The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1904-04-06
MUST OBEY THE LAW.
This is the Order that Has Been
Issued to Dispensers.
THE BOARD MEANS BUSINESS.
There Has Been They Say General
LaIity in Observing the Tenn
perance Provisions or
the Law.

be read with interest by all VINO Wanb
to see the dispensary strictly enforc-
ed" 1.-THE Charleston dispensers may
have been surprised" said member
of the board Of control Thursday.
"but they will soon learn that the law
must and will be strictly enforced"
He spoke in reference to the special
dispatch from Charleston in The State
of Thursday concerning the agitation
of the Charleston dispensers over the
recent circular sent out by the board
Of control relative to the enforcement
of the law The dispatch said in part:
"The instructions Of the board were
put into operation this morning, caus-
ing no little trouble among the patrons
Of the State official grog shops. The
conduct of the dispensaries has been a
perfect scandal in Charleston in the
unrestrained manner in which liquor
was sold to minors, drunkards and
blind tigers and in the general failure
Of the dispensay officials to observe
the law"
The circular here referred to was
not sent to the Charleston dispensers
alone but to all the dispensers through
out the State. At the March meeting
of the board of directors the following
resolution was adopted: Resolved,
That the clerk of this board is hereby
instructed to forward copy Of the
dispensary law to each dispenser in
the State, with instructions to strict
ly comply with sections 566, 567, 568
and $50 Of said law"
Section 566 is that which requires
the written application for liquors.
This section also requires the applicant
to state that he or she is not minor
or a drunkard. 1t Is as follows:
Before selling Or delivering any
Intoxicating liquors to any person d
request must be presented to the
county dispenser, printed or written
in ink, dated Of the true date, stating
that he or she is Of age and the resi-
dence of the signer,, for whom or
whose use it is required, the quantity
and kind required and his or her true
name; and the request shall be signed
by the applicants in his own true
name and signature, attested by the.
county dispenser or his clerk who re-
ceives and files the request. But the
request shall be refused If the county
dispenser filling it personali7 knows
the person applying is minor, that
he is intoxicated, or that he is In the
habit Of using Intoxicating liquors to
an excess; or If the applicant Is not
personally known to said county dis
penser, before filling said order or
delivering said liquor he shall require
the statement Of a reliable and trust
worthy person of good character and
habits, known personally to him, that
the applicant is not minor and Is
not in the habit of using Intoxicating
liquors to excess"
If dispenser violates section 566
in any way it is the duty of the solici-
tor, on information, to bring suit
against him in the name OF the coun-
ty for 5000 damages. The suit iSon the
bond Of the dispenser, who If convicted
is also deprived Of his positicn. Fur
thcr civil suits may be entered. If it
is proven that fraud was employed by
the purchaser he shall be subjected to
g. fine Ct not less than 5000 or six
months in Jail.
Section 567 requires the county
auditor to keep the request book on
Tile in his office. Section 56S requires
IN oath of the dispenser that he has
attended to the matter of requiring
written applications and that he has
turned over to the auditor all of the
applications submitted. Section $50
requires the county board to revoke
the commission of any dispenser who
fails to require applicants to sign for
the purchase and the deposed dispen-
ser shall be indicted By the solicitor.
This section also penalties dispensers
for purchasing liquor otherwise than
from the State dispensary and for
adulterating the product of the big
gin mill.
1t is pretty certain that all Of these
provisions have been very generally
disregarded by the Charleston dispen-
saries but not by them alone, for it is
safe to say that few, if any, dispen-
sers anywhere in the State observe
these regulations with any degree of
strictness. Whiskey is sold to any
and everybody who wants it, whether
a confirmed drunkard or deacon in
the church and, especially when it is
busy day, dispenser seldom both
ers himself or his customers about I'LL
ing out the request blanks in full, ii
at all. These regulations, together
with the daylight sales, constitute the
Justly celebrated Temperance fea-
lures" of the dispensary law.
That their nOn-obServance has be-
come notorious not only in Charles.
ton but elsewhere is sufficiently at
tested by the action ol the board OF
directors in calling attention to these
provisions. If they are now enforced
. it will not be as easy as 1t has beer
: heretofore to buy whiskey in South
Carolina-which has been about the
easiest thing in the world. From
, the boards resolution and the remark
, of one Of it's members, quoted above
, it looks like there may be change.