Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-11-29
going to make any confessions OF
idiocy, either directly or by implica-

The suggestion that If there Is cor
ruption in the one central state man
agement, this corruption would spread
to forty central county managements
Is based On good logic. There was
never such a thing as an honest liquor
business and there never will be
not 80 long as there is such thing as
a paradox. But this is not the prac-
tical question. From a business In
volving millions Of dollars annually.
as is the case with the state central
machine, 1t Is easy for a few men to
get enough graft to make them all
rich before a sluggish, slow-moving
public sentiment can be enlightened
and aroused. But when the business
amounts to only few thousand a
year, the opportunity for such graft
is not so great. The people will the
more quickly catch on and there will
be less boldness. OF course we do not
pretend to say that there will not be
as much stealing In the aggregate as
there is now-that Is If there Is any
now. ..
Further along in the same article
from which the above extract Is taken'
Mr. Kohn writes: =
Senator Tillman's idea Is that the
talk about the dispensary must stop
for the good Of the state, whether the
talk be with or without cause, and the
L. L.. tn 90 q
suspicion by putting the purchasing
power in the hands Of people who do
not want that privilege, and who are
not candidates for that position, and II
some such amendment as he suggest
ed in his Gaffney speech cannot De
adopted, that as a last resort 1t would
be better to farm out" the liquor
business and have some responsible
firm conduct II under proper bond ana
restrictions. He Is satisfied that such
an arrangement could readily be made,
but his chief objection to 1t Is that II
would bring the element OF personal
gain into the sale OF liquor, and the
chief virtue of the dispensary law, II
properly enforced, he insists, 1s that
there is no element Of personal
gain to anyone connected with the dis.
pensary system, and II that personal
equation can be eliminated the dispen;
sary will be run upon the lines tnat
he has always hoped to see.
This suggestion as to putting the
purchasing power into the hands OF
people who do not want the privilege
is not a new one. We have heard 1t
before. It is as old as the dispensary.
No man can be forced to accept this
place, and no sane man Is going to
accept 1t unless he wants 1t. The idea
of a man who has spent lifetime IN
winning the confidence, respect and
esteem Of his fellows, sacrificing ev-
erything that he had thus gained in a
cause like this Is absurd. No man
who really has anything to lose In the
way Of honor and respectability Is go
ing to try such an experiment, for all
such men know, and we say 1t with
all reverence, that even the Almighty
cannot make the liquor business re-
spectacle.
But this last proposition which the
senator reaches with so much seeming
reluctance Is probably the real meat
in the cocoanut-this farming out sug-
gestion. II common rumor be true
there are those who already have a
virtual monopoly Of the liquor busi-
ness. Whether rumor be true or not
these people are certainly in position
to exact rakeoffs from every purchase
of liquor that is made. But suppose
the business actually belonged to them
suppose they had monopoly OF 1t!
It would not be quite as good a thing
as Standard Oil; but 1t would be al
most as good, and such a thing as
honest legislation on any subject at
fecting the interests Of the liquor mo-
nopoly would probably not be known
again for a good many years to come.
We have nothing positive on the sub
iect of this suggestion to attempt to
get the legislature to farm out mo-
nopoly of the liquor business; but all
the people of the state will do we'll to
be on their guard. The probability Is
that there is something brewing!
We are not trying to suggest any
method under which the sale of liquor
would meet with our approval. We
are opposed to its sale under any
method whatever. We think Its sale
should be absolutely outlawed, 80 far
as the state is concerned, and when
ever we have the opportunity will 80
vote. Still we believe a majority OF
the voters Of a county should have a
right to determine whether or not the
sale Of liquor shall be legalized, and
machinery should be provided for the
sale Of liquor In counties where 1t Is
desired by a majority. The license
system surrounded by proper safe
guards is the best; but under no cir
cumstances should any monopoly be
permitted, for where hquor Is to be
sold at all the consumer will find his
best protection in competition.