The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-05-02
Laughing at Law.
An Attempt 10 Have the Liqnor
spuzzie Solved by the Supreme
Court, Blocked by the Admin.
istration-Wish Unlicensed
Liquor.
Special to The State.

Florence, April 28.-On the 18th
sess. the city council of Florence, At
their regular meeting, passed an ordi.
nance providing for the issue of licenses
for the sale of liquor, The next day
We. s. Rollins, having complied with
aHthe necessary requirements prescribed
bgfbe cosusil a1d Saving paid thelieense
fee of $500 resdysd ha license % retail
spiir1tuousJ liquors. SsSA2s- -
Yesterday Mr.. John N. Henckle
swore out a warrant against him for
violating the dispensary act of 1898, by
the sale Of liquor. Mr.. Henckle named
as witnesses to the violation of the
lasests saispensas1shH by Nj Rollins,
j. E. Scbouboe. Editor Clayton. of the
Reform Advocate, the local Tillman
organ. aud others. Mr.. Rollins was ar
rested by the sheriff and kept in his
custody
ThB moruansals. c. g Netless.s the
Saa Enown Darlington attorney. left
Floreoce for the purpose of procuring a
writ of babeas corpus from the Supreme
Court in Mr.. Rollins, behalf, his pur-
poseabeibE To- test @ths is: dispensary
actaad % determine whether munich
p~alities could or could not license the
sale of l;quor. It was hoped that by
Monday, at least, Mr.. Netdes might
haze the question before the Supreme
Coart,.ad end the reignsof what Gov.
ernor Tillman calls .'free liquor" To
the surprise of our people. however.
Trial Justice e. W. Lloyd, who Issued
the warrant. received a dispatch from
Attorney General Buchanan, ordering
him to release Mr.. Rollins from Gus
toay. This, was done,ssnd eo.sbys the
act Of the administration, making a
fragrant abuse or power, a settlement Of
the legal status of the liquor question is
prevented and free liquor forced upon
our people.
IS The Stasereferring edisorially to- the
duo~S, soyo
1t is impossibae that Acknowledgement
.BuchaDsn could. have taken such a
higb$aadsaeodrss glhoatiaeeructions
from Governor Tillman, who was 10 the
city. and the latter muet be held respon.
sible.
Thiak of what this means! Here is a
'ffssassses sauesloaGs BE- aswsf 10 doubt; the
entire State is embarrassed aud crying
.fpese sestlemessef rs q case, is made to
~ s. de,sFPIaaaN @aigbess
Court; aud, upon ascertainiDg this pur-
.pose, the Governor, acting by the
! 1Rorney GsessefaE steps in and with
the implied menace of his power Of re-
ss55@i6IpssfIssr @ttifF7aff jdstfoe4 q release
the prisoner whose Imprisonment is
necessary to the making of the case for
ahe Eupfsns gourtss 6 possible 10
sonssSye dnaere asgtptinterfsrsnoe,
sbolSa azaSk force,ggithF1 deter
miaafsan ofaa4? e 8 5
S1s1sy NAprobasls@aIssAaHss
that this action was taken by the Ex-
ecutiyegi1a deferencssso the decision of
ms Ssprsme GoaftsdecIariDg the dis
pensary law unconstitutional-that he
did not. wish to permit a mau to languish
II, jsiFfor violating an unconstitutional
act. But such a contention would be
siasincere and baseless farsthe prisoner
arrested under the dispensary act
sofI893, which thesSumsnesCo Court has
NOT vel directly 5consideied.a he was
represented 10 the way he preferred. by
his own counsel, present in Columbia,
aud he asked. not clemency, but AUDI
cial determination Of hissrights.
Governor Tillman's reasons, We take
it, are twofold. The 6rst is to make
the unrestricted sale Of liquor a public
afliction and thus benefit the dispeusary
cause by comparison !; the second is to
prevent the Supreme Court as at pres
ele constituted from passing upon the
last diepensary act, holding that question
undecided until Associate Justice Gary
shall take Justice McGowan's place and
render the decision expected Of him.
The probibitionists have the most d.
rect interest in these performances of
the Executive. The liquor dealers have
little or nothing to complain of as thugs
stand now. Tillman's free liquor
announcement assuring them of his
protection. But the prohlbitionists have
what we believe to be a prohibition law,
and Governor Tillman will nc: allow it
to be establish by judicial degree, We
wonder what they think now of the man
who is appealing to the prohibition
sentiment of the country on the basis OF
his '.brave battle against the rnm
power"
What Trailer Says.
Columbia. S. c.. April 25-
! (Snec;aI \ State T,irncr Commissions