The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-11-23
pEJstIsHED EVERY WEDNESDAY.
wr1 T11IMAy BE A PRoHIsITloNIsT?

WILL. TILIMAN BE A PRoH1sITloNIsT?
It now begins to look as if
Senator Tillman is endeavoring
to create an issue whereby he
can have an excuse to disown his
child-the Dispensary-by max
ING his campaign for reelection
two years hence, upon an anti
Tillman-anti ti-Dispens ry-a n IT,
Observation-Disclosures, IN
order to head OFF the Prohibition
lists from butting into his seat IN
the United States Senate. Poll
tics create queer surprises; we
have seen Prohibitionists, weary
OF long waiting for political pre-
ferment, renounce their religious
principles that they too might
again, sit in the temple with
Tillman, even though he be
unhoIy: the charm OF Office
being more enticlng than the
humdrumness of meek and
.lowly religion; but alas, and
alack, after hearing the oml-
nous rumblings, and seeