The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-01-19
GOVERNOR EVANS ON THE DISPENSARy.
HIS FINAL MESSAGE TO THE
LEGISLaTURE.

The Main Part of the Message is
Devoted to a Discussion of the Dis
pensary Law--He is in Favor OF
Aggressive Enforcement o. all its
Provisions.
The following is portion of Cover
nor Evans message relating to the
Dispensary.
Two years ago l was elected Gov
ernor to succeed q leader of q revolu-
tion who, to use his own language,
was the worst hated and best loved
mar" "who has ever entered the poll
tics of our State. The policy that
should pursue was already formed by
the people and the only issue made
was the enforcement of the dispensary
law, whether it should be aggressive
with a view to destroying the illicit
traffic in liquor or whether it should be
OF milk and cider form as our eue-
mics would have it with the hope of
its final. repeal. My nomination and
election meant the former and | have
endeavored to be true to that policy.
1t would have been an easy matter
for me to have placated my enemies
and the enemies of the Reform move
ment by giving ear to the overtures of
the whiskey element and their allies
in the cities Of the State, and the daily
press. These people who slandered
and vilified the trainers of the dispen-
sary law have continued their stub
born warfare to an extent that would
barely be tolerated by a less conserva-
tive people. They have not been con-
tent to express their contempt of the
law, but have attempted to drag down
by lying and slander every official
connected with the administration Of
the law. Every error in bookkeeping
magnitied into an embezzement.
Every arrest of an illicit dealer in Ii
quor by u constable has been charac-
terized as vilest oppression OF innocent
and law abiding citizens. lfperchance
an offender is killed while resisting
the officers and carrying on his dam
nable traffic, 1t is classed as murder
most foul. These reports are sent out
to the world as truths when as a mat
ter of fact they are brazen falsehoods.
1t is a disgraceful spectacle that South
Carolinians should descend SO low as
to SANDER their own government from
political malice.
The dispensary law is stronger to-
day than at any time since it's enact
ment and is better enforced, as will
appear from the statistics later on. At
the last session of your honorable body
l recommended u change in the law
setting forth my reasons fully at the
time for so doing. | showed to you
how 1T was impossible for the old board
of control composed of State officers
to control and how unjust it was to
force the Governor ana chairman Of
the Goard to approve and sign war
rants about which he had no iuforma-
tion. knew that i any irregularity
occurred the enemies would'4rs once
cry corruption and in their efforts to
make capital against the law would
charge every officer from the chief eX-
ecutive to the cOnstabies with wrong
doing. Such has been the case and
the wisdom OF my advice and your SUBJ
sequent passage OF the present law is
fully proved.
This is the most important matter
with which you will have to deal and
| would respectfully call your atten-
tion to the excellent report of the
board Of control, with the request
that you study it and think we'll before
making any changes in the present
system.
THE DISPENSARY AS a BUSINESS.
Up TO the time Of my induction into
Office as Governor the dispensary had
been in operation about eighteen
months. The Governor was charged
not only with tho enforcement of the
law, but as business manager in the
capacity Of chairman of the board of
control. The business had continually
increased until it reached over q ST.
600, 900 annually. Realizing that as a
business it was tentative and that it
had not been placed upon what could
truly be called business plane, and
that 1T was burdencd with crudiSies of
which it must be divested before it
could reach the expectations of the
public as q moral reformations and a
business success, my first official act
was to give its former management q
thorough investigation in order to
ascertain ts financial status as we'll as
its weak points. | was met by MANY
difficulties, political as we'll as busi-
| ness.
TO commence the business the Cen
eral Assembly of 1892 voted an appro-
prlation of $4,000. For the first eigh-
teen months of its existence the dis
pensary experienced many vicissitudes
and when it was placed in nv hands |
| found it still embarrassed and hardly
| able to stand alone. 1t had not paid q
dollar into the State treasury in net
earnings and the $4,000 appropriation
was still uniiquidated. The statements
of its growth and progress as publish
ed from time to time by tho former
commissioner were unsatisfactory to
the rublic for the reason that the
| system Of bookkeeping was Il Chinese
puzzle and no one could tell exactly
| Ine true status Of the business. This
! TACT gave color to the adverse criticisms
of the administration of the law and
invited the terrific accusations that
were made against those charged with
its management.
The last statement of the assets and
liabilities and proGtswhich the former
commissioner made was for the qu ter
ending January 31st, 1895. In nat
statement the profits claimed to ave
accrued to date amounted to SI5l,-
259.5l. A Bookkeeper of experience
could not cipher this out and claims
were made that the profits were fictl-
tious. L determined to change the
business management and to adopt q
full and satisfactory system of account
ing An expert bookkeeper was en-
ployed and 1t was ascertained that the
profit claimed had not accrued, but
that the accrued profit to that date
was forty odd Thousand dollars less
than the amount. This was simply q
mistake in bookkeeping and in credit
ing to the profit account what had not
accrued, but what was expected to
have accrued in the hands of coun-
w dispensers, After q thorough dis
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