The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-02-05
Pushing Their Business.

charge to the grand jury of Abbev'lle
called attention to certain provisions o
the dispensary law-more especiall!
those requiring the entry of the pur
chaser's request" for liquor. The
judge said +:
Nov, 10 some of the counties of The
State it has been brought to my atten
tou that the dispensers have disregard
ed these important provisions Of the
statute aud have been filing orders fo'
whiskey without requiring re.
quest to be signed. | do mol
krow that the dispenser in this county
has done so, but if he has done ST..
charge you that he has violated the
law and it would be your duty to pre-
sent him. As I said before. this stat
ute was intended to be temperance
measure, and as take it, the purpose
of this special requirement is twofold
First, to lessen the opportunity of get
ting whiskey-to make it more difficult
to procure it; and second. that there
sh ould be check upon the dispenser
You observe that he is required to ac-
count for all unused and multilated
blanks and to return ali blanks that
have beeu filled to be used by him in
his settlements with the county trea-
surer. Now, if be we're allowed to fill
orders sent to him for whiskey, what
would prevent him from selling whis-
KEY on his own account, or from run
niug blind tiger, as it is called, in
competition with the State
"Now. 40 one has the power to au-
thorize the dispenser to sell whiskey
otherwise than the statute directs the
State board of control, for instance,
would have no power to'give such di-
rection. If this board has done SO, it
has exceeded its authority and such dit
rection would net justify the dispenser
10 violating the law No officer or set
Of officers, can add one jot or title to
this statute it would be dangerous
precedent for an official, however higb,
to attempt to dispense with the plain re-
quirements of the statute.
eff the statute be carried out as it is
written, it will prove, as hope, a bless
iug; but it those in charge of this de-
partment be permitted to disregard its
requirements, it may prove to be a
curse. q
The question should not be how
much revenue can oe made for tue
State, but how can the sale of whiskey
be best controlled so as to minimise the
evils resulting therefrom The State
should make only SO much revenue out
Of the sale of alcoholic stimulants as
will be necessary to defray the expen-
ses of State control. The schools Of
the State should not be supported by
money procured from the sale of whis-
key. If our children cannot be edu-
Gated except by such means, then 1t
would the better for them not to be edu.
Gated at the public schools. l."
Judge Earls's Information about the
disuse Of the requests" is probably cor
rect. There was perhaps for awhile
some attention paid to those provisions
Of the dispeusary law which had for
their osteneible purpose the restriction
of the sale of LIQUOR. But aloug with
the earliest efforts to enlist popular feel.
ing on the side Of the law, there was
the promise that the States whiskey
business would be SO profitable as ma
terially to swell the States treasury and
thus reduce taxes Obstacles to the
expeditions dispensing" Of the 'cbem'
ically pure" had therefore to be remov-
ed. The number Of dispensaries had
constantly to be increased aud the dis
peusers had to do quick work to supply
the wants Of people who patrouized the
concern as an institution for the promo.
ton of temperance The safeguards
which the statute purported to set
against selling too much of the stuff to
one person 10 one day, and against
selling any to those whom the Law ex-
cluded from the benefits Of the system,
have been Ignored in order to supply the
wants of purchasers aud thus swell the
sales. Il is no wonder that the local
dispensers have been tempted to violate
the law They must have felt that in
thus acting they we're but carrying out
the law according to the views of the
men at headquarters. The claim that
there have been safeguards or restric.
tions is in fact grouudless.
Judge Earle's ''hope" that the law
may prove a blessing is founded
upon expectations which must already
have been disappointed. Managed as
it has been, the law must indeed be-
come ere long course. y
The effort to bolster tue system, With
all its temptations to venallty, its oppor-
tuoities for corruption, by approprlatlng
its profits to the common schools cannot