Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-01-14

or powers, we are free to
address ourselves to perfecting and i'm
proving the system. The large vote
received by the Prohibition candidate
for governor in the second primary OF
the late election cannot be considered
entirely an endorsement of Prohibi-
ton, for there is excellent reason to
conclude that the Prohibition candid
ate polled the full Prohibition vote in
the first primary, while in the second
he polled the vote of the majority OF
the antagonists of the dispensary sys-
TEN, from whatever cause that antag-
onism arose, and, in addition, the
strength of all the "soreheads" and
disgruntled Office seekers and politi-
clans of both factions. The election
in Charleston is a striking evidence OF
this. 1t will hardly be disputed that,
if the people of Charleston want Pro-
hibition, as their votes would seem to
show, it is because they feel sure that
under that system there will be practi,
cally no restraint on the sale of whisky
Turning now to the practical con-
sideration of the dispensary, do not
think whisky should be sold in any
county where majority of the people
favor Prohibition. I, therefore, recon,
mend the submission of the liquor
question to the qualified electors oil
each county; that each, county may
vote as it prefers. Any county, how
ever, that votes for Prohibition, should
be made to bear all expenses of enfor'
cling the probibitory law; and such
county should not receive any of the
profits from the dispensary. Under
the constitution, the profits accruing
from the sale of liquor 60 to the sup.
port of our free schools. Now, the
county of Marlboro, which never had
dispensary, and which is now under
the most rigid form of Prohibition,
with no possibility of legal liquor
traffic within its borders, receives its
proportionate share of dispensary
profits, while at the same time the
state is charged with maintaining con-
stables in that county to enforce the
law and prevent the sale of liquor. /
submit that this is unfair to the other
counties. The same thing obtains in
the county of York, where the only
dispensary, the one at Tirzah, has been
discontinued, leaving the county with
out any place where liquor can be
legally bought. You will call to mind
that these two counties are close Ia
the North Carolina boundary, and it is
we'll known that there Is large influx
of whisky from distilleries across the
line, by wagons and other convey
ances.
Of course, these counties may have
liquor imported for personal use with
out restriction; but it cannot be sold in
them legally. I believe it is but right
and just for those counties which have
prohibition, or may hereafter adopt II
as a means of controlling the liquor
traffic, to be taxed to enforce the law
nor should they receive any part o.
the profits arising from the sale oi
liquor in the other counties, to add tc
their school funds. If the county of
fcers, magistrates and sheritfs, enforce
the law, we'll and good-there will be
no need for constables; but if they dc
not, the governor should be given au
thority, upon petition setting forth
such violation, to appoint constables
and to require a levy in such counties
sufficient for their maintenance.
Now let US consider the matters con-
cerning the administration of the law
other than those mentioned as dealing
with its violations. When the dispen.
sary system was first inaugurated, the
state board was composed of the gov.
ernor, the comptroller general and the
attorney general, ex officio, and in
these was vested the power to appoint
the state commissioner and the county
board of control, and to exercise gen
eral supervision over the workings oI
the dispensary. in the whole state
After the retirement of Governor Till,
man, in the middle of Governor Evans
term, the legislature changed this
provision, and created new state
board of control, consisting of five
members, to be elected by itself. The
governor was left without official con-
nection with the dispensary, except
the right to appoint and control the
constables. This system has now been
in force three years, and, in. my opin'
ion, it has failed to accomplish the
purposes of its advocates. The idea
was to divorce the dispensary system
from politics and to put it under d
strictly business management. No
such result has followed. 1t is noto'
rious that the dispensary is as much
or more in politics than it ever was
As governor, 1 have had little or nc
authority in connection with the ad'
mlnistration of the law, and no power
of restraint or direction over it; and
vet l have been held responsible by
the people at large, and by my enemies
in particular, for the mistakes and
shortcomings of its management. Re-
sponsibility without authority is a most
unpleasant and unjust burden and
while do not seek additional respon'
sibilities in connection with the dispen'
sary, submit that justice and fairness
make it necessary either to relieve the
governor absolutely of all connection
with this institution, or else give him
some potential voice and influence in
its affairs.
The legislature itself, last session, by
a particularly unanimous resolution
deprecated and almost forbade the
granting of beer and hotel privileges
but the state board of control paid nc
nF