The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-04-25

was regularly made out and approved by
Governor Tillman and Commissioner
Trailer. When it was presented to State
Treasurer Bates for payment ha said that
he was not prepared to pay out any
money on account OF the Dispensary.
When T saw DR.. Bates about the matter
he said that he was not paying any Dis
ponsary claims. When asked whether
this was done by legal advice or upon his
own responsibility he said that he pre-
ferred not to answer that question.
| Attorney General Buchanan, who is
going 10 fight the case to the bitter end
and who has up to this time done every
| thing possible to win his cause, was in
| consultation most of the morning with
Col. Boyd, who argued the Darlington
cases with the Attorney General. AT
about o'clock tho two went into the
| Exec ltive Office and had consultation
with Governor Tillman.
No one has yet been able to decide
what the Supreme Court meant so say in
this paragraph:
"After the fullest and most careful and
deliberate consideration we feel constrain
ed to say that the Act is clearly uncon-
stitutional, except in as far as it forbids
the granting of licenses to retail spiritu-
Gus LIQUORS beyond the 30th Of June,
1893. Under this view all subordinate
questions presented in all the cases,
except the first named, lose all practical
Importance, and need not, therefore, be
considered"
There are those who still insist that it
means free liquor so far as licenses are
concerned, and others who contend that
the only possible construction is that the
State will have absolute prohibition. 1t
seems that the matter will have to be
taken to the Supreme Court for solution.
From what can be understood the State
Administration will not move in this
matter, and if the Dispensary cannot be
resurrected the Prohibitionists will have
to do the fighting X any is to be done.
Ne,Vs and Courier.
COLUMBIA, April 22.-South Carolina's
liquor revolution are getting to be quite
regular. Less than two years ago the
Dispensary regime began, and it was
ended with less preparation than it
started. Tho present is perhaps the
most radical and at the same time unsat-
isfactory and uncertain change that has
ever been known In the regulation of the
liquor traffic in this or in any other State.
No enc seems to know how it will end.
The average non-partisan is perhaps
happy enough that the Dispensary Law
has been declared unconstitutional, and
only hopes that politicians will not, out
of personal ambition, try to foist upon
the people again law which has brought
about more hard feeling and less satisfac-
ton than any statute that has perhaps
ever been recorded in Carolina. How
many people have thought OF the proper
ton of convictions for violations of the
law to deaths that have directly or indi-
rectly resulted from the system? At best
it was costly enforcement, when it is
remembered that Norment aud Pepper
and Redmond and Crawford Ballew and
poor negro at Spartanburg lost their
lives through the existence Of force Of
constables to enforce the law. If any
white men were convicted of violating
the law the cases were few and far be-
tween. Has the experiment been worth
half of the lives lost, the conflict of the
people, the experiences of the Darlington
incident and the condition of unrest and
uncertainty that have been brought
about?
But what ofthe present? No one knows
and there is no use for anyone to pretend
to know it at all. Nothing has been def
nitely settled. Governor TIllman may
want to leave the question pending in the
hope of securing q reversal of the present
opinion of the Supreme Court, but there
is no certainty thsit such decision would
be granted. The Legislature may be
called together for the purpose of doing
this or that, but the experience of the
past few years has shown that its action
cannot be counted upon With too much
stress. A motion for q rehearing may be
asked for, but it does not follow that 1t
will, be granted. Licenses may be issued
by municipalities for conducting liquor
business, but that does not imply that the
Courts will approve of the action and
allow the business to 60 on. Indeed
everybody seems to want to see some-
body else moving.
AS to the ProhibiEionists, who, it is
said by some, have gained an accidental
victory, they are not doing anything. 1t
everyone else, to wait quietly and see
(which way the cat is going to jump"
They have an idea that after while the
States attorneys will find out that the
decision OF the Court has left the State
with prohibition on its shoulders, and
hope for the State to sec to the enforce
ment of the prohibition law. From all
that has been said it is not likely that
Governor Tillman would undertake to
enforce prohibition unless he had full
authority to appoint large force Of con-
stables to soc that it was enforced, and
provision made for the pay Of the force.
In the interim it Is very likely that the
"bliud tigers'' are managing to catch Q
glimpse of the surrounding country and
an occasional customer without bothering
about license. Who says that it Is not
worse than the famous Is puzzle?
There are great many who seem to
think that the Admin istration is playing
great big game OF bluff and things will
be allowed to jog along until change
takes place in the complexion of the Su.
preme Court, when the issue will in
some way be revived. Those who enter
tain this view contend that the action Of
the State Treasurer in refusing to pay
outstanding debts of the Dispensary Is to
obviate permanent injunction upon the
new law. The idea is that the Admins
tration wants to haye the Act OF 1893
stand intact and without direct decision
upon it's oonsti;utionality. The fact is
that Attorney General Buchanan is going
to do all he can to ultimately win his
case.
Tho exact position of the State will
hardly be known until some one makes
q move in the Courts, and on that account
q great many want q a"clinohel" put on
tho new law at the very earliest oppor-
tunity. They regard this as the only safe
plan 10 pursue. The impression seems
to be growing that the idea of the State
Board of Control is to hold the liquor and
await further developments, such al the
Legislature convenipg or on the Supreme
Court changing. As matter of fact the
general opinion bore is, 80 far as Cover
nor Tillman is concerned, that he is
chuckling over the decision, and that it
hss lifted from his mind the greatest bur-
den he has ever had.
It is probable that the issue as to the
construction of the decision will be
brought up ip direct way in few days.
The city council OF Columbia, at its meet
ing on Tuesday night, will very probably
bring up the question of licensing liquor
saloons, and II will no doubt be referred
to the city attorney, The disposition of
the council from what can be learned is
to issue the licenses, and if it cannot be
done to have the Courts to say SO. It is,
they regard, about the only way in which
the matter can be brought to head and
some decision reached. If the decision
means prohibition they think the sooner
it Is found out the better, and if it means
that liquor can be sold there is no use for
the city to lose revenue that it needs.
One Of the most UNCERTAIN Of all of the
implications that has arisen out of the
Dispensary muddle is what is to be done
with the stock on hand. When the State
officers are asked what is going to be