The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-12-08

amei dmept, as the time was too short
to even discuss it. Tho Act thus hur-
riedly prepared became law, as comprc-
mise between the Prohibitionisis and the
temperance people, who we're skept;cal rs to
the practicability Of prohibition law. This
hurry in its preparation and enactment left
the law with many crudhies and omissions
which l will point out somewhat in detail
later on
Considering the change made in the pur-
pose of the Act, and the lack Of time to de-
bate aud digest its various provisions, it is |
wonderful that it has thus far stood the test |
Of the tempest of litigation which il has
occasioned. 1t has been in the United
| States court, in our Supreme Court, and
before nearly every Circuit Judge on the
Bench. but without any serious inroads thus
far having been made on its sConstitutionality.
| Perhaps no measure passed by any Legisa-
| ture of any State within the memory of man
has excited such widespread comment and
| elected such deep interest. This is mainly
owing to the fact that it is an entirely new
idea, from an American standpoint, and
deals with the question Of controlling the
liquor traffic in q new way.
In the State the dispensary law has been
nnl still is the one absorbing, never-ending
| topic Of discussion, and it has produced some
| cpmical alignmenls and alliances in the
| efforts tn obstruct and defeat it. Newspa-
pers which have always fought prohibition,
and those known as the organs of the whis-
key ring, have suddunly become strong
advocates Of prohibition. Prohibitionis's
who sre so radical in their views that the
uncharitable call them "crauks' have been
found shoulder to shoulder with bsikeepers
and whskey dealers in opposing it; and
while many eminent divines have lent it
their aid aud endorsement, others are bitter
! in its denunciation The more moderate
prohibitionists are delighted with 1t. The
whiskey men arc more bitter in their oppo-
siton 10 it than they have ever been toward
| prohibition.
The law went into effect July 1st, and on
the night Of the 30th of June every bar in
the State closed its doors. The work Of
preparation, organization and arrangements
for the control of so mammoth business
had been going on for several months. The
illness of Comp,roller-Gencral Ellerbe and
the heavy burden of litigation which the
Attorney General had to bear (my colleague
, on the State Board Of Control} together with
the long continued illness of the State Com
missioner, Mr.. ID. II. Traxler, devolved
most of this ork on my shoulders; and this,
. together with the organization and direction
! of the Sta,e Consabulary provi led to en-
force the law, has more than doubled the
labors of the Executive otiics.
All of the legal whiskey traffic has been
turned into one channel, flowing to Colum-
bia, the central distributing depot Some Of
the railroads are yielding measure of obe-
, dience to the law, but most Of them openly
| defy it or lend their assistance to smuggling
r liquor into the State. The Richmond and
/ Danvilc system and The South Carolina Rail-
way in particular are bending every energy
c to defeat tic Law. So much for the present
| conditions.
c The Disrensary has been more than self
/ sustaining, and the net profits to the State
{ ! for the first four months have been S32 19S.-
16. The gross sales to consumers have been
f Si66, ,043. sc; total expense of State Dispen-
sary, $7256636 of County Dispensaries.
$40, $50. 90. The three principal items of
| expense, as will lie seen, are freights, glass
| bottles aud the Constabulury.
f During the month Of July twenty mine
9 | dispenseries were running; in Angus. thirty
E nine; in September forty-seven; in October
| ffy-one. One hos been discontinued, leav-
i ing fifty now in operation The number of
clerks TO Dispensers and assistants Is twenty
four The salaries of these local officers
have been fixed by the State Board, and
range from 81 900 to $500 per annum.
Where the magnitude Of the business re-
ouires i tho Dsrenscp is given one or more
assistants, but in no case Is the salary more
-.-e.,.s slivmu inc status of the business
/ "
some deductions purely from financial
stat dpoint. Hitherto under the license sys-
TEN the several Counties have derived a
revenve of 500 for eich license aggregating
last year for the entire State S7l 100. OF
this, four Counies-Char!es' on, Beaufort
Berkeley and Colleton-received $4,000,
leaving S23 900 for the other thirty one
Counties. The State received nothing. In
the cities and towns the licenses varied, but
the aggregate of all towns in the State for
last year vas Sl34,3T2. 1t is imp ssiblc to
do more rs yet than give an approximation
rs TO what the revenue the State, Counties
and towns viii; derive from the change in
the method of controlling the liqnOr traffic.
1t is srfc TO say, however, that if the towns
cease their unreasonable and scnseless oppo-
-iion, AMI thrce-fuurths Of the liquor
which under any conditions will be cou-
sumcd in the State, shall pass through the
Dispensary, the reyennc Of tie towns will
not he decreased from what it was fYGrRmrsrnlTa a rsna
that !hse C&nr '6S6taiin ii Revenue equal a,
least to both of these
But notwithstanding this, revenues is not
to he dispiscd, the law es not rest OH a
revenue basis, was not enac'el for that pur-
pose, an cannot be defended on that ground
l. rests wholly on its claim to being the
best method of controlling the evils which
| f'S ''"" lTOu tuc III
temperate use of liquors, and must stand or
fall on its merits as compared with other
methods Of controlling the evil. When the
law first went into effect outside of tho city
of Charleston there was almost total cess,-
ton Of The illicit sale; but, as time wore on,
the men who have always dealt in liquors
and grown rich thereby became more and
more emboldened to d'sobey the law. manly
bi the encouragement given them by the
leading daily newspapers, which promised
them immunity from punishment by juries,
and presented the spectacle of the teachers
of the people indicating lisohedience TO
| law.
| THE LAW on ITs MERITS
shall promise what shall say by OBJ
| serving that the United States government
considers liquor legitimste aud proper
source of revenue and that it derives there
from about Sl0OO0O.000 annually 1t will