The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-07-04
A TALK With TILLMAN
He Claims to Be Well Informed
on the Liquor Question.
BIG PROFITS FOR SOUTH CAROLINA

The Governor Says There Ism. Drop of
Pure Liquor Produced Ia His Own state.
Very Dry Times Ahcud For tho Counties
That Ars In Favor OF Prohibition.
COLUMBIA, S. c., July 3.-The following
interview took place between Governor
| Tillman end reporter:
VI see Charleston is to have no dispen-
sarias. Why arc they fighting the laws'
asked tho reporter.
They are not lighting the law" said
The governor. They are fighting me-
| They always have fought me, and they are
keeping at it,"
What are you going to do about it,"
VI ann going to make Charleston the
dryest town on earth. If they won't buy
state liquor, they shall not have any other,
and Will see that they don't, if / have to
| put special constable on every block In
| the city,
"lsce that according to the law you can
| appoint as many constabes as you choose"
VI will appoint all that is necessary.
| That is oil will say on that point"
why do you intend to charge more
than the people used to have to nav for
their liquor? Was there not profit enough
under the old way of selling itt"
We'll we do not want to sell 1t SO cheap
chat the people will be tempted to drink
more than they used to. We do not want
TO make the people scramble to get the
stuff. We sell pure liquor to begin with,
and that costs more than what used to be
sold. Then we plan to make 100 per cent
profit To the cost of the best liquor we
add the freight charges, the cost of bot
Ting, and all Che expenses of handling
and shipping"
"A Very Expensive Business.
ION top of that we add 80 per cent for
the states profit, and then we sell it to the
county dispensaries Mt whatever that comes
to. They are Obliged to add 80 per cent
profit when they retail it, and that 80 per
cent is divided the town and the county.
This is IA costly business. We reckon it
VIII cost 100000 just to run this new de-
partmcnt of the government. There are
our prices OH that desk You take that
whisky Mt S. n gallon. You see we charge
81 II cents quart for it. Then we charge
II cents pint. Well, that's II little above
fair price for 81 whisky but when we get
to tie half pint, the smallest flask we sell
1t goes at 20 cents. That may be more
than man pays who buys by the quantity.
but will bet you pay 80 or go cents half
pint when you buy it by the drink mt 10
cents nip"
But, governor, | see thot all your
whisky is 100 per cent proof. Isn't that
rather stronger than the average man
takes it.''
ut is 100 proof" said the governor, "be-
cause it is pure 1t is none of my business
how people like 1t. All I've got to do is TO
sell only pure stuff. have suggested the
putting up of signs to read, Customers
can add sugar and water to suit their own
tastes 10 come back to the price, you
see our liquor is cheap considering its
:.
would only come dearer by the quantity.
while to the small purchasers it will cost
less than liquor ever cost them before"
South Carolina Whisky Denounced.
Governor, there is some complaint that
you bought all this liquor out of the state,
where the law declares that the home pro-
ducts shall have the preference"
Il wanted to buy the liquor here, but
don't believe there has drop of pure
liquor been sold in South Carolina don't
say that yet mind you, but | expect TO
prove there was not IA drop of pure liquor
on hand when this law went into effect |
called for it and nobody sent me any. They
Know better than l do, whether they
Thought it would stand the tests of the
government chemist. Yes, there was one
gentleman in Charleston. lie offered n
small lot he had OH hand, and he wrote me
and said it was GO, 10 and 90 proof Well,
you see, the best he had was 10 per cent.
under the standard. | wished to relieve
the people of the state of whatever the law
put II out OF their power to sell, but mad
to buy pure liquor, and so to 90 elsewhere.
had to post myself ON the whole business.
and in the last few months have had to
work harder than in all the rest of my
time as governor That's fact. | have
studied the whole business and no one can.
fool me on liquor now. | amt drinking
man, but know more about liquor than
if wns'i
Different From the Scandinavian Method.
Governor, said the interviewer, us
this new scheme copied from the Scandi-
navian method of treating the liuuor aues
tion?r
Its not precisely the same thing" said
the governor. There they sell the liauor
by the drink to be drunk OH the premises,
ana mere we sell it to take home They
don't sell to drunkar,ls, and neither do we,
nor to minors"
What are you going to do about the
prohibition counties in this state.r
am going to make them as dry as thev
say they want to be. am going to see to
1t that they are so dry they will he ready
to burn. Why, in those seven counties
they have been selling more liquor than
"hoic VIZ we. idWS prevail. They have
run blind pigs and got liquor from the drug
stores and got it OH prescriptions and they
have had all they want. Now 1 will see
that they don't get any liquor at ALL"
But you cannot set up dispensaries in
those countiesy''
No, not until the dry laws are repealed,
but after enforce the law you will see their
representatives coming to the legislature
to get the dry laws repealed"
Very Attractive.
A PIANO in use only short time,