The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-06-07
GETTING READY FOR BUSINESS.
A Visit 10 the DispensarS in Columbia-Ihe
Appropriation Of S5o.ooo for Whiskey
is not q Drop in the Bucket.


A Visit TO the Dispensary in Columbia-Ihe
Appropriation of S5o.ooo for whiskey
is not a Drop in the Bucket
While in Columbia last week in conl-
pany with Mr.. II. c. Moseley, of Pros
perity, visited the States wholesale
liquor establishment-the State Dispen-
sary. We found Mr.. H. 4. TraXler in
the office, and We, also, found him a
very polite, courteous and accom- mo-
dating gentleman. He seemed to take
pleasure in showing US through the
Establishment, and explaining all those
things we could not understand, and
for which we are very thankful, for it
is worth any mans time and trouble to
see what big thing the State has IN
this whiskey business. Whether one
will be exactly proud Of what the State
is doing in this direction, will, OF course,
depend somewhat on how he looks at
things-whether he considers the whls-
key business Just the sort OF thing for
the good Christian and prohibition peo-
pie of the State to engage IN or not
but that all depends. There can be no
wiping out the fact that the State means
business and expects to sell the stut
for the money that is in it, and that
the moral question does not enter into
the calculation.
ABIG THING.
When saw it stated in some paper
few days ago that the State had al
ready bought S23, 900 worth of whiskey,
thought it was big thing. But that
is not drop in the bucket. The appro-
priation was only $4,000, and that, /
presume, is what made NE think this
small sum such a largo one. Every
BODY remembers thatin one order there
was 1850 barrels, which is about $4,000
gallons, and this at two dollars a gallon
would be 100000 aud that is only one
order for only one kind of liquor. 1t is
rye only. Then there are different
grades of corn Whiskey, not to speak Of
! the brandies, wines and beers, and bit
tiers and champagne. In all it will not
take less than $500, 900 to start this busi-
ness and when you come to think Of it
it is not too much. for if there is a dis
pensary in every county it would GER
| tainly take an average of $4,000 to the
county, which multiplied by thirty:
five, the number of counties, would
! make S525, 600, so you see the State go
| ing in the whiskey business is no small
thing, and will take something more
than a little capital Of $4,000. But
then Mr.. Traxler says the credit of the
State is good and they can buy all the
whiskey they want on all the time they
want. MI. Traxler told US that one
order for glass ware was Sl2, 1000 and
that since then another order had been
made and now, no doubt, they have
bought something like S25,0 900 worth Of
bottles. 1t is a big thing.
MODERN APPLIANCES.
In addition to the supply of stock
necessary, the State, for the past three
| months, has been at work with several
| hands and carpenters repairing and
fixing up the old agricultural hall so as
to put in all the modern conveniences
and appliances. Commissioner TraX-
Ter said they could hardly have found
more desirable building and one better
adapted to their wants. In fact be said
| that it had been used many years ago
by the republicans as-not exactl y a
State barroom-but it was the place
where the officials got their wines and
champagnes. I do not suppose be
meant t. compare the present arrange.
ment with what the republicans had
certainly do not, for comparisons are
odious. Well, they have an engine and
boiler and all bottling machinery and
corkers and holsters and one of the
finest wine cellars IN the State. Every
thing is being fitted up in good shape
and the building is we'll adapted to the
| purposes for which 1t is now being used.
By the time the business is started the
State will not have less than half a
million dollars invested.
SAMPLE ROOM.
Mr.. Traxler says they have no end to
samples. Every dealer in the country
was anxious to sell the State, and no
one could be blamed, for to sell 500, ,0OU
worth of one kind Of whiskey to one
establishment is no small thing. We
were showed the samples, but l suppose
Mr.. Traxler thought we were prohibi-
tionists, as he did not offer to let US
taste. He has quite a number and
variety of samples. Then the Governor
sent to different places in the State
and had samples of whiskey sent to
| him so that he could have it anslyzed
and thus, by comparison, show the su-
perior quality of the dispensary whis-
key. I saw one sample from one Of the
Newberry bars. We no not think the
| Governor should have taken this
scheme to show the advantage of dis
pensary whiskey. It looks to me like
a rather small thing for the State OF
South Carolina to do, for these individ-
ual bar keepers will no longer be in the
business and certainly will not be IN
competition with the State.
THE PALMETTO.
On the bottles has been blown the
Palmetto tree growing up from the
PROSTATE oak and the letters rs. g." on
| all of the bottles, which means that the
! State wants it to be known that the
contents of those bottles will be South
Carolina dispensary whiskey. l asked
| Mr.. Traxler to let me have one Of the
bottles but be said he could not until
after the first of July, and then I only
| could get il with the stuff in it.
REFERRED TO THE REGISTER.
I noticed on nearly all the barrels OF
the whiskey that were in and being put
| in, that they had the word "bourbon'
on them. Just what this means | do
not know, but I have faint recollec-
| ton that our esteemed contemporary
| the Register. has had a good deal to say
about bourbons and their rule in this
State and that they wanted again
to control things. Surely the Reg
| lister did not know that the State was
buying burbon whiskey, or we would
have heard from it. We simply refer
| this to the Register without charge OF
recommendation.
ONE OF TWO THINGS.
| There is one of two things certain.
This dispensary business is either going
to be big financial success, or it is
going to be the biggest financial sink
hole the State has ever bad. Mr.. Trax-
| ler said there were ten or twelve coun-
ties in which dispensaries would be
esta blished to start out with. There