The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-10-26
7ILLMAH ON DIspENsARY SYSTEM.
He Says Changes in Methods of
Administration are Necessary
to Save 1t.

Spartanburg, Oct. 22.--If the dis
pensary law cannot be lifted out of
the fog of suspicion which hangs over
it am in for killing it, This was
the expression of Senator Tillnan to-
day at Gafney. The General Assem-
bly,, he claimed, was respor sible for
this clouded condition by taking the
purchasing and controlling power out
of the hands of State officers who are
elected by the people and who are
above suspicion. The tongue of
calumny and slander has been exceed
iDgly busy and it will continue to be,
he insisted, until the control of the
system be changed.
To the charges that those connected
with the dispensary were getting rich
quick and that they received rebates,
be gave no credence, because he
claimed for himself honesty and he
charged no man with dishonesty until
he could prove it. But charges of
taking rebates and getting rich quick,
the living, he urged, would continue
as long as the present system Of pur-
chasing liquor and management of the
system continued. The simple fact
was that the people thought things
were not straight at the dispensary.
He would not say that there was
foundation for the rumors. but the
dispensary, he urged, could not stand
this battery of insinuation, innuendo
and SANDER, and change ought to be
made He urged that the best and
only thing to do was to have as pur-
chasing board men absolutely above
suspicion, men accountable directly to
| the people. He suggested board
composed of the Governor, Attorney
General and Comptroller General and,
if deemed best, to add to it members
of the Supreme or Circuit Bench, but
to make such board above suspicion
it must be selected from such mate
rial, he argued, and be taken out Of
legislature or pretty politics. Fhe
State board ought to make one annual
purchase of all of it's liquors. He
urged that it ought to buy it's entire
supplies from one responsible distiller
and not 'piddle along' with month
| ly purchases from dealers far smaller
than the dispensary itself.
THE CASE GOODS BUSINESS.
Then Senator Tillman vigorously
"pitched' into the purchase Of case
goods by the State board and urged
that this policy was responsible for SO
much talk and such large stocks of
unstable goods. The board ought to
make one annual purchase from bid
ders under bond and with competitive
prices and it ought to buy certain
grades from one, up to four, and nel-
ther buy nor encourage the sale OF
case goods.
The self-confessed father of the dis
pensary system, on being asked the
question, insisted that the beer dis
pensaries were wrong in principle and
law and that there was no authority OF
law for dispensary to sell only beer.
He alluded to the failure to use re-
quest books as the law required, and
insisted that among other ideas the
request books we're safe check on the
dispensers reflling empty bottles with
liquor and selling for their own per-
sonal gain. The county dispensers,
he had heard, in many places were be-
ing offered fifty cents for each case OF
a given brand of liquor. He did rot
know what truth there was in this.
It may be all allie, but the sale OF
Sta.e liquor under its own labels from
one to four x would provide as good
or better liquor as is now being solo
| and remove all possible incentive te
push certain brands. If there is nc
opportunity to get commissions fol
pushing the sale of any given branc
of LIQUOR there could be no corruption
through local dispensers. He placed
especial stress on State board max
ing annual purchases under bids ane
argued that by selling four grades o
liquor to be known BY KS and 10
these to be from one distillery, ther
J would be no incentive to pushing Ger
tain brands. He would have the boart
keep the grades up to standard b.
chemical exmination and bond, AM
let the States brand be all that i
given.
The screws on the dispensary, b
was afraid, were getting very Loose
and unless they were frightened ul
the whole machinery would 60 to racl
J and ruin. The screws had to b
JlS0CeneQ up anu II ueeu po hO'
, engineers must be put in charge
Senator Tillman, abiding to the in
crease of the salary of the commission
7 er which was made, said it was use
, less if his work was to be largel
clerical and he have nothing to d.
with the buying or ordering of liquors
THE LEADING POINTS.
There should be newly organizes
State board of control elected by tn
people.
Annual purchases from first hand
and not from Jobbers or retailers.
The State should sell its own brand
to stop attempts to corrupt dispensers
The State should refuse to sell spe
cial or case goods brands, which Civ
the chance for pickings.
There should be strict examination
of the bulk liquors bought and soil
by the State under it's graduation
from one to four X.
The State should screw up the loos
taps of the system so that ther
should be no authority of law for bee