The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-12-03
DEFECTS IN THE DISPENSARy
a Strong Advocate Urges the I,crisln
turc TO Improve the Law.

The Piedmont Headlights, edited bv
| Lurry CAN'T, who was credited with
making the original suggestion OF the
| law, contains q lengthy editorial dis
cnssing the dispcnsary system. Here
arc some OF its statements
That there has been msmanarc-
ment and some stealing connected
with the dispcnsary since it's cstab-
| ilshment no one can or will DENY.
! !hat the whole thing needs remodel
! ing and Ovcrhauling is generally con-
ccded. No business ever conducted
| by this or any other State presented
such an inviting field for corruption.
IT was new and untricd experiment,
| ana It's lnauguratOrs had no guide bv
whlch TO go. The enemies Of the law
| made 1T SO obnoxious that it was q hard
| matter to secure the services of a sue
| cesstul business man to accept any
position connected with the dispen-
sary. The press and the pulpit both
started crusade against the new cx-
pertinent to control the liquor traffic,
and church members were even
| threatened with expulsion did they
| not resign the places they held. The
| constable feature OF the law proved
| especially obnoxious
Bar rooms will never again be cs-
| tablishcd in South Carolina. The ONLY
chah&e FL owed in the dispcnsary sys-
tenn VIII ne to permit private indivi-
duals to sell under the same rcstric-
tlons as to hours and quantity as is now
| practiccd. or course we can have so.
called prohibitions but experience in
Tue past has demonstrated tho fact
That prohibition does anything else
than prohibit. 1t simply exchanges
th" 'egali@cd sale OF whiskcy for count.
|
CoctionS arc sold to any one who vii
buy.
we believe as our State Gispcnsar,
is now conducted, that there is nc
ground tor any charge Of dishonesty
IN Columbia. The State board OF con
trol are gentlemen whose names carr,
wlth them confidence and respect
while in Col. S. w. Scruggs they hay,
ono of the finest accountants in tho
S"uth--and if any rasca!ity is prac.
| tlced by subordinatcs he is sure to find
it out.
"Thc greatest trouble wo SEQ with
inc dlspcnsary is the high price
| charged for liquors and their unrc.
stricted sale. There is no dcnying the
| transparent fact that as now managed
| any man can buy all the whiskcy his
appetlte Graves just as readily rs when
we had bar rooms. Here is where
| reform Is needed, and badly needed,
| too. IN the first place the State has
no more right TO create q monopoly
and profit by that monopoly at the cX-
pcnSc OF The people than an Individual
| has. IT was not designed to create Of
the uiSpcnsary " source OF revenue, but
simply 10 permit sober men, who need
intoNicants, or know how to use them
with moderation. to purchase pure
liquors legally, and without resOrting
to blind tigers. Many men who voted
for the law would never have done so
did they believe that the doors of our
diSpcnSaries were to be thrown omen
to any one who would buy.
And in this connection, and being
friend to the dispcnsary law, truth
and candor compeis us to say that
while for Il time the use Of stimulants
was greatly curtailcd. we can see a
daily increase in liquor drinking and
drunkenness. We have two dispensa-
rics in Spartanburg, and at any public
day it is hard task to enter the doors.
At first one dispcnsary did all the bus
mess easily.
"Too much liquor is being sold by
| the dispensarics, and it is too easy to
buy it. The consumption is daily in
| crcasing, when. If the dispcnsary
proves what its friends DESIGNED anG
promised, the use of intoXicants would
be gradually and steadily diminished.
No county should be allowed more
than one dispcnsary, and then throw
| greater restrictions around the sale.
| If we can reduce tho consumption Of
intoxicants ne-half, or even one third,
! go much the hettcr."