The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-05-02
IT'S FREE LIQUOR NOW.
GOVERNOR TiLLMAN GIVES RlSWEWS
ON THEDECIS.ON.

Tied-H'r- r-rooms Can Be Put Up at
Every Street Corner and Cross Roads in
the Stste.
COLUMBIA, S. c., April 24.-No
move was made in anY direction yester-
day IN the whiskev- v-Dspsnsary law mud
die. Il vas hopa3 that something would
be done to relieve ihe uncertainty. The
longer toe problem goes without solu
ton tie worse jumbled becomes the
fideas Of The public. Men now change
opinoiou as often as the wind. Each
change brings 10 relief. The puzzle
grows more perpiexing. Lawyers are
mot in il" at this juneture. They are
as badly ratified as the man who never
saw law book. The Supreme Court
has made worse than q 'Sffteen puzzle"
for this Safe and the disagreeable part
is that nobody can work the puzzle.
The Supreme Court decision amounts
to one Of two things-prohibition pure
and simpls or free Whiskey. The latter
means that there is no law against the
sale Of Whlskey, that any man can start
in the business at any place and any
tine, aud that there is no restraint On
dsbauchery and the full sway of the Il +.
quor king.
Many pepole ow.believe.that the ma
the result Of this fearful state of affairs
and inserted in the decision the few lines
which have put everybody to guessing,
and which has checked the whiskey ele.
ment this far. The court was far-sight-
ed enough to see the effect of these lines.
The employees still in the service of
the State Dispensary were engaged yes :
terday in taxing stock at that institu-
ton. The quarterly report must be made
the last Of this month aud the amount Of
goods on hand must be given. a car
load Of whiskeys billed just before the
decision to County D.spensaries and
taken to depots were returned to the
State D:spensary yesterday. The ship.
ments were stopped when the decision
was rendered.
Governor Tillman yesterday publicly
expressed sn opinion on the decision for
the first time since it was rendered. He
was IN particularly good hunor when
the small regiment Of reporters struck
him and began to ply him with variety
Of questions.
The Governor was asked how long be-
fore the uncertainty about the decision
would be removed and the mystery as
to its meaning solved. He said: ''I
have already solved my part of it. It's
now for the judges to let the people
know what they bave decided. I don't
Know whether the decision mems prohi.
bition or free liquor or what it means.
Who can tell what they mean? I don't
see what object they could have had in
leaving the matter in doubt ct ALL"
"Well, Governor, what about that ex.
ira SESSION."
"Who mas heard anything of an ex.
ira session? All I've heard otit is some
talk u the newspapers and ofcourse the
papers are always in the wrong"
ut is claimed by some that the deci
sion leaves the iaR prohibition law and
tlst the police regulation feature Of the
law Glands. How about tta!?"
Governor Tillaan replied: ''All I
have to say is that tee Legislature gave
me authority TO enforce tee Dispensary
law. When the court declares the Dis
pensary law dead why Of course my au-
thority TO enfore it dies with it. I don't
see what right I have to ATTEMPT to
maintain the constabulsry to epforcs
prohibition Law if It is such"
"Governor, whose business is it to
fnd out what the court nesus?"
81 don't know. lis not mine." Then
IsughinglY tie Governor said. "What
is that Byron said about Wordsworth?
Oa,iyes, y wisa led explain his explana-
tion."
Tie Goversor was asked what he in
teade6 to Go about bav:ng the stocks Of
the various County D:spensariss ship.
ped back here and stored; if the rents
and insurance would not amount to
more than the expense ofdoing this. BE
sad be had no authority whatever to 60
into the expense Of moving the stock and
things you'd 60 on just as they are.
Continuing, he said: You see I am
paralszed. I can't LOa thing. Itseems
10 me- that the court in so many words
expressly declares that the Dlspensary
law !s not a prohlbirory law The Court
denies emphatically that the municipall-
les have the right to issue Licensees. Now
ifit Is not prohibltory law and the right
to issue licenses does not stand and there
is no other Law applying 10 the liquor
traffic 1t looks 10 me like free liquor. It
looks ike ANYBODY and everybody can
go out anywherei 10 the country, at every
crossroads and everywhere else, and
start up barrooms and sell liquor. All
Ac applying to the liquor traffic incon-
sistent vith the Dispensacy Act have
been repealed aud there are none on the
statute books"
Governor TI!lnan thea marie the tol-
lowing important statement: "The
whole situation as see 1t now ls that l
cen only maintain the statue quo, shut
up shop cluse up business, do absolutely
nothing, and obey the law. The State
is forbidden to sell whskey. AS to who
else can or may can't and won't pre-
tend to say. 1t is confusion worse con
founded. ."-Rsg.ster.
Terr,b!- E<rthquakes.