. vdhile wvhen the question has been passed on since directlyI positively a half dozen times. the peo pl said that the dispensary law was a better and more sane solution. Isn't a lection? The dispensary system oes not rest for its support upon le mner that it brings in. It rests n the claim of its defenders backcd y experience of our people and tatistics, as affording more protec ion agains,t the vice of drunken es than any other system, pror,ibi ion or license either. If it has done this in spite of mal dministration and mismanagement, hat would it not do if such men as )r. Cromer and his friends would ,ive to the enforcemnt of the law heir great moral support? We do ot ask endorsement but in a govern ent where a majority rules we have ad a right to expect cooperation and Lssistance and we have not had it. (et "render unto Caesar the things hat are Caesar's" was the command )f the Master himself. When the tatute has been practically annulled y the board of directors, when the estrictive features ihave been allowed o drop into disuse, have the prohi >itionists lent their assistance by tanding up boldly for the law? Had hey done so, we would not be now vhere we are. You have been kind enough, my lear sir, to remind me of Jefferson's pitaph. You declare "the people do 1o. need advice but they need an )pportunity to vote." Allow me to -emind you that one of Jefferson's naximz whidh was the very embodi nent of civil liberty and true demo :racy was, "Teach the people and rust the people." You want the people to vote now while they are angered and bewilder d. I want them to vote "sanely" af er they have heard tfne facts and ar ;uments and I want all of them to rote who have an interest in this mat er, and under the Brice act this is tot allowed. You mentioned Win :hrop and Clemson as among the :hings by which I would be remem >ered. You left off some others that presume to add, not from a sense f egotism but simply .to keep the -ecord straight: ist. The emancipation in 18go of :he people from dry rot, caused by )nly one party and the demonstra :ion that we could have the most free tnd open discusssion of political ques :ions without danger, followed by the nauguration of the State Democratic >rimary system. 2nd. The constitutional conven ion and its work, largely the result >f my untiring and earnest efforts, md my work in that convention in ehalf of common schools and the isfranchisement for the time being f the negro majoritcy legally. 3rd. Last, the inauguration of the sale of liquor by bonded officers un ler tihe dispensary system. I will ot say that your vision is clouded >y fanaticism, but if .it be true that 'he who makes two blades of grass :o grow where only one grew before s a public benefactor," then is it ot equally true that he who con :eived a scheme by which drunken iess was reduced, temperance en :ouraged and decency and good or ler increased and witlnal made the lemon whiskey contribute to the ed ication of the ignorant masses, need ie be ashamed of his work? B. R. Tillman. Trenton, S. C., Aug. 14th, 1905. Looking One In The Eyes. There is a venerable specitrrr of roverbial philosophy which says that he man who cannot look you in tihe ace is dishonest. No other saying tas received greater currency. It trikes the popular mind with axio natic force, and yet it is not a re iable test of character. Every con idence man who succeeds in his call ng has the steady gaze of the immac ilate person. No person who is killed in tlhe fine art of deception ails to take an obvious precaution o impress his dupes. On the other and, many persons of unquestionable ategrity are "put out of countenance" y mere shyness. So morbidly was his trait developed in the case of Iawthorne, in his earlier years at east, that he would go out of 'his way o avoid meeting those who desired o converse with him. It would be ipossible for such a man to cash a orged check, to borrow money from bank on bogus collateral. The great rascals can face the -old without shrinking. The world is always more anxious bout the spots on th'e sun tihan about r Kickers ahvays attract attention. One class of them sells high on the marke:. The highest priced four leg ged kicker is a hybrid creature, ir ritable and somewhat unscriptu-al. The chronic kicker