The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-09

The time FOR The filing of applications
Tor the establishment iu South Carolina
of county liquor dispensaries expired on
Monday Under the Evans law 10 is
necessary 20 the establishment Of dis
peusary that two-thirds of the number Of
freehold voters Of the county shall sign "a
petition % that effect The number of
7 dispeusaries a city may have is fixed ac-
+ coriinE TO population, though each
county is entitled 90 one on the
/ filing Of a proper application within the
time specified The city of Column
. Lia is. according to population, en-
/ titled 10 three dispensaries, and
/ the city Of Charleston to some
six or eight. maybe more Under exist
ing conditions Columbia will probably
have one dispnsarv, instead of three,
Charleston viii have none instead Of half
dozen, more Or less. and more than half
Of the other counties will go dry after
the first day Of next month. There are
thirtysix counties in the state. 1t was
estimated that, with the several dispen-
saries allowed in Charleston and Column
bia, the number of dispeusdries in the
state would approximate fifty. But, .ac-
cOrding to a Columbia gentleman who has
had every opportunity to learn the inside
facts, there will not, without a great
change, be more than twenty dispensaries
in the state
If this estimate should prove correct, it
might forecast disastrous results attend
ant upon the states attempt to raise rev
enue by the sale of whisky. The legis-
lature appropriated only $4,000 with
which to put the dispensary act into
operation Whether the idea was that
the people were very light drinkers, or
that liquor could be dispensed from barns,
the fact remains that the appropriation
was not more than enough to provide for
buildings and fixtures for the handling of
the traffic, therefore the governor of the
state, who is ex-Officio the head bar
keeper, found it necessary to buy stock
on credit. The gentleman referred to
above says the governor has laid in, on
credit, stock of $4,000 worth of rye
whisky alone. That sum, by the time the
other brands of whisky and the
brandy, wine and beer are accounted
for, will mount up to 100000
or S175,O0O The governor, it
seems, based his calculations on the
whole state, and not on less than half of
it, drinking from his dispensaries. With,
say twenty odd dispensaries in the
smaller towns as the only channels
through which to work off this immense
stock, the governor would find himself in
a hole. Eight dispensaries in Charles
ton would probably handle as much stuff
as twelve or fifteen rural dispensaries
But Charleston, it appears, is not to have
one dispensary. The bills for whisky,
however, will fall due right along,
whether dispensaries are established or
not, and the governor must make arrange
ments to meet them. "How will he do
it," is the question.
1t appears that two agencies have been
at work to put the governor in this pre-
dicament The anti-Tillmanltes have
worked against the establishment of dis
pensaries for political reasons. If they can
force the governor to make a big failure
of his attempt they think it will be detri-
mental to his political ambitions, there
fore they have used every effort to re-
strain freehold voters from signing petit
tiOns for the establishment Of dispersal
ries. And in their efforts they have been
ably seconded by the prohibitionists, who
realize that in the ACCOMPLISHMENTS
of dispensaries is their cause benefited
The dispensary law, considered in itself,
is in no wise prohibition law
However, the governor does not appear
to be at all perturbed. He is going right
along as though he had his fifty dispcn-
sarics to serve And, it is believed by
the gentleman referred to, that he will
have that many before the end of the
year Realizing that his big stock of
whisky must be sold, and that there is
only one way to sell it, it is said to be an
open secret in Columbia that the governor
will provide for places from
which to sell it through legislative enact
ment at an extra session. 1t is said that
as soon as crops are laid by an extra
session of the legislstUre will be called,
ostcnsibly to consider the railroad tax
matter recently before the federal courts,
| but really to enlarge the governors pow
crs as a liquor dispenser. The suppose
nature of two-thirds of the number Of
freehold voters of acountry as necessary
to the establishmentof q dispensary will
be T., pealed, and that dispcnsaries viii be
forced on the towns and counties whether
they want them or not. For the governor
must sell that whisky
Under the 6isa b1lit,, ola7,ea of +Io,,o