The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-01-18

II Will hc remembered that. IT the
,n,t -r>-,un "f the ri>laturc The
litir.iinn instituted IN ,hc | nitcd
~rnur, t'lrcnir court by Nandrrcnnk
BAD reached the supreme Court Of the
! n,tcd states, on appeal from Judge
Sim"nt"m decision For almost a
scar here had been absolutely paraly-
- "t the dI>pcnsary law 50 far as H.,
punitive features we're concerned. aud
the c"i-tahc. had all been discharg
, ci Tue di>pcn>ar'cs had been forced
I" ii&It free whI>hcy, on terms OF
ab>ulutc equality: yet 1trangr o say,
the t" ght il successfully. for while
the profits we're reduced by this Law
less c"nr"titi"n, there was still
rn""rh ll-lnc,, |" make the di-rcr
sry = If >nrp"rIing aud l-avc Il small
marr'" If I""tit In May last, the
Supreme Curt at Washington handed
d'"n rs drct-irn. Sustaining the cun-
>tituti"naiity "f the dispcn-ury law IN
all It's features, with the limitation
( only a> I" inp"rta,iou for personal
I USE. The l"ng and hntly contested
question "i legal status Of the disprn-
sary was removed The original
r,ckhrc dealers at once closed their
'h"p,, aud shipped their liquors out
"t the State. with my pcrmi-sion |
dIi not deem it wise or right 70 take
advantage Of them. as they had been
do,ng business under the sanction Of
the Federal judiciary. The conStabu-
l'ry VS., rcurgan,zcd and put TO w"rk.
aud from that time 10 this the force
a> been Kept busy trying to destroy
the unlawful traffic which has gained
f"thold in the State under the pro.
tccti"n Of Judge Smonton decision.
| desire in this connection 10 recall
I" your attcntiun the fact that, in
lS?l. the State Supreme Court, by
declaring the di>pcusary law uncon-
stltutl"nal, gave the illicit liquor
dealers encouragement, aud a. Il result
there wa, widespread decentralization,
with liiuor selling prevalent almost
cvcrywhcTc, even in the country, not
withstaudin. the law prohibited its
sale absolutely. After that decision
had been reversed aud the dispcnsa-
ries rc"pcncd, and more or less rigid
enforcement Of the law for two years
had cxtirratcd in large measure the
illegal traffic, came the Interference Of
the Federal Go .rts and the imprison-
ncut Uf the cOnstablcs for contempt.
This interference gave encouragement
TO large number Of illicit dealers and
induced them &c continue ia the b,;si=
ness. and when the paralyzing dccis.
ION III the andcIcuuk case came there
was Il phenomenal increase in the
number ct illicit dealers engaged in
this traffic in South Carolina. This is
shown by the number Of the United
States revenue licenses issued In
the fiscal year ending June :l0th,
lS!}I. the number Of retail revenue
licenses, or permits to sell liquor, we're
322: in the year ending June 3Oth,
lS!)S, there were 623. In other words,
the present unsatisfactory condition.
aud do not hesitate to say that it is
unsatisfactory, notwithstanding the
final triumph in the Courts-is owing,
IN large measure, to the interference
of the Federal Judge, with the conse-
qucnt encouragement to all who saw
flt to engage in the sale of liquor,
nothing more being required than to
pay the United States revenue license.
IL has taken months of laborious and
strenuous effert to restore the condi-
tions of tolerably successful working
of the dispeusary law which prevailed
at the time when the Vandcrcook de-
cision was rendered The friends Of
the dispcnsary and those who have
too readily turned their backs on it
should bear all this in mind and still
evidence hope and patience.
The decentralization produced by the
various causes mentioned can be
readily overcome in time, aud the law
will work more successfully and be
ob"yed more willingly as time goes by.
Our efforts should be especially direct
ed to pcrfecting the system in its ad-
ministrativc features.
There are great many people who
will never be friendly to the dispen-
sary system, or to any like regulation.
Many men are opposed to it on princi
pie, some as extreme prohibitionists,
and some as extreme advocates Of
liquor traffic. These two widely scpa-
rated camp- meet on common ground
in their hostility to the dispcnsary;
others are Influenced by political CON
sidcraticns, and even by past political