The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-12-21
ELLoREE DIsPzNsARY TO CLOSE
So Decides the State Soard Of Con.
troll on Petition.


The Directors Of the State. D!spen-
sary tnok an entire new stand Wed
nesdaY in the matter Of localities pc
titioning for the removal Of their dis
penSayieS at tneir meeting In Colum-
bia, reversing the position assured by
former boards in this matter and es-
tabliShing an important precedent
which it is expected will result in the
removal Of large number OF cispen.
Sarias throughout the state, for there
can be no doubt that there are {. num-
Der Of small towns IN the States like
E!loree that would like to get rid OF
the di:pensary. Former boards, in
the case OF Saluda, Yorkville and
other PAGES refused majority petitions
seeking to remove their dispensaries,
which resulted in the passage by the
last iel islatur.: Of the Brice bill. which
allows count7 to vote out its dispen.
saries provide it leved mill tax to en-
force prohibition, but all efforts to ex-
tend the prov sions Of the law TO COM
munitieS failed
Wednesday. however, in the case Of
the dispenser! in the town Of Elloree,
in Oraagsburg County, which has six
other t'ispensa7ieS located in the towns
Of O:aE geburg, St. Matthews. Branch
vile, Fort Motte, Livingston and
Springfield, the board, by a two to
one vote. decided to close the dispen-
sary iat Ellcree on and after January
!, and thereby grant the relief asked
for in a number Of petitions, although
there was not the slightest intimation
OF mismanagement on the part Of the
dispenser, concerning whom all who
appeared before the board in behalf
of lhe petitioners spoke in the high
est terms and declared that be was
about the best and straightest dis
penser In the state. The action Of
the board indicates a determination
on the part Of the dispensary people
to let each town decide the dispensary
question for itself.
At the outset OF the hearing Wed
nesday morning Chairman Evs1s took
the position that III view Of the fact
that tie law did not define the boards
duties in this matter, the board
should not, in the light OF the legisla-
ture's action on the Brice bill, vote
dispeniary cut Of any community
merely on the showing Of majority
petition, for the reason that it had no
right to deny the revenue accruing
from such dispensary to other por-
tioas OF the county, except upon a
showing that such dispensary is being
misna araged or otherwise conduct
ed IS {. nuisance.
Col. ThoS. T. Brant!ey and Hon.
Thos. N. Raysor, State Senator, ap.
peared as counsel for the citizens Of
E'lcree and surrounding country
Who wanted the dispensary closed up,
and Capt. B. Hart Moss represented
Dispenser Weeks and others who
wanted the dispensary to remain.
MesSrs. T. W. Ulmer, Julian Evans
and B. A. Shuler, intendant Of Ello-
rec, testified 20 the Overwhelming sen.
timent Of the community In favor OF
the removal Ct the dispensary.
Mssses. Raysor and Brantley, attor.
neys for the petitioners, disavowed
any fight on Mr.. Weeks, the dispenser,
or his m .nagement OF the dispensary
at E loree, but declared that their Pc
ti,ioners went deeper than that, went
into the policy Of the dispensary ltselt.
Their petitions presented this question
clearl, defined, Shall the cyerwhelm.
ing sentiment OF community seeking
to rid itself OF its dispensary be re.
specie d." They thought that the
granting Of such petitions would not
weaken the diSpensary system, but
would strengthen it with the people.
1t vas all nonsense to talk about es.
taolis aing dangerous precedent. II
other comunities sought sucll relief
they should be granted it Without
quest on: the board could in Its discre-
tion turn down requests OF the kind
ccmir G from localities which evedent-
~ intended to get rid OF the dispen-
saries merely to give opportunity to
violate the law.
Its said that among the petitions
presented to jhe board was cne signed
by the inteudant OF Elloree and all
the wardens, another signed by nearly
every WOMAN living in the town, an
other embr, cling the signatures OF
forty.s six out Of the ff5y-three voters
in the town and still another with
the signatures OF hundreds Of meL
living outsid Of but near the town.
These petit ,ns were supplemented
By letters from several prominent
nea OF the community. On the other
side, there was a strong petition,
every signature on which Dispenser
Weels ssid be obtained In the dispen-
sary from patrons living within nine
miles OF the place, and he was sure
he had a majority. This was backed
up by letters from Drs. P. L Fielder
and 4. G. Baxter, who sid that the
fight against Dispenser Weeks was
taking merely another form, a. long
standing movement against the dis
penser vas out OF j,alously and pre-
judice against him because his dlSpen-
sary was proving drawing card to
bis mercantile business.
After the matter had been fully dis
cusssd q vote was taken, which re-
suited in q vote Of two to one to close
the dispensary. Chairman HH Evans
voted against removal and MesSrs.
Towin and Boykin voted in favor OF
it. NJ. Evans opposed favorable action
on the ground that the board can act
for cluse only and 70 cause had been
made evident Mr.. Boykin favored
this action. The dispenser. Weeks,
is a personal friend OF his and IS good
officer, who has kept the dispensary
but Mr.. Boykin could not
vote against the wis1es Of the people
% oyprcccoS in tha petftio0 Mr.