Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-07-08

IuIet ILleS IN lLIc ldSJ udlI century
the state Of South Carolina has attract
cd the attention Of the world by origi-
mating bold and unique experiments in
government. Back in the Dos she
startled the union with her sensational
attempt at notification. Thirty years
later she led ia the fatal secession
movement Today, after the lapse of
another three decades, the state is
about to inaugurate the most novel
departur. In liquor legislation lhat this
country has ever known.
On the LIST Of July the Evans dis
pensary law" enacted at the last SEES
sion of the general assembly, went in
to operation. BY the provisions of this
remarkable measure for the first time
in the history of the American union,
the state assumes the functions Of
the rum-seller, says the Washington
Post. 'Dispensaries' viii take the
place Of the saloons. The bartender
will make way for the official dis,
penser.' The corner grocery with bar
room attachment the club, sideboards,
and even the festive cocktail itself,
will be no more. In their places viii
reign the state saloon and straight
whisky. The liquor traffic win contin-
ne, but instead Of regulating it the
commonwealth win conduct it.
1t goes without saying that the pass
age of a law as radical as this has
agitated the Palmetto state from end
to end. For months it has been the
foremost topic of discussion in the
press and from the pulpit, around the
freside, at market and at the meeting
place.
For years the prohibition movement
has been growing in South Carolina.
Just after the great political revolution
I in 1876, which rescued the state from
caIpet-bag rule, a law was enacted pro-
hibiting the sale Of liquors outside of
all incorporated cities and towns. This
/ was folloWeL by what was known as
local option laws, through which pro
4 hibition became operative through
many sections of the state.
/ The experiment proved popular in
some instances, in others quite the re-
verse. First the "dIys" would be on
top, then the "wets." This went on
until a few years ago, when a demand
for absolute state prohibition found
expression and became an issue Of the
day,
During Governor Ben 1illman's first
administration the prohibition leader
was Representative /. ID. Childs of
Columbia, through whose efforts the
"Childs bill an iron-clad prohibition
measure, came very near being made
a law.
Rebuffed by the legislature, the pro
hihitiouists determined to appeal to
the people, They procured from the
state democratic executive committee
the privilege Of placing on the day Of
the general election at the polls an
extra box in which the people were
To record themselves as for or against
prohibition legislation.
When the votes were counted those
in the affirmative were largely in the
majority, and in most cases the repre-
spundves elected held themselves as
bound TO vote accordingly in the legis-
lahge. As u matter Of fact, the vote
was not Indicative of the real send-
ment of the people of the state The
antis did not regard the scheme Sc
riously and largely RETAINED from yot-
inc, and In several counties there were
none of the mo prohibition" tickets
displayed at the polls
The prohibitionists were elated at
the result and, although their leader,
ChildS, was defeated for reelection to
the legislature they confidently OK.
pected that q measure similar to that
which bore his name would become q
law.
Accordingly. early in the session, q
bill to prohibit the sale and manu-
facWe of liquors in the state was in
roduced This bin WAS overloaded and
spun ont to unreasonable length but
it passed the house by a large majority
Then the storm broke There were
indications that the passage Of me
bill Icy the senate and it's approval by
the governor would seriously DAMAGE
the TiEman administration The gov
ernor had the devil in front and lie
deep sea In the rear. The reform
legislators wanted prohibition md they
didn't want it, They were anxious
TO do something to satisfy their CON
stimcnts who demanded such legisla-
ton, but at heart Jhey disuusted Its
wisdom
In this dilemma the dispensary bin
was devised Tt seems that in the
town Of Athens. Ca. after a series
of local option battles, in which the
two factions were alternately victori-
ogs. n plan WIS hit upon whereby the
bar.rooms were closed and the munich
pality sold or dispensed the liquor
Larry CAN'T. then editor OF the
Columbia Register the Tilman organ,
had recently come 10 the state from
Athens. and he is said TO have informed
Governor Tillman Of the operations Of
the dispensary there. With that cue
tho governor called together his adj
viscrs. and the Evans bill, so called
after Senator Gary Evans, of Aiken