The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-01-10

Comptroller Gcneral, the State Treas
urer and the State superintendent Oh
Education, with such powers and duties
as in your wisdom you may think
proper to confer upon them. | DO not
deem it wise to put the Governor or tho
ATTORNEY General on this advisory
board. You might add to this board
the chairman of the Finance Commit
tee of the Senate and the Chairman OF
the WAYS and Means Committee OF the
House. 1t would not be necessary for
this board to meet moro than four times
a wear and at each meeting competitive
sealed bids could be submitted and these
bids opened in the presence of the Com
missioner and such purchases made as
would be needed to supply the demand.
The State Treasurer is the custodian OF
the funds, the Comptroller General dis
tributes the school part of the fund
arising from the dispensary. and the
State Superintendent OF Education IS
the head Of the educational department
whic b is the beneficiary Of the fund.
These officers are elected by the people
and have to give account to them Tor
the manner in which they discharge
their duties and are always men of abil-
ity and character. :.
In place of the County Boards would
suggest that the County pervisor, the
County Auditor, and the Mayor ofzthe
County seat town, If q dispensary be loz;
Gated there, if not the mayor or intend
ant of some town in the County in
which there is dispensary constitute
the County Board, and that theyserye
without extra compensation. hey too
are elected by the people and would,
have to give account of their steward
ship to the, people. I would also Esng-i
gest that the county dispensers sbe5
elected by the people as other county
officers are elected and for q term oI
| two years. - IS,
These changes are suggested lot only
because in my Judgment theywqal alds I'm
prove the administration OF the5HYs but
on the ground of economy fegret
that have.not the figures for sfhe last
fiscal year. They could not be obtained
on account of the assembling OF the
| LEGISLATURE coming so near8o the close
of the fiscal year. The 6gtfes, how
| ever, will not be materially different
from those OF the fiscal year 1893, $50
| far asthe County Boards areoonce cerned
but the cost Of the State Board will un-
| doubtedly be very much increased: lq'
| this wear the total cost of the County
| Boards was SO, ,724 90. For tbesSaMa
wear the cost of the State B9ardsQf
Control was 81. 800 OIL, which
total of $l4,144.2l as the cosEHf %
State and County Boards OF Coin
which by their abolftionlsRQ
turned into the pf6fts of the 4
sary. 80 { ;lsss
| would also suggest thasthsslaw be
so amended as to bring violations with
in the jurisdiction of the gistrates,
so that all cases might bepromptly and
summarily adjudicated. Much OF the
expense OF the constabulary arises from
having to attend circuit.courtsa as wit
nesses and prosecutors against blind
S. after came into Office Ireduced
the constabulary force nearly one-halt
and endeavored as far as I knew and
could secure information to select men
of character and discretion to perform
the duties of State Constables. AS public
sentiment grows in favor of the law and
MAGISTRATES and their conStables, a.
other officers realize that it is as muc..
their duty to enforce this as any other
law, am satisfied that the force can be
still further reduced and finally entirely
abolished.
During the past year I issued circu.
lar letter to all the magistrates and
sheriffs of the State and the mayors and
intendents of the Incorporated cities and
towns, calling their attention to the
fact that the Dispensary Law was as
much law of the State as any other
law and also directing their attention
to their duty to enforce It just as 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-
sponses were numerous and@nnanimous
in expressions OF hearty cooperation.
Some of them were frank enough to say
that they had been and were opposed to
the Dispensary Law but manly enough
to acknowledge it as law of the State
aud to pledge their support and co-ope'
ration in its proper enforcement. l am
satisfied that this circular has resulted
in good and that in many Of the cities
and towns the local authorities are do
ing what they can to apprehend viola
tors and that there are fewer violations
of the Dispensary Law than of many
other laws on the statute books.
4 Mr.. w. w. Harris, who is clerk and
is in charge OF this department under
my direction, in his report to me says
"There is less complaint OF the illicit
traffic in liquor coming to this Office
from throughout the State than ever
before during the five yeal5 l have
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 ex-
ception of the city of Charleston and
two or three of the counties in the
northwest portion OF the State, and it
is probable that even in those sections
there has been improvement" [ SUBJ
NIT herewith a table showing the COM
parativc cost and the work done by the
reduced number of constables for the
last six months of 1899 and the CORE
spording six months of 1898. 1t will
be seen that so far as the work done
the number of seizures is about the
same, while there has been saving
for the six months of 1890 over the same
six months of 1893 of sS,23S.9O in this
one item.
II .so.uzsos 10 4oq,unN Eas2gg g
SEiEE@SS 2
'HIuInQpls SEGSS u
II -uo0 10 lsoo leloL %SGS ~
II g .ssIup,suoo l,ounS 5ssass i