The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1902-02-07
SOUTH CAROLINA LIQUOR Law.
The state DisPsnsary system Compared
With Prohibition in Knnsas and
License Laws OF Other States.


In the current number Of Frank Les
lies Monthly Senator Tillmau. OF South
Carolina has paper concerning the dis
pensary law Of that state, in which he
compares It with the license laws and
prohibition laws Of other states. 1t is
shown that in prohibition Kansas, with
a population very nearly that of South
Carolina, there are 2,T27 gOvernmsnt lie
enses for retailing liquor, or one to 595 Of /
population In Maine, with about half /
Of South Cardinals population, there are
1,191 licenses, or one to $50 Of popula-
ton In South Carolina there are 446 |
lieeEses, or one to 1905 persons. Gov
eminent licenses are not authority to
sell liquor. They are merely evidence /
that the retailers tax has been paid.
But, Of course, it is legitimate inference
that the possession Of such license means
its use. Senator Tillman remarks that
he thinks it is anomalous that the gov
eminent should issue licenses In states
where the sale Of liquor is prohibited by
state law. OF the 446 persons who have
/
Carolina, only q are authorized dispen-
sers under the state law. The other 352
are illicit dealers, a majority Of whom
are in the one city Of Charleston.
The dispensary system of South Car
DINA restricts the right of manufacture
or sale of liquor to the state, which,
through board of directors, purchases
/ the liquor under competitive bids. The
liquor is analysed by the state chemist
/ 70 see that it is pure. There is a cen
trail depot at Columbia, where the liquor
/ is bottled. The largest quantity put up
is four gallons and the smallest a half
pint. The bulk is in pints and quarts
Everything is kept in stock for which
there is demand, and all the liquors are
labeled South Carolina Dispensary.'
There are "a dispensers appointed by
county boards of control, and they must
be men not addicted 10 the use Of liquor
as a beverage. Counties have local Op-
ton and there are two that have no dis
pensaries, but it is noted that in these
] 'dry" counties there is as much drunk
In the dispensaries the price list is
conspicuously posted. The place OF sale
is a plain room with a counter. The
purchaser must ill out a slip giving his
age and residence, and this is kept on
Tile, the purpose being to account for
every drop Of liquor that the dispensary
handles. When the purchaser gets his
pacakge he must leave the dispensary
without opening it. No one is allowed
to drink on the premises. There is nc
credit systeu. The profit of the dis
pensary goes half 70 the county, the
other half to the town, the state getting
its profits on the prices charged to the
local dispenser. The net profits Of state
county and town for IL months ending
with December, 1900, were s523,342. The
states profits go to the common school
fund
Senator Tillman sums up what he
thinks are the advantages of the system
-IO That liquor is the only article Of
commerce in general use that is con.
sumed at the time and place of its pur.
chase. 1t is safe to say. he thinks, that
three fOurths Of the liquor is thus con
sumed- The dispensary law viii allow
nothing Of this. A purchaser after buy
ing must go elsewhere to consume it
% The element of personal profit, which
is at the root Of the saloon evil, is de-
stroyed by the dispenssry system, as the
dispensers receive salaries and have nc
interest in fostering the trade. 81 Treat
ing is destroyed, which (the senator
thinks) is a great help toward sObriety
10 The dispensary is open only from
eight o'clock 10 the morning to shutdown
The testimony Of unbiased judges is
that in South Carolina drunkenness has
been reduced 90 per cent to 70 per cent
since the dispeusary system went into
effect The law, Senator Tillman says
has been subjected to q series Of bitter
contests, but it has always triumPhed
and he thinks it is safe to say that it is q
! fixture IN South Carolina.