The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-25
NOTABLE EXPERIMENT
STATE LIQUOR SELLING IN SOUTH
CAROLINA ABOUT AT AN END.
a short Historical Retrospect-The
Social Resistance to TiIIman--
Little BIOOdshed After All.
Columbia. s. C., Letter in Boston Tran


interesting experiments ever made-the ia
nous liquor dispensing system a sketch of
which from its origin to the present day
is timely.
one night in December, 1892 Governor
Tillman, then on the crest of the wave of
| fortune sat in the gallery of the House of
Representatives and listened TO a prohibit
ton debate. prohibitory primary had
been held during the previous summer and
! the liquor people had sustained a stunning
| defeat The bill under discussion was in
! accordance with this result. Tillman was
| deeply interested. He had not taken part
! IN the campaign, but one of his dearest
! wishes was to see the liquor men, who had
! opposed him all along, downed to a man. L,
| D. Chiids, a member from Columbia. had
| the floor AS the leader of the prohibition
! forces in the State he was making the
| speech of the session. The great and bril-
| lianty lighted hall was packed. But not a
| sound interrupted the speaker, who held
| the undivided attention of his audience
With Governor Tillman in the gallery
| there were number of ladies. one a
young and pretty girl from Athens, Ca
! finally grew tired of the elouuence of Mr.
! Chllds, and turning to the Governor, asked
why they did not resort to the dispensary
|
ton of the question. Tillman was not a
! well-informed man in those DAYS. and
! frankly admitted that he knew very little
about the Athens system He expressed
! some interest however, and the young lady
one of the few in a thousand who interest
! themselves in details-rapidly outlined it to
nm. The novelty of the idea struck him.
and, eXcusng himself, he went straight to
the executive office, called his lieutenants
IN the House around him. and before day
| lSht mad framed q BILL the first dispensary
Dill, Tor Introduction. An administration"
measure, 1t was passed over all opposition.
ana Mr.. Childs's speech was thrown away
Inc explanation for this new departure
TO the people, who had expected a simon
pure prohibition law. was short and so far
! as Governor TIlman's adherents were con-
| cerned. satisfactory. BY restricting and
! regulating the sale it would it was claimed
diminish drunkenness and abolish major
lty OF the evils charged to the bar-room
! system. 1t would protect the health as
Wen as the morals of the people by furnish
ing tnem with only chemically pure liquors,
and 1t would furthermore pay 81 600 900
yearly into the state treasury, more than
! enough TO run the state government and
| puDhc school system. In short, it would
relieve the taxpayers of state taxes
| But despite all this the institution was re-
| ceived with the reverse of favor The con
| servatiVe, or anti-Tillman element. refused
TO see anything good in what Tilman
! vows never to drink of 'Tillman's LIQUOR"
| The papers took up the constitutional
and moral questions involved and, with
lew exceptions, denounced it. The
| reIOrnerS even resented having to sign
| their names to applications for pints and
! half-pintS of corn whisky as a restriction
and an infringement upon their liberties
| AS result blind tigers" were opened in
| every town and patronized much in the
| same spirit that the BOstonians threw the
| tea into the water
| UNDER MARTIAL, LAW.
The consequence was what Tillman had
| toreseen when he drew up the bill and pro-
/, vided for dispensary constabulary The
State was placed under sem-martial law.
! In every town and village two or three
| constables paraded the streets, armed to
the teeth with Winchester rifles and Colts
| revOlvers Furthermore, they were armed
| with unlimited power, which included the
! right to enter and search private houses
where liquors were known or supposed to
be stored. Also, to examine the baggage of
! passengers railroad platforms Occa-
| Slohally, IN searching a house, a woman
| was insulted; and occasionally in exafnin-
! ING baggage a Womans trunk was opened
| ana the crowd treated to a sight of dainty
silks ana muslins tumbled in a heap on the
! ground. The newspapers kept track of
! these occurrences and served them no to
their readers, under appropriate headings
! until at the next session of the General
| Assembly they had made the institution 50
| penser was raised on account-his friends
sald IN open debate-of the "odium' at
! tached to the office.
| The strangeSt part of the whole business
| is why, with naturally fiery people like
| those of South Carolina, there was from
start to finish so little bloodshed. The
! conStables, recruited from class whom
'od1um' could not deter, We're as insolent
! as Claverhouse's merciless dragons. Wom-
! en- who barred their entrance to private
| apartments were slapped in the face, while
! their husbands, at the point of a revolver
looked on helpless. A few We're killed, 1t
! Is true At Darlington pitched battle
! was fought, and two citizens and two con-
| stables sent to eternity. But the majority
! OF the people submitted quietly, turned
! their houses over to the raiders when they
came and contented themselves with wait
! ing for a day when they could express
| themselves at the ballot box. The con-
stables have killed nearly three score peo-
| pie, but so far none have been punished
! all being pardoned.
! The reformerS would probably have aban-
| doned Tillman and his scheme years
! ago but for the Darlington war above re-
! ferred to. They had already begun to grow
and the unusually high price of the dis
pensary liquors added fuel to their dis
| content But Tfllman was too aStute a
politician to let such an opportunity pass.
AS 1t happened the fight at Darlington was
| between the constables on one side and
! conservatives on the other. Tfllman i'm
mediately denounced it as an anti-Tilman
| uprising, and made a great display of fear
| ing assa ssination; having himself guarded,
/
| III the state penitentiary.
REFORM MEASURE.
The reform papers took 1t up and in an
| amazingly short time had convinced their
| readers that the dispensary was reform
measure" to be defended with their lives.
The excitement ran high, and conservative
militia companies which had refused to
| obey the Governors orders were replaced
| by enthusiastic 1fllman companies who
| gave expression to their devotion by dub
bling themselves Ben Tlllman Rifles"
| Ben Tillman Volunteers and Ben Till
| man Guards" The absorption of dispen-
| sary whisky became a test of loyalty to the
| cause and for time the blind tigers had
| to depend upon the conservative element,
| while their enemies bankrupted themselves
| out of pure patriotism.
| Meanwhile the courts had been appealed
! to and so many conflicting opinions rem
! the run of them. But at length, q short
| time after the Darlington war, the Supreme
| Court decided the law unconstitutional.
! This closed the dispensary and reOpened
| the barrOOms. But at the next session the
| Legislature changed the complexion of the
| Supreme Court and passed a new dispensary
| bill. The former decision was reversed, of
| course, and since that time the institution
| has been running full blast. But it has never
| been out Of trouble in the courts. Senator
| Tillman, during his last terra as Governor,
| had the Legislature pass bill empowering
| the executive 10 appoint metropolitan police
| over tow MS and cities which failed to en-
| force the dispensary law. He held ii over
| Charleston to the end of his term, but did