Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-08-08
LOCAL OPTION IN so. CAROLINA.
Senator Tman Compares the Dpensay System with License
and Prohibition.

The crusade of Mrs. Nation against saloons /
in Kansas run in more or less open violation
of law, has attracted good deal of attention
during the last year to the subject of whskey
legislation. After Mrs. Nation was thrown
into prison her new method of fighting
whiskey by "hatchetation" appears to have
fallen into disuse, and her appearance in Chi
cago, New York and other cities has been as
lecturer who merely welded the Ratchet on
the platform and not in smashing bar fixtures,
giving the impression that she was still fired
with holy zeal to wipe out the liquor traffic,
but merely used the Ratchet as an advertise
ment. The agitation against saloons in Kan
sas is a striking proof of the failure of prohi-
bition in that state, where the sale of whiskey,
except for "medicinal pharmaceutical and
sacramento purposes" is strictly forbidden;
and it will be profitable, perhaps, to the read
ers of Leslie's Monthly to learn just what has
been done and is now being done in South
Carolina in behalf of temperance by the dis
pensary law.
In Maine prohibition has been the rule for
over fifty years. 1t was adopted in Kansas
some fifteen years or more ago and therefore
in the two states has had the fullest and fair
est trial. The South Carolina experiment of
selling under state control went into effect in
July, 1893, and we can therefore very prop
erly make comparison of the results in the
three states. Here is table compiled from
the last report of the commissioner of internal
revenue and the census of 1000:
No. re-
Pop'tion No. of tailers per
in 1900. Licenses. Capita.
Kansas. ....... I,47o,495 2727 to sos
Maine. 694,45o II9I to 5S5
South Carolina. I,54o,SIo $40 to 5oo5
The permit to sell, issued by the United
States internal revenue department, is not a
"license" in the proper sense of that term, be-
cause the United States government does not
authorize the sale of whiskey contrary to state
| law. 1t is mere evidence that the tax re.
quired by the government of retailers has
been paid and will serve to protect the sellers
Of liquor against prosecution by the United
States authorities. 1t is evident though that
no one would pay for this privilege without
intending to make use OF it, and it is therefore
a legitimate deduction to claim that in the
three states under comparison the number OF
persons retailing liquor is approximately the
number of persons paying taxes to the United
States for the privilege of selling. The COM
parison is strongly in favor of the South Caro-
lima system, and if the accessibility to places
where liquor is sold cuts any figure in tempt
ing men to use it, it can be readily seen that
South Carolina is far ahead of Maine and
| Kansas as a temperance state. | will remark
in passing, that it is anomalous that the
United States government should appear tc
encourage violation of state laws by issuing
licenses or permits to sell to persons in state
where the sale is prohibited or is allowed only
to bonded state officers. One would suppose
the national government would aid in every
way possible in the enforcement of state laws
but instead the opposite policy obtains as fan
as whiskey is concerned.
In all three states liquor can be imported
from outside "for personal USE" and the citi
zens of the three states are therefore on pai
in that respect.
OF the 446 persons who have paid the
United States revenue tax for retailers il
South Carolina, "a are the dispensers, selling
according to law. The other 352 are the
illicit dealers, and majority of these are ir
the one city of Charleston. There are large
number of counties in South Carolina where
the dispensary law is observed strictly. Wha
then is the difference between the South Caro-
lima system which has wrought such promis
ing results and the prohibition which obtain:
in Kansas and Maine? l will briefly outline
|
quote from the law itself:
"The manufacture, sale, barter or exchange
receipt or acceptance for unlawful USE de
livery, storing and keeping in possession
within the state, spirituous, malt, vinous, fer
mented, brewed or other liquors and com
pound or mixture thereof, by whatever nam,
called or known, which contain alcohol anC
are used as a beverage, except as hereinafter
provided, is prohibited
The liquor purchased in South Carolina o.
imported into the state for sale lawfully, il
bought by the state board of directors, which
consists of three men "of good moral char
acter, not addicted to the use of intoxicatin,
liquors as beverage" They are elected b,
the legislature. "This board must advertise
in two or more daily newspapers of the stat,
and one or more published without the stat
for bids to be made by parties desiring to fur
nish liquor to the dspensary. Bids shall b,
placed in an envelope, securely sealed, witt
the seal of the company, firm or corporation
and having been so sealed shall be placed il
the express Office, directed to the state treas
urer." The liquor shall be subjected to
chemical analysis or other satisfactory test b,
the state chemist, and if found adulterated o
to contain any substance injurious to health
it is rejected. The contracts for deliver,
| haNihS bSSi maui, tlS NHlohSl 10 oihSlCu Il
needed by the state commissioner, who is un
der bond Of $4,000, and it is shipped t.
Columbia to the state dispensary. This is tn
central depot, equipped with appliances TO
bottling, labelling, packing, etc. The larges
package put up is four gallons, and the small
est one-half pint, but the bulk of the liquor i
put in pints and quarts. These are sealed il
a way to detect tampering with the packages
Everything is kept in stock for which there
a demand, from the finest French brandy an,
champagne to beer. There are some speca
brands of whskey sold IN the packages put W
by the manufacturer. All of the liquors ar
labeled "South Carolina Dispensary"
As have already mentioned there are g.
dispensers who are appointed by the count
boards of control, three men selected in eacl
county upon the recommendation of the mem
bers of the Legislature. The county dispenser
are all placed under bond and are intended t,
be, in the language of the law, mot addicted
to the use of intoxicating liquors as a bever
age" The local board, having selected dis
I