Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-01-11

Control. AS an advisory board to the
state Commissioner | would suggest tho
Comptroller General, the State Treas
urcr and tho State Superintendent of
Edncati0n, with such powers and duties
Us in your wisdom you may think
proper TO confer upon them. | do not
deem IL wise " put the Governor or tho
Attorney General on this advisory
board. You might add to this board
tho chairman Of the Finance Commit
tee Of the Senate and the Chairman of
tho Ways nnd Means Committee of the
House. 1T would not DO necessary for
| this board TO meet more thun four times
year and at each meeting competitive
sealed bids could bc submitted and these
bids opened In the presence of tho Com
missioner and such purchases made as
| would be needed to supply the demand
Tho State Treasurer is the custodia of
| the funds, the Comptroller General dis.
tributes the school part OF tho fund
| arising from tho dispcnsary, and tho
State Superintendent of Education is
the head OF tho educational department
which is the beneficiary of tho fund.
| These officers arc elected by the people
| aud have to give account TO them for
the manner in which they discharge
their duties and are always men fabil-
| ity and character.
In place Of tho County Boards would
| suggest that the County Supervisor, the
| County Auditor, and the Mayor of the
| County seat town, if q dispcns;lry be To-
Gated there, if not the mayor or intend
ant of some town in tho County in
which there is IL dispcnsury, constitute
| the County Board, and that thry servo
without extra compensation. They too
are elected by the people and would
IN n lri ~ n nf hot ,,l
ship TO the people. | would also sug-
gest that the county dispensers be
elected by the people rs other county
officers arc elected and for Il term of
| two years.
| These changes arc suggested not only
because in my Judgment they would i'm
prove the administration of The law, but
on the ground Of economy. regret
| that have not the figures for the last
fiscal year. They could not he obtained
on account Of the assembling of the
! lcgisl laturc coming so ncar to the close
Of the fiscal year. Tho figures, how
ever, will not he materially different
| from those OF the fiscal year 1898, so
faras the County Boards are concerned, :,
| but the cost OF the State Board will un-
| doubtcdly be very much increased. In
| this y"ar the total cost Of the County
| Boards was 50, T24 20. For the same
| year the cost OF the State Board Of
Control was 81 .3900l, which makes Il
total OF $l4, ,lI4.2l as the cost of the
State and County Boards OF Control and
which by their abolition would be
! turned into the profits Of the dispcn-
| Sary.
| would also suggest that tho law be
so amended rs to bring violations with
| in the jurisdiction Of the magistrates,
| In hnt Ill h, 4 | Il
| summarily ndjudicutcd Much of the
| expense Of the constnbulary arises from
| having to attend circuit courts as Wit
| ncSscs and prosecutors against blind
| tigers.
Soon after | came into Office reduced
the cOnstnbulary force nearly onp-hulf
| and cndcavorGd as far as [ knew and
could secure Information to select men
OF character and discretion to perform
thcdutics OF State COnstablcs AS public
sentiment grows i favor Of the law and
magistrates and their cOnstublcs, and
other officers realize that if is as much
their duty to enforce this DIS any other
| law, | am satisfied that the force can bc
| still further reduced and finally entirely
abolished.
During the past year | issued Il circu-
lar letter to all the magistrates and
| sherltfS OF the State and the mayors and
| lntcndcnts of the incorporated cities and
towns, calling their attention to the
fact that the Dispcnsary Law was /;
much a law OF the State rs any other
law and also directing their attention
to their duty to enforce it just rs they
would the statute against larceny or
any other crime, and asking their aid
and cooperation in the wise and hu-
| name execution OF all laws. The re-
! sponScs were numerous and unanimous
in expressions OF hearty cO.Upuratioa
| Some OF them were frank enough to say
that they had been and were opposed to
the Dispensury Law but manly enough
| 10 acknowledge it us IL law of the State
and to pledge their support and cO-OpG-
ration IN its proper enforcement. | am
| statistic cd tina: this circular has resulted
| In good and that in many OF the cities
| ana towns the local authorities are do
ing What they can to apprehcnd viola,
| tors and that there are fewer violations
Of The Dspensary Law than Of many
other laws on the statute books.
| Mr. w. w. Harris, who is clerk and
Is IN charge OF this department under
my direction, in his report to me says:
'Thcrc is less complaint OF the Illicit
| tralNc IN liquor coming to this Office
| from throughout the State than ever
|
been connected with this department
and It Is very evident that there is less
| violation Of the Dispensary Law over
the entire State, with the possible cx-
| ccption OF the city Of Charleston and
| two or three Of the counties IL the
northwest portion OF t." State, and it
| Is probable that even in those sections
| there has been Improvement" | sub
mt herewith Il table showing the com
| parallvc cost and the work done by the
reduced number Of cOnstabcs for the
last six months OF 1880 and the cOrrr-
spreading six iuoi,ths Of 1888. 1t will
| hr seen that 20 far as the work done
the number Of seizures il about The
same, while there has been saving
Tor the nix months Of 1899 over the same
SIX months Of 1895 Of $S, 223S. 80 in this
one item.
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