The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-01-22
TILLMAN TALKS.
He Gives Some Interesting Sketches
of the Dispensary.

He Gives Some Interesting Sketches
of the Dispensary.
Special Correspondent Tokeka State Journal !:
Washington, Jan. 10-As the recent inter-
view OF Gov. Morrill,, OF Kansas, in which he
if the liquor traffic has brought the various
methods OF dealing with this question again
into prominence, Senator Benjamin II. TILL
man, Of South Carolina, who might properly
be called the father of the dispensary system,
was seen at his home by the Journal CORE
spondent and asked to give his views upon
this system, and the probable effect OF Its In
augurati0n IN prohi6ltlon State iike kansas; as;
that the State dispensary method Is the best
present possible way of dealing with the
question, and that IL is vast Improvement
over prohibition.
"Prohlbition has proved" he said, "that It
Is impossible to extirpate the evil, and II the
people OF Kansas desire to reduce and mini
mize the traffic instead OF having the farce of
absolute prohibition the dispensary system is
the way TO do It,"
Before discussing the plan In its application
TO Kansas, Senator Tillman desired TO reclte
the history of 1t In South Carolina in order 10
show how 1t might work in another state with
all allowances made for the dlderences OF sem
timent and conditions.
SOME HISTORICAL FACTS.
"You probably know" he said, "that the
fight in South Carolina elections Is at prima-
ries or conventions. The man who Is success.
ful there Is sure OF election, SO there Is where
the real struggle comes. In the primaries OF
1880 the fight was between the reiormers or
Tillmanites and the old oligarchy which had
been running the state ever since they got
control Of 1t after the reconstruction time, IN
1876. We lick ed them then and the samefight
came up again when, i stood for reelection In
i But at these same the cues
no In separate box. While there were IS 600
votes cast for candidates only $4,000 persons
voted on the question OF prohioitlon. This
was carried by a majority OF 10000 or there
abouts.
This expression was sufficient TO cause the
house In the legislature W hich was elected to
pass strict prohibitory law patterned after
the Maine and Iowa laws. 1t was rock ribbed
and sweeping. ItprohlbiLed the sale of liquor
except by state dispensaries and then only
for pharmaceutical. mechanical and medici-
nal purposes. When this bill came to the
senate there were only five days Of the session
left and all the bartenders were there TO de-
feat IT.. saw that the house measure With
its absolute prohibition would not do and so
taking IL as groundwork fixed 1T over into
what is virtually the present dlspensary law.
This was passed by the senate and then by
the house In the form OF q substitute. This
action was taken December, 1892.
This law provided for O state dispensary
commissioner who was to buy all liquor for
the state and provide tor It's sale at county
dispensaries. There are now about seventy.
five dispensaries In the state"
WHAT DIsPENsARIEs LOOK LIKE.
"a dispensary looks very much like drug
store. II is something like combination oi
q drug store and bar-room. There are
shelves all around the walls and q counter
across the front end. When man comes In
10 buy whiskey the dispenser says: 'Whatll
you have?" Then the man says: "Give me
half pint of Xxx corn, or xxx rye, or what
ever 1t Is he wants. He pay his money for II
and that is all there is TO 1t. He can't drink
| 1t Oh the premises and the bottles are sealed
While was governor the cheapest whiskey
| was S. per gallon.
"All the liquors are cb bemically tested and the
idea is to keep all kinds on hand which are
not untitled for sale by adulteratlon and fol
which there Is sufficient demand.
"Well, the law was 10 20 into effect the sue
ceeding July, SIX months being given for those
having liquors on hand to dispose Of them.
had State conslabuary TO enforce the law. J
began at once TO have the dispensaries estab
lished SO as to begin when the law went into
effect. There was an appropriation of S500O(
1T may seem an easy task 10 attend
TO all these details, but I tell you 1t wa.
the hardest jobI ever had on my hands, said
Senator Tillman, with The air OF one who hac
had hard fight before.
WHERE THE OPPOSITION EXISTED.
There was opposition at once in th'
cities, where most OF the political oppo
sition toward me was centered. You see mos
! OF my followers were in the outlying ant
country districts, and the fellows who belong
ed 10 the old ring which had been IN contro
were centered in the citiest. They didn't be
lieve that any good could come out of Naza
reth, and as this was 7 tllman measure the.
went into league with the bartenders ant
proprietors of blind tigers to obstruct It's en-
forcement. They patronized these fellow
and aided them.
There was more or less trouble in enforc
ing the law In the cities, but the system Wa
kept going from July until December, whel
the legislature met again.
Now politicians, you know, are the mos
cowardly people 10 the world. They ar
afraid Of public sentiment and always try I
follow just behind IL Instead Of leading II
But this legislature, which had enacted tn
, dispensary law with fear and trembling, a
, an experiment, In 1892, In 1898 re-enacted
and made II stronger by amendments, whicl
the previous five months had suggested.
} "Then In April, 1894. came the Darlington
riot, and whipped them, and two week
later the Supreme Court declared the law un
constitutional.
THE COURT PLAYING sHUTTLECoCK.
~ at once ordered the dispensers to clos
] dlspensarieS, take an account of stock an
e guard the stocks at reduced salary. The de
, the law of 1892 and was so muddy and part
I san and unreasonable that later, when anott
/, er case was brought up they made another dc
= decision saying what parts Of the law wer
I Observation-Disclosures an explanation
e of their explanation. The whole decision wa
a reversal of q previous decision, for the sam
court had refused an injunction brought b.
the bartenders against the law. One oil
judge who was superannuated was TO be re
hired in Univ and had the aDnoi ming IF hi