San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-10-09
TILLMAN'S LIQUOR LAW.
SCANDALS OF THE DIsPENsARY IN
SOUTH CAROLINA.
One InVes tigatiOn in Progress and Others
to be Made Later by the Legislature
The System Said to be Failure.

this state, that in a few years the dis.
pensary system, which he establish
ed here when he reached the crest of
popularity, would be take up by many
other states, is not likely to be veri-
fed. In Georgia the POpulists are
endeavOring to work up Il dispense.
ry sentiment in connection with a pro-
hibitiOn plank, but South Cardinals
experience of late is not such as to
give the advocates of the idea much
campaign material. The argument
is all on the other side.
The investigation of the dispensary
begun last week by the state board of
control is but the forerunner of 9th
ers by the board and by the legisla
ture. There have been scandals
enough already to make South Caro-
lima sick of the experiment. There is
no question that the dispensary is
lOOsing ground very rapidly in popu'
lar favor, or, rather, in the favor of
the Tillman faction, the others having
always fought it, and that its exist
tence is limited to q brief period. The
air has for months been laden
with rumOrs of corruption. The peO-
pie have had their pride wounded by
seeing the governor, during the sum-
mer's campaign, charged with having
made money out of the diSpensary.
They have recently seen him and 9th
err state officials summoned before an
investigating board to say whether or
not they had been guilty of theft
They have heard the governor say
that he had long suspected the liquor
commissioner and other officials con-
nected with the dispensary of cor
ruptiOn. and that he had instructed
minor officials in the dispensary to spy
sons of the purchasing agent confess
that they have received thousands of
dollars from distilleries in the shape of
rebates Then there is report, that
will be investigated only by the legis-
lature, which is to the effect that the
books have been "dOctOred'' to the eX.
tent of about $4,000, and that high
officials have taken a prominent part
in keeping the facts from the public.
All this has made thousands of those
who, following Tillman in 1892, were
rampant dispensary advocates, turn
against the system.
When Tillman was advocating the
dispensary the Prohibitionists made a
plea for prohibitory law and in a sep
arate box at the polls in 1892 they cast
a majority of votes for prohibition. But
Tillman, after arguing against the pos
sibility of maintaining a state of dry
ness in South Carolina, recommended
to the legislature the passage of the
dispensary law ''as compromise for
prohibition" Glowing pictures had
been drawn of the future of this state
under such a system. Legislators
were Just at this time being harassed
by their constituents because OF the
failure to reduce taxation from the
mark reached under the old regime
previous to 1890, and in the dispensary
they saw what was considered
bright opportunity to not only reduce
the taxes. but also to eliminate one
half the annual burdens on the people
Governor Tillman and his lieutenants
figured that the diSpensary profits ar
ter the first year would be at the low.
est S5OO.OOO a year. The protests
against the employment of spies, as
constables were then called, was an
swered by the declaration that in
short time. when it was seen that the
dispenSary had come to stay, OppO'
sition to it would cease, and the con-
stables would be withdrawn, thus re-
moving an irritating feature and IL
creasing the states revenue by nearly
100000. The legislature elected the
dispensary board, composed of the
governor. secretary of state, and
comptroller-gener and appropria.
ted $4,000 out of the state treasurey
as a working capital. Business was
begun on August 1, 1892, with stock
of goods costing more than 100000.
The state owed one distilling com
pany over 100000 at one time.
What kind of compromise for pro-
hibition'' has the dispensary been?
When. in little state like this, with
so many counties bordering on North
Carolina and Georgia, across whose
line whisky flows freely, the dispense
nv authorities can contract for whis-
XIV by hundred car load lots, and when
the five per cent rebates from one
house alone amount to $4,000, it does
not look as if consumption had been
curtailed. When the dispensary
started WHISTLES were high priced, and
nothing but 100 per cent proof was
used. Later prices were reduced. An
so per cent proof whisky was intro
duced and has become popular. At
ter taking off two profits-for the state
and for the town and county-this
stuff is sold at % cents pint. When
the dispensary authorities were twit.
ted with putting this low grade OF
whisky on sale the reply was that the
people demanded q cheaper whisky,
and that the dispensary had to com
pete with blind tigers. Counties
which had been dry for years under
the license system had dispensaries
established in them. The court rec.
ords show that the number of whisky
....,,.4o,, ho1 not haau rodnnad