The Portland daily press., 1897-07-22
Anxious to Have Congress En-.
dorse 1t.
ORIGINAL PACKAGES CAUSING
HIM MUCH TROUBLE.
Law Will Be Practically Annulled If Some
Action Is Not Taken-south Carolina
Senator'S Appearance Before House
Committee
ESPECIAL TO THE PREsso1

~ w doAliSUOLy July "a AAO ai1uol IdCo-
ton in South Carolina. is just now at an
acute stage and Senator Tillman and the
other Tillmanites in Congress are waging
an active contest to procure Congressional
legislation in support of the Dispensary
law. In South Carolina all liquor is sold
town or city agency in Maine. 1t is
claimed that this dispensary system,
which is in effect the Norwegian system
has worked well. Senator Tillman says
that 1t has reduced drunkenness and i'm
proved greatly the morals and prosperity
in the state. His opponents say that the
state agents are corrupt, and that the sys-
tenn is q source Of public scandal.
The controversy has assumed new
phase because Of a recent decision of the
United States Circuit court which has
decided in effect that the dispensary law
of South Carolina may not under the
constitution prevent the sale of liquor in
that state in original packages. The
Maine law prohibits the sale Of liquor as
an exercise of police power. This is the
right of any state. But South Carolina
does not regulate it's liquor traffic as q
matter of police power; but rather estab-
fishes state monopoly Of certain
branch of trade. The Circuit court there
fore decides that such state monopoly
may not interfere with the rights of the
citizens of other state to interstate COM
merce.
The Till1nanites want law of Con-
gress to permit their state to maintain
its monopoly, and thus preserve their
dispensary system. Original package
saloons are springing up everywhere; and
Senator Tillman says that the effect will
be very disastrous if Congress does not
act The supporters of the dispensary
law, he says, have had hard fight and
have met many adverse decisions of
courts. He is afraid now that If Congress
does no stop the original package enter
prises, the people of South Carolina will
get discouraged and go back to the IL
cense system.
The anti Tillman leaders want to see
the law go to pieces and therefore do not
want Congress to act.
On Tuesday, Senator Tillman and his
supporters on the one side and Congress
man Elliott of Charleston on the other
side appeared before the House committee
on rules to discuss whether the bill
should be made special in the House. It
was a lively hearing. Although Senator
Tillman did not bring his pitchfork with
him he made a very forcible speech.
He was much in earnest, although
through all his remarks ran good ma
turedness not to be expected from a man
of his newspaper reputation. There was
far less vinegar in his speech than in
that of prominent South Carolina at
torney who was present with Congress-
man Elliott to present the other side.
The centre-of opposition to the dispensary
system seems to be Charleston. "She is
fighting us just as she fought you befor
the war; said Tillman wi tn emphatic
gestures, 'tshe has been trying to seeede
from South Carolina"
The difficulty in considering Tillman's
bill in this session is the broad scope of
the question and the antagonis ms that it
arouses. Many members of the House do
not wish to sanction the principle of state
monopoly of traffic in any article. If
South Carolina may monopolize liquor,
why may not North Carolina monopolize
tobacco, and other states other articlesl
They agree that state may exercise its
police power as Maine does; but they do
not believe in the monopoly power. On
the other hand there is a good deal of
sympathy with Tillman, who seems to
believe thoroughly in the practicability
and success of his method of dealing with
the liquor traffic.
The committee on rules decided that
the question was too important to be
taken up in the closing hours of this ses-
sion and that it would better go over to
the next session.