The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-05-19
THE STATE DISPENSARY.
Mr.. LARRY CAN'T WANTS IT lNVES-
TIGATED.

TlGATED.
.sLet the Light Shine and Brand Every
Ore Who Cannot Stand Its FuIlest CLARE
Says the spartapburg Editor.
The following article appeared in
the Headlight as leading article last
week:
For The past ten days the air has
been full of rumors about the manage
ment of the State Dispensary, and we
are glad that hood of light is being
turned upon that institution. 1t is
lust what should have been done dur
ing the last session of the Legislature.
and which the Headlight demanded
and insisted Oh. This investigation
started over a trunk seized by some
Charleston constables, and which was
eutted of the goods it contained. 1t
seems that certain officials connected
with the dispensary used those artl'
cles. and that Mr.. Seth w. Scruggs
took some of the cigars and divided
them between two of the members OF
the State Board, telling them where
they came from. Now. while no in
tent was made to steal those goods, as
it is said to have long been q custom
with dispensary officials to thus use
articles seized by constables and turn
ed in, it is reprehensible, and demands
severe rebuke. 1t was right to inves
tigate that trunk business, for the ex.
pose will doubtless have the effect OF
checking such methods. These 9th
GERS are paid good salaries for their
services. and they she uld be content
with their pay and not appropriate
other goods. =.
But that trunk matter is small af.
fair compared with other charges
against the management of the State
Dispensary, and we shall call atten-
ton to q few reports that have reach
ed our ears and demand full inves
tieation:
1t has been frequently charged, and
We believe that a rigid investigation
of tie books will bear out the state
ment. that during the Traxler regime
not one dollar was turned in the State
Treasury in the way of rebates. The
past year some $41, 900 were collected
in. rebates. and the present year we
learn they will amount to $4,000 or
more.
Now, we demand to know, and the
people also demand to know, why
were not those rebates collected, and
if collected what has become OF the
money! If officers connected with the
dispensary appropriated this large sum
to their own use, then they should be
prosecuted and sent to the penitentia-
nv. On the other hard, if the rebates
were not demanded from the liquor
dealers, then it shows criminal care
lessness on the part of those public
officers whose duty it was to look at
ter them. In managing the public
business man should bring to bear
the same sagacity and care as if it
was his own affair. During the period
that Commissioner Traxler was in
charge of the State Dispensary there
must have been at least $100, 600 lost
to the State and its people in rebates
alone. Why were they not collectedl
and if collected what has become OF
the money! Who got it2 This matter
of rebates involves more than all the
blind tiger liquor and other property
seized in our State since the dispensa-
ry law went into force; and yet while
we hear a great hue and cry raised
about q few boxes of cheap cigars and
cans of peaches. death like stiffness
prevails touching the matter OF re-
bates. There is no use stopping the
spiggot and opening the bug-hole.
And a matter equally as serious is
the high price paid for cheap liquors
by Traxler-compared with what the
same goods are now bought for. We
are informed-and an inspection OF
the books will show whether or not it
is true-that the present board is buy.
ing x. Xxx and Xxx rye whiskey at
from $500 to 81, 100 a car load less than
Commissioner Traxler paid for the
Identical class of goods and bought
from the same houses. The business
of the State Dispensary amounts to
about one million of dollars a year,
ard frequently ten car loads or more
are bought at one time. Now, don't
you see what a leak there is that has
been stopped2 There is no telling how
much money the State lost during
those years OF over-charges. This is
another matter that should be investi
pated to the bottom, and then let ex
Commissioner Traxler explain why he
felt called upon to pay such high
price. II we are not mistaken, whis'
key is not any cheaper now than when
Mr.. Traxler was paying those enor'
nous prices. 1t will be easy to arrive
at the facts, for every purchase is re-
corded and the price paid given on the
books.
Taking the rebates and that over
charge for whiskey the taxpayers oi
South Carolina must have lost some
thing like quarter of a million dol
lars during Commissioner Traxler's
administration. Here is something to
be investigated, and it should take pre-
cedence over those cigars and peaches
And another thing that should be
locked into: Is a well known fact thai
the corn wbiskey sold to the country
people by the dispensary-and they
are the principal patrons Of the bust
ness-is only too often as vile decoc
tion as ever passed down the throat ot
man. Ard not only this, but two
prices are charged for these mean Ii
quors. The consequence is that man
will not buy dispepsary corn if he car
find blind tiger moonshine whiskey,
But we can perhaps explain this