The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-10-28
The DispenSary.

The Dispensary.
Although it is in operation to
some extent in North Carolina,
Georgia and Alabama, South
Carolina is the only State which,
as aState, has adopted this sys,
TEN.
The first .dispensary in the
United States was established
at Athens, Ca, and as a temper.
ance measure is acknowledged
to be a failure: in fact, those
who are connected with it are
classed as liquor sellers and vio-
lators of law and are on the same
plane with other licensed liquor
sellers. Some of the leading
churches have taken action
which debars any church mem.
Der from being in any way con,
nected with the dispensary
From a reliable source we learn
that the preachers Of South Car.
olina are against the dispensary.
If a member of the Baptist
church is appointed and accepts
the position of salesman in a dis.
pensary, he is excluded from the
church. Numbers of churches
have excluded their members fol
renting their property for the
use of the dispensary, proving
that the dispensary has sowr
discord among the churches,
Preachers and laymen say: III
is a biting curse.
Mr.. T. J. LaMotte, of Colum
bia, S. c., a gentleman of higl:
standing, and whom we had the
pleasure of meeting when we
were there a year ago, gives q
carefully prepared statement
based on carefully tabulated fig.
ures, which certainly ought tc
be convincing proof to those who
really wish to know the amount
of liquor sold increases and thai
the evils resulting therefrom IN
crease in like proportion. These
figures plainly show that the
dispensary system is even worse
than the license system, fol
comparing the statistics o.
crime under the dispensary with
those of years Immediately pre-
ceeding the present regime, VIZ
ind that crime against the per
son has increased over 10 pei
cent, homicide nearly 100 pei
cent, and against property more
than 100 per cent for the siz
years; during the last two years
Of the dispensary rule the figures
are even still greater over the
last two years of the old system
These figures are taken from the
reports of the Attorney Genera
and must be correct" " There i
no doubt but that the purpose
of every one in any way connect
ed with the distribution Of intox
icants through two larger cite:
in the State than the ninetyfou1
dispensaries and the twenty-foul
illegal beer dispensaries run by
the State by reason of their val
liable patronage; the dispensa
ries are screened from prosecu
ton, as is shown by the fact tina
out of 2,311 cases Of violation
brought into court, only $50, o.
"A per cent were convicted" +"
We might quote similar state
ments from sources of reformers
philanthropists and educators
of the South. Miss Belle Kear
ney, of Mississippi, who has
spent much time in South Caro-
lima, writes: "When the dispen
sary was first fastened upor
South Carolina several restric
tions hedged it in to give tho
people some show of hope, bu'
b. degrees these were weakened
until today, with the exception
of only two Or three features tht
dispensary IS the same as an oper
saloon. The law regarding it i
constantly violated, liquor is sole
to minors and to drunkards, anc
in many esta olishments liquor Is
drunk on the premises.
In view Of all this it IS no
strange that some Well-meallns
people who a few months ago
advocated the dispensary sys
TEN are changing their minds
somewhat. They recognize the
force of the argument Of temper
ance people that the municipality
or the State should not be profit
sharers in the liquor business
and they now advocate using
l. the profit from the sale Of IQuOl