The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-01-18
THE ATHENS LIQUOR LAW.
Interesting Analysis of the Unique syston
From the Greenville Ne'Os.

ATHENS, GA, Jan. 3.-GreenVllie ano
Athens are as near duplicates as cities
can well be. The only points of differ
ence are that everything in Athens is on
scale a shade larger than in Greenville
and that Greenville is a shade more ag-
gressive and progressive.
Down In the details of municipal man.
agemeut the resemblance continues.
Athens mayor receives salary of 81, 200
year; the city has a police force of ten
men paid on basis of $50 month to
privates. The fire department consists
of one steamer, hose reels and hook and
ladder truck. All the municipal expen-
ses are little more than ours. The city
tax rate is ten mills on an assessment OF
nearly seven millions of dollars, which
covers everything, including running ex
penses, interest on few railroad bonds
and the cost of the public schools.
can see no reason why dispensary
in Greenvl|le could hope to do as much
business or to make as much profit as
this one in Athens, but the institution
here gives us q basis of calculation and
estimation.
The Athens dispensary began business
in October, 1891. 1t is now thirteen
months old. It is conducted in store
room On Broad street and is equipped
with q long counter, shelving along one
wall and rallied in space at the front in.
closing a desk for the manager. The
shelves are filled with bottles of all sizes,
each labeled with it's contents-"Fine old
Gibson whiskey"; "Pure North Carolina
corn whiskey"; Cogpac brandy" etc.
On the top of each cork Is a round red
label with "Athens dispeusary" printed
on it. On one side of the room there are
piles of boxes of bottles.
The dispensary does its own bottling,
buying the liquor in quantities. 1t sells
nothing less than pint and no more
than FIVE gallons at time to any one
person. The manager says be keeps
everything that can be called for in this
line from champagne and the rare cor
dials to plain, every day, United States
corn liquor in white glass bottles at
twenty FIVE cents pint.
The business amounts, go far, to S57,
600 a year. The net profits have been
from $4,000 and $1,000 a yesr-s
thousand dollars q month it is called,
but it does not reach that. Mr.. Johu-
a,on, who is in charge, says the net profit
may be approximately stated at twenty
five per cent, although the gross profit is
fifty per cent. Ia other words. actual
experience proves that it costs twenty
five per cent. of the total business to run
it. These expenses include salaries, cost
of bottles and bottling, analyses, freight,
rent, insurance and iucidentals. The
mansger has two assistants and the ex-
penses cf operation are $500 q month.
The biggest business the despensafy has
ever done was in October, 1891, the
month it was opened. Tbs. mouth is
included in the figures of the first year.
From all / can gather the regular receipts
will be less hereafter. $4,000 or $4,000
will probably be the sum Of the profits
hereafter, supposing the dispeusary is
continued.
Athens is fairly we'll satisfied with the
dispensary. She should be better pleased
than she is, for liquor Licenses have never
been an important part of revenue.
When the city issued licenses she had
six bar rooms licensed at $3.50 each
81 500 year. Then she was dry five or
six years and blind tigers Aourished
everywhere, liquor was sold right and
left by scores of people and no licenses
were paid. Financially, therefore, Ath-
ems is away ahead on the dispensary even
at $4,000 year, and that is all she will
get out of even the first years business,
for the law requires that the County
shall receive proportion of the profits
to be agreed on, and that proportion will
probably be one fifth.
GAS a money making machine" how.
ever, said Epitor Reed, of the Athens
Banner, who helped to draw the dispen-
sary bill and who seems to be strong
friend of Athens peculiar Institution,
"the dispensary is failure. 1t was in.
tended to be. Our purpose was not to
make money but simply to secure the
city against possible loss"
Then, in response to questions as to
the moral result, he said there had been
rather more drunkenness under the dis
pensary system than there was when the
city was dry and rather less than there
was when it was wet.
The poliece tell me- there is hardly an
appreciable difference between the drum
kenness and crime now and what it was
when licenses were issued Blind tigers
continue to work Some of them buy
their liquors from the ditpensary. others
from outside. The dispensary opens at
sunrise and closes at sunset and is closed
on all legal holidays and election days
1t is at night that the tigers prowl and
do their work aud from them the initia-
ted can buy freely.
So far as l can learn, no class of drink.
ing men is protected by the dispensary
law. The manager is forbidden by law
and under penalty of forfeiture of bis
bond Of $4,000 to sell to drunken men,
minors or students, but what does that
amount to? Anybody can hire loose
negro about the streets of town Ike
this to buy pint, quart or gallon for
him. The negroes are great patrons OF
the dispensary. They buy very many
pints of corn liquor which is bought for
ST 80 a gallon and sold to them at rs