The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-01-18

! iooFioS Su0 uiopSooot 10" ~ 1Oi' Poo-
session of the field, | dld not think
there was any excuse for the contipu.
ance of the policy upheld by the State
board for believed the former Law,
and | believe the present iaw. should
be administered as temperance meas.
ure with no regard whatever to the
matter Of profit or to anything other
than to teach the people to use whiskey
without abusing it, aud to mioimise,
as far as possible, the evils iusepara.
bly, connected with it's traffic aud use.
Moreover, under the present system.
the State commissioner is mere figure
head, without power and almost with
out duties. The State board Of control
have absorted nearly all of his fanc.
tions.
submit what seems to me to be the
best plan of organization: The details
of the business should be turned over
to the State commissioners while the
board of control should have authority
to purchase liquor and to exercise gener-
al supervision over the whole system.
The board of control should be apoin.ed
BY the governor, With the advice and
consent of the senate, and the consta
bles should be appointed BY the board
of control and state commissioner II
objection is made it may be pointed ous
that the regents of the Hospi.a! for the
Insane are appointed by the governor,
and the management Of the institution
is excellent. Note, also, the members
of the present board Of control are not
even required to give bond for the faith.
ful performruce of duty, yet they have
absolute control of an institution doing
annually 8 million and half dollar
business.
The county boards Of control should
be abolished and tao or three inspectors
sh0dld be appointed to look after the
dispensers books aud the breakage This
would be much more economical
method shaa the one nov pursued
This system Of organization, together
With the supervision of the grand
juries. would reduce peculation and
embezzlement to the smallest amount
possible. The State commissioners
might be either appointed by the State
board or elected BY the general assem-
bly,. We have both systems now in
force in the State The superintendent
of the Hospital for the Insane. aho is
giving perfect satisfaction, is appointed;
the superintendent of she penisensiary.
an equally efficient officer, is elected by
the general assembly. But there should
be vested somewhere the power by
which both State commissioner and
county dispensers might be suspended,
and, if necessary, be removed for
cause.
81 suggest. also, what seems to me
needed Improvement, aud that is a
change iu the manner of purchasing
liquors. Whiskey is as much staple
article as corn or -four, though it varies
iu quality and price, according to age
and the methods Of distillasion aDd
manipulation. The large bulk of
liquor consumed by the people is OBJ
sa,nab!e in absolutely pure form and
of good quality without the necessity
of recourse to chemical analysis, for it
can be bought directly from government
warehouses without passing through the
bands Of manipulators, who are almost
sure to sdulserate it for the sake of
profit. / think that the law should
provide that purchases should be made,
under annual contracts, with parties
who would agree Co furnish liquors from
the bonded warehouses of the United
States, of the required age and strength
upon the most reasonable terms These
contracts should be let 10 such way as
TO preclude all possibility of collusion
or fraud. II blended or recsifed whis-
keys are bought, as Is now the case,
there is absolutely DO safe test BY which
adulteration can be shown, unless the
liquor is 80 bad as not to be 6t to driok.
These remarks apply to the x and Xxx
whiskeys. or liquors of the first quality,
euumerating from the lowest to the
highest, as has been the rule in the
State. [ do not believe it is reputable.
in the States business, that there
should be swarm of whiskey drum
mers meeting at Columbia once month
to sell the required supply 10 dribless.
Arrangements should be made under
contract for the purchase, as | have
indicated, aud the orders for additional
supplies would 60 forward with as
much assurance of being honestly filled
as if salt or bacon we're bought. The
special brands and wines required could
be purch ased in the same way, and as
these constitute only small part Of
the business, DO change need be made