The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-01-07
THE OLD CITY STILL PECULIAR
The Metropolitan Police Is Ncccs-
sity Until Charleston is Ready for
tho Change OF the Disponsary

The Metropolitan Police is q Ncccs-
sity Until Charleston is Ready for
the Change of tho Dispensary
Law.
Special to the Columbia Register.
Charleston is looking forward to the
meeting of the GeneralAssembly fort
night hence with much interest and
solicitude. Not that q great deal OF
legislation is anticipated by the forth
coming session, but most Of the impur-
tant general measures undertaken are
expected to Affect the material and
commercial interests Of this city init
mately. First and foremost in the
minds of many, is the character and
trend OF legislation with regard to the
dispensary. The fundamental princi-
pies Of the dispensary law, OF course,
are practically fixed and unalterable
integral portions Of our institutions.
That is to say, Mr.. Tillman, Governor,
United States Senator and member Ul
| the Constitutional Convention, clinch-
| ed his views oD the subject by concen-
trating and segregating them in q
brief clause Of the now constitution,
from which there is no appeal except
by the two-thirds vote necessary for
changing or amending the constitu-
tion. Wide latitude is loft to the
General Assembly for legislating on
the subject: it can enact prohibition,
or grant licenses to individuals, or
adopt practically any system which
commends itself to the judgment Of the
body for the conduct and control Of the
| traffic, with the specified exceptions,
| that nothing less than q half pint can
be sold that it cannot be sold between
sundown and sunrise, and that it can
not be drunk on the premises whore
sold.
This leaves tho Legislature at lib
erty to deal with peculiar conditions
as it may find them, such as exist in
seems to be no doubt that the present
system, in spite Of tho many defects
that attach to novelty, has generally
gained the approval Of the people OF
the State. 1t has diminished drunken
ness and has been of invaluable benefit,
it is claimed in tho agricultural dis
tricts, and these would, in consequence,
be 10th to part with it. In Charleston,
too, it may be said, that the destruc-
ton Of the social feature Of meeting
and drinking in perfect freedom at the
bar, has been of inestmable benefit,
from q moral standpoint, and many Of
zsns arc free TO confess this. 1t is true
that "blind tigers" exist, in spite of
the metropolitan or any other police
system, but they are forced to deal out
their wares by stealth, and this is
practically death to the business
among 50 proudspirited and open
handed people as Charleston is pro-
verbally populated with, to whom
such thing as drinking behind doors
and in stealth is intolerablo. But
neither will they patronize the dis
pensaries, for to do SO compels them to
go into place more thar apt to be
crowded, to stand in line with all sorts,
coors and conditions OF men and, If
the law is carried out, to write down
their names, ages, and other particu-
lars. The consequence of all this is
that the best and largest class of the
Charleston trade, In 80 far as figures
go, is freely supplied, under Judge
Simonton's decision, with goods order
cd in bulk from nearby cities and our
! local merchants OF repute who used to
,njoy this trade are forced to stand by
and sec the rival cities OF other States
carry OFF their most lucrative business,
and frequently other business with it.
All Charleston would be glad, there
fore, If political animostties could be
subordinated for a sufficient length Of
timc, to welcome modification OF the
dispcnsary law with regard to her
which would license her merchants to
! conduct lcgitimately the traffic, sub
ject to the constitutional restrictions