The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-05-09
.TILLMAN AND LIQUOR.
The Stocks of Liquor Being Held and the
Rent of County Dispensaries and at
Least Some Salaries Going on at
Great Expense to tine Taxpayers.
Spec;al 20 News and Courier.

SPECIAL 20 News and Courier.
COLUMBIA, May 4.-Although l. two
weeks have passed since the Supreme
Court decided the dispensary law un-
constitutional the State board of Con-
troll has not yet held a formal meeting,
so far as is known. If they had some
thing would very probably have been
done to indicate what disosition is to be
made of the immense stock Of goods on
hand. AS things now stand the State
aud counties are pil;Eg up expense
accounts ia rents and possibly salaries.
Just here it might be a pertinent ques-
ton whether the counties will be
responsible for any portion of the rents
and other losses now accommodating.
TO say the least the people of the State
are exceedingly interested in the ques-
tion aud would like to know whether
the State intends holding on to the
liquor or disposirg of it.
Every now and then there is little
incident which would 60 to show that
the Administration intends to make q
fight for the dlspensary law ''as it
stauds.n Governor Tillman is still Of
the opinion that when the people get a
chance the law will be placed on the
statute books and again become the
law of the State. He evidently intends
to make a fight for the law, and his
cue will most probably be followed
without question by very large pro-
portion of the "Reformers" of the
State. There is, however, some
division among the Reformers on the
dispensary question, and it will be
found when the campaign opens that
some of them will support high license
with regulations in preference TO the
dispensary plan, which has already
occasioned 50 much trouble and which
has received a moral black eye from the
Supreme Court which it will never be
able to get over.
The State dispensary has within the
past few days had hauled from the
Richmond and Danville Railroad sta
lion large quantity of liquor. which
had been stored there for some time.
The railroad authorities did not care to
have to pay the insurance any longer,
and asked the dispensary authorities
to have it removed. The lot consisted
of about fifty barrels Of corn liquor.
The force aC the dispensary has been
reduced to minimum, aud about the
only work that is now being done is on
the quarterly and revenue reports.
The cases of liquor have been neatly
arranged on the first floor, and every
thing is waiting on orders.
THE PROPOSED TEST CASES.
Governor Tillman and Attorney
General Buchanan and several visitors
were in consultation this morning for
quite a long time. 1t is thought they
were considering the Flor"nce and
Darling on cases.
So far as is Known, up to this time,
the State will not take any part in the
test cases which are to be heard by the
Supreme Court next Monday morning.
This does not, however, indicate that
the State will not try to hold off the
effects of the decision of the Court in
the pending habeas corpus and injunc-
ton proceedings.
HIGH LICENSE BY THE STATE.
A suggestion in connection with the
liquor traffic which is being Very gen.
orally discussed is that of the State re-
ctiving all of the license money from
the saloons and passing some general
law looking to the regulation of the
traffic. BY making the license some.
what high it is thought that the busi-
ness will be confiued to the better class
of saloon keepers, and by having the
license money paid directly into the
State treasury it will tend to reduce
taxes and popularize the scheme, and
with the general regulation feature
satify those who are clamoring for
''semething like the dispensary."
One gentleman, who was talking
over the matter this morning, said
that if such a law could be agreed on
it would soon be popular among all
classes, and would be the best way out
of the present difficulty. He estimated
that 500 saloon men would open up At
an annual license of $500, and that
this would mean a revenue of $3.50, 600.
The general taxes last Year amounted
to S735, 600, aud by turning this fund
into the State treasury it would reduce
taxes about third. There would be
no extraordinary cost in collecting the
license money, as it could be done by
the county treasurer. He thought that
! the entire matter could be aulicably
arranged in some such way. 1t is
| probable that such scheme will be
discussed in the coming campaign.