The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-07-21
ENFORCING THE LAW.
THE STATES POSITION REGARDING
THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC..

-
THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC..
Every Lawful Means Will be Rssorted .
to Suppress the Original Package Estab
lIshments The Dispensary Business.
An original package store in Flor
ence was rsided and the contents con
6scsted Tuesday by the constables
This was the second closure OF the
kind since Judge Simonton's decision
ard indicates q determination on the
part of the State to- close up these
places on the least violation of the law
as laid downsby Judge Simonton. In
this particular case it appears that the
dealer wa closed up on a mere tech
nicality. He was regularly an agent
of a foreign firm, but it appears that
his half plat measures were not hall
pints acc ordipg to the dispensary meai
surement and he was arrested. He,
vas selling in what he called halt
piuts, but because they were not upto
the usual ~dispensary measurement the
dealer was arrested for violating the
law. From this it is een that the
State is going to take advantage OF
every possible loophole and make III
as troublesome as possible to every
original package dealer.
The Governor stated Tuesday that
he would certainly order seized all III
quors found in any place where the
original package had been broken, and
by original package he said he meant
the box or other covering in which,
the bottles came. HI said that he GER
tainly old not intend that liquor
should be brought into the State and
sold unless in original packages and
by that term he means that q certain
quantity in a bottle cannot be taken|
out of a package and sold. In other
words the Governor holds that each
bottle of liquor must be shipped into
the State separately in order to con-
stitute an original package. He goes
further than that and says that ii bot
ties are shipped by the car load pack
ed in saw dust or paper or any other
packing that it must be sold that way
else the original package is broken. lfl
this idea is carried out then the origi.
nal package people ara not going to-
have any picnic and the dispensaryl
will have little serious opposition.
Thus it will be seen that every posi-.
BILE technicality will be taken advan.
tage of by the State in order to up
hold the monopoly OF the business. IL
is even held that the order of Judge
Simonton in the case of Moore is only
a temporary injunction, that being all
that was asked for in the complaint
and that, therefore, the State has an
other chance of having the whole
thing reopened before Judge Simon
ton with the consequent delay which
always attends the settlement OF any,
case. 1t is likely that such point
will be taken advantage OF for ~
woulo be a foolish waste of time and
money, but like a drowning man eva
cry straw is being grabbed at by the
State.
While the original package estab.
lishments are sure to decrease the pro-
fits OF the dispensary, yet the figures
show that the decrease has not been
so serious as yet, and taking them al
a criterion the dispensary officials are
inclined to believe that the business Is
not to be seriously interfered with.
For instancs it is pointed out that the
business has not only not decreased
since the first decision of Judge Sim.
onton. but has actually been greater.
Taking the month of June the show
ing is that for the month in 1897,
7,O34 crates of liquor were shipped out
as against 6,6S5 tor the same month In
1896. being a difference in favor or
the present month of $40 cases..
In the matter of beer the shipments
were 1888 aud 353, a difference in fav-
or of the month for this year OF 20
barrels. Taking the first eleven days
ofthe present month the showing Is q
shipment of 8 COL cases of liquor for
1896, as against 1864 for the same Pc.
riod in 1897, being an increase OF slx-
ty.three cases. For the eleven days OF
the month in 1896 the beer sales were
2O2 barrels as against 218 for the same
time in 1897, an increase of sixteen
barrels.
These figures are taken by the OH.
Gals to be- evidence of the fact that
the original package business is not
going to seriously hurt the dispensary.
Che comparison for the year 1897 is
for a period when the constables were
epjoined, and when in Charleston
particularly, the original package
Stores were in active operation: TAX
ing this as a criterion the officials are
OF the opinion that the dspensary
will be able to held its own. Upon
these figures they base the opinion
that the decision is not going to ma.
terially injure the dispensary. How
ever the evident intention of the State
to take advantage OF every point. no
matter how technical and far reach
ing it may be-, shows that the State
does not welcome the competition and
that it will do all it can to break it up.
CLOSED Up.