The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-07-23
THE DISPENSARY.
What Spartanburg Man Says about
It's Management.
THE DIRECTORS DEFENDED.
InsinuationS VIII Not hc Regarded
as Proof. To Destroy the Dis
penSary Proof Must be
Forthcoming.
Forthcoming.
EdIts,r Columbia Record:

IefSOQicaIiN. Ike uUIp IlI Gli4tI .cp!-
denies, certain newspapers iii South
Carolina make SpaSmOdic attacks upon
the diSpenSary management. and
charge all manner Of high crimes and
misdemeanorS against the officials re-
SponSible for its conduct. From the
first establishment of the GiSpcrSary
system in our state: cannot call to
mind single administration but has
been besmirched. We all remember
how the charge Of accepting rebates
was made against Governor Tillman,
and after his retirement Governor
Evans, but his successors, all received
their baptism Of denunciation and
abuse. 1t matters not how SpotlcSS a
mans character might have been
among his neignborS, and vino knew
him from boyhoOd. just as soon as he
accepts a position N any manner con-
nected with the GiSpensary crusade
OF villiication is started against him
and his character is painted as black as
night, and if the public needed those
reports, the people would believe that
the only thing necessary to turn saint
into sinner or steep an honest man
in corruption. is to make him mem
Der Of the state board. For about Il
year past the public has had season
Of rest on the subject OF dispensary
corruption. l see that a new crusade
has recently been started against GER
tain members of the state board. aud
the character of these gentlemen IS
being bedaubed and bespattered with
printers ink. If a member Of that
board is known to buy milk COW, don
a clean collar, nail few fresh picketS
,on his front fence, or is seen with a
five dollar bill in pocket, the cry is
raised that he has sold out to the IL
.Quor dealers and is reeking with cor
ruption.
Now, Mr.. Editor, know person
ally, nothing whatever of the diSpen-
Sary management. But 1t really
seems to me that if, for more than
ten long years, our state oiSpenSary
management has been veritable ces-
pool of corruption-A twentieth cen
tury Augean Stable-that some con-
elusive and convincing proof OF the
fact would have been adduced ere this,
sufficient, at least, to conyince the
reasoning and intelligent people Of
South Carolina that those charges OF
corruption were founded upon tangible
evidence, and not on vague SurmiSeS.
hatred and personal antagoniSm to the
diSpenSary system. | have never as
yet seen a particle Of evidence brought
against any gentleman connected with
the 6iSpenSary upon which a jury
9ould convict a free niger, but the
only and favored weapons Of their as
:sailantS are inuendoes and surmiSes.
Now, let US reason this thing, and
see if the overwhelming preponder-
ence Of testimony, so far form con-
yicting our diSpensary officials Of
bribery and corruption, proves them
to be faithful, vigilant and truSty
public servants, who have rendered
valuable services to the state.
notice that every month old liquor
houses are being dropped by the board
and purchases made from new firms.
Often. after spending thousands Of
dollars with firm, it is entirely drop
ped from the list by the board. Now,
yon know there is nothing more jeal-
Gus than rival business houses, and
when one firm finds itself Supplanted
by another, is it not rational and rea-
sOnable to suppose that. had the rep
resentatiye of said house used upon
members of the state board corrupt
methods to secure patronage, it would
haze such knowledge as a lever to re-
sain the business? 1t really seems
that aa1ong the hundreds Of whlskey
dealers Eho have given brides" to
those dispeosary officials, one, at least,
through spirit of resentment, would
have turned states evidence and ex-
posed the whole business.
There is an old adage that Proof
81 The pudding is chewing the bag"
It seems to me'that as a conclusive
and cs;nching answer to these charges
:againstOur diSpensary officials it is only
necessary to refer to the magnificent
record made by those otficerS-how the
profits from the diSpenSary have in
creased each quarter, until they to-day
car exceed even the most sanguine
prophecies OF its friends. Again.
South Carolina is now buying its
liquors cheaper than any dealer or in
stitutioa in the United States. as l
am informed by a man who knows
what be is talking about. DistillerS,
in order to secure our states patron
age. are selling their goods at the
slightest shade Of a profit, and often
at cost of production, in order to turn
their surplus stock into ready cash.
In truth and in fact, our present state
board. in spite Of these published
charges of corruption. paySa less price
for the same grades OF liquor, with d
government tax of Sl.l0 per gallon
shan the state paid when the Iquol
tax was only 80 cents. And neither
does this prove that the former diS-
penSary management was corrupt
but simply that the present dispensary
management is learning how anc
where to buy to advantage, and thai
ehey are the right men in the right
place.
Now. were the members Of our state
Soard 50 very venal and corrupt. coult
its members not have c0nSpired viii
a few leading houses and kept up those
old prices, and thus themselves pocket
the thousands of dollars they are no"
saving the state and adding to ou'
rhool fund?
The people are reasonable and just
and Judge a public servant by III
works, and will never condemn hin
upon the unsupported calumnies o
his enemies; and from the splendlt
record made by the present member
of our state diSpensary board, Ih'
L. y. - fN