The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-24
FREE RUN FOR CAROLINA.
Tillman Believes There is Now No Law
to Restrict the Traffic.

He Admits That the Court Has Left
the Whole Situation Very Much
Muddled-He Has No Authority to
DO Anything Except Maintain the
Statu Quo-He Denies That He Inc
tends to Call an Extra Session.
Columbia, S. c., April 23-Gov. Till
man confessed tonight that he was par
alyzedn by the decision of the supreme
court against the dispensary law. He
thinks the court ought to explain its de-
cision.
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. 1t is now
for the judges to let the people know
what they have decided. / don't know
whether the decision means prohibition
or free liquor, or what it means. Who
can tell what they meant don't see
what object they could have had in
leaving the matter in doubt at alln
THE EXTRA SESSION TALK.
"Wel, governor, what about that extra
session.
session. All have heard Of il Is some
talk in the newspapers, and, of course,
the papers are always in the wrong"
at is claimed by some that the decision
leaves the law prohibition lazy, and that
the police regulation feature of the law
stands How about thatl"
Gov Tillman replied IAN have to say
is that the legislature gave me authority
to enforce the dispensay law When the
court declared the dispensary law dead,
why, of course, my authority to enforce it
died with it. / don't see what right /
have TO attempt to maintain the cOnstab-
ulary to enforce prohibition law, If it
is such"
Governor, whose business is that to
find out what the court means}p
u don't know it's not minen
Then laughingly the governor said:
''What is that Byron said about Words
worth2 oh, yes, / wish he would explain
his explanation "
DISPOSITION OF THE LIQUIDS.
The governor was asked what he in
tended to do about having the stocks of
the various county dispensaries shipped
back here and stored If the rents and
insurance would not amount TO more than
the expense of doing this. He said he
had no authority whatever to 70 into the
On pttlSt VI lhONllE Allt SLOCho anu buluka
would go on just as at present.
Continuing, he said: "You see / am
paralyzed. / can't do thing. IL seems
to me that the court Ia so many words
expressly declared that the dispensary
law is not prohibitory law. The court
denies emphatically that the municipali-
ties have the right TO issue licenses.
Now, if it is not prohibition
law and the right to issue licenses
does not stand and there Is
no other law applying to the liquor
traffic, IL looks TO me like free liquor; il
looks as if anybody and everybody can go
out anywhere in the country, at every
crossroads and everywhere else and
start up barrooms and sell liq-
uor. All acts applying to tho
liquor traffic inconsistent with the dis
pensary act have been repealed and there
are none on the statute books. The whole
situation as | see it now is that | can only
maintain the statu quo, shut up shop,
close up business, do absolutely nothing
and obey the law. The state is forbidden
to sell whisky AS to who else can or may
I can't and won't pretend to say. 1t is
confusion most confounded.p