is- an amusing two legged "animal." not so danger ous. rowever. A kicker never builds up. He is great on tearing down. The world's happiness has been pro moted more by compliments than by curses, so, good reader, when you feel like kicking just retire to the back yard and kick yourself a few times rather than join The knockers' chorus. Week End Rates, C., N. & L. Commencing June 3rd, and continu- - ing until and including September 2nd, 1905, the following week-end rates will be on sale to the following points, via the Columbia, Newberry and Laurens, railroad to Isle of Palms, $5.15 Sullivans Island 5.15 Charleston 5.15 Wilmington 5.15 Waterloo 2.00 Cross Hill 2.00 Glenn Springs 2.10 Spartanburg 2.10 Greenville 2.10 White Stone 2.10 Tickets to the above points will be sold on aSturdays good to return on the following Tuesdays, for schedules and further information telephone or write, J. W. Denning, Agetit. Dr. R. M. Kennedy, DENTIST. Newberry, - - S. C. OVER NATIONA.L BANK. Best Mineral As phalt. Roofing. C. H. CANNON, Near 0. N. & L. Depot Newberry &oIege SEMI-CENTENIAL YEAR. Courses in Science, Classics, Philosophy, and Engtnearing. Thorough Collegiate Training under positive Christisn in fiuences at a minimum of of expense. Next Session begins Sept. 27. Address JAMES A. B. SCH ERER,. President. alc. Colle gq! >rt. Over 2o0 boarding pupils last standard of culture and social life. - .Advanced courses in Art and - tric lights and other modern 1m. one death among pupils in 23 years. h and social development of every ip. All pt,pils dress alike on all NY LOW. Sept. 13th, 1905. For catalogue IODES, A. M., PREsIDENT, Littleton, N. C. JNS. [TURE .D GOODS E TO nis&Co ~RY. S. C. IMPROVING HER SKIN. One Searcher After Beauty Tells of Her Experience. Washingto:i Post. "I wish the papers would quit pub lishing these articles that tell you how co be beautiful," says a young matron. "I was fairly content with myself till I began to read them. I had an av erage good skin, too, but I've steamed it and creamed it and massaged it till it's a wreck. I've been for two weeks trying a new beautifier for it. I've been rubbing my face with slices of onion. It makes your eyes water, and it gives you an unattractive per fume, but the article said it would produce the soft, velvety skin of a child, and I kept it up. Yesterday my husband rose in his wrath. " 'What on earth makes you rub your face with onion?' he said. 'Wouldn't limburger cheese do for a change? Why wouldn't potatoes or asparagus do as well? Does it have to be onion?' " 'It does.' I said. " 'You'll have to show me,' said he. 'Let me see the article that turned your brain. I don't believe it says onions. I believe it says any vege fable you happen to have in the house.' "This made me furious, and I brought out the article. What do you think it said? It didn't say onions. It said cucumbers. I knew it was something you put vinegar on. That's how I happened to get mixed. After this I'm going to let my face alone, but I shan't hear the last of that onion beautifier till I die." Ram's Horn Blasts. Men begin to doubt the Bible as soon as it begins to pinch them. It has always a bad effect on a weak heart to be asked to pay for what it gets in dhurch,. Many, of us, instead of putting our burden down at the cross, carry it on our heads and call it a crown. A crutch easily becomes a cross. Warnings are seldom welcome. His Word makes the witnesses. Weeds are commonly rich in seeds. Much of our sorrow is but griev ing at God's promotion. The man who is cruel to a 'dog will not be charitable to men. Some people think their consciences are steady, because they are always slow. A virtue does not thave to wait to be verified by any authority. The coming of the new Heaven waits for the coming of the new heartc. God may force us to a "'ild's des titution that we may learn a child's dependence on Him. LittIcIoll Fen Splendid location. Health rest year. High grade of work. High Conservatory advantages in Musi< Elocution. Hot water heat. Elec provemlents. Remarkable health record; only Close personal attention to the healt pupil. High standag~d of scholarsh public occasions. CH ARGES VEI 24th Annual Session will begir address, REV. J. M. RI FOR BARGA FURNI HOUSE HOl Kibler,De NEWBEF