The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-09-16

NUN cTuOE ENduS oh Iho aNSJS'' ~
stated that Mr.. Johnson had bill pre-
pared in which he proposed to change
the board of control and that Mr.. L..
J. Williams had bill already on Its
passage. l expressly told him then
that l didn't care anything about Mr..
Johnson's or Mr.. Williams bill pass
ing, but that did object to his recon-,
mendations and the passing of an act
under it rejecting on me, as L thought
it did. In fact, Mr.. Williams bill
had been introduced in the house some
time before this new bill Of Governor
Eyeans' was mentioned. Nobody ever
heard me say anything against Mr.:
Williams bill and | defy him to find
a member of the legislature who Will
says so.
The fact OF The business is | don't be-
Iieve Governor Evans conceived the
new dispensary law at all. II there IS
any good in it, believe Mr.. Ehrd Is
entitled TO the credit. Not two days
before he and Mr.. E(ird were IN Tue
attorney generals Office giving MN
the outlines of a new bill. Governor
Evans told me he did not intend, IN
his long. looked for message, TO recon-
mend any change in the law, and al
ter he and had talked of the obJec.
tions to his recommendations, he said
the bill was the legislative committees
bill and asked me to meet them the
next night to talk the matter over. I
Immediately saw Mr.. Carroll. one of
the committee, and while he didn't
say so in so many words, I am salts
fled he had never head of the bill be-
fore.
Mr.. J. p. Thomas, Jr., another
member of the committee, told me he
had never heard of it until 1 told him.
When we met Mr.. Thomas suggested
that the board be composed of five
members, as Governor Evans recon-
mended in his message.
When the bill went to the senate it
was referred 10 the judiciary commit
tee, and Mr.. Mayield, chairman of the
committee, asked me if 1 would be
satisfied if all the old members were
left OF and an entirely new board
elected.
told him it would be perfectly sat-
isfactory to me; that my friends had
unintentionally done me great un'
kindness when they put me on the
board of control, and that 1 would be
delighted to get off if I could do so de.
Gently.
Governor Evans, as I have been
told, was constantly making insinua.
tions like these against me during the
campaign, and for this reason 1 went
to Chesterfield to state my connection
with the dispensary and State board OF
control. Governor Evans said my
statement was entirely correct then. I
don't know what has caused him to
change his opinion. so l wish to say
again, as I said then:
The State borad of control had only
one meeting in the year 1895. The
only action taken then was to elect
the commissioner and the clerk of the
State board. Governor Evans at that
presented a petition from Mr..
Marcy, asking to be allowed to sell
beer in the city of Co o'umbia and one
from Mr.. Pagan, asking thatthe Hotel
Jerome be allowed to sell liquor as a
tourist hotel. Mr.. Norton and both
objected to these two propositions and
he pushed them in his draw and said
let them lie over for consideration at
the next meeting. During the year l
signed two, or possibly three, orders
closing distilleries whose proprietors
had violated the dispensary law. On
another occasion I walked into the
office while he was consider
ing a request by the Southern Railway
company to be allowed to sell liquor
on their dining cars as they passed
through the State on the Air Line rail
road. He asked my opinion on that
subject. Some time during the present
year the governor called a meeting of
the board of control to consiner petit
tion of the city council of Columbia to
be paid some dispensary profit which
had been withheld.
This constituted my whole connec-
ton with the dispensary. The COM
has never bought \ gallon
of liquor by my request. [ have never
asked him to do so but once. Then l
asked him to buy some whiskey from
Capt. McCann, who was my immedi-
ate commander during the war, and
was q member of Gen. Uary's staff.
He did not buy from him on account
of some hitch in the analysis. [ have
not been allowed TO have anything to
do with the management of the dis
pensary; have never known what
prices they paid to anybody, and never
inquired.
I have had no connection with the
dispensary or the State board Of con-
troll other than l have stated above,
and am not responsible for its manage
ment in any manner,
ID. ii. TOMPKINS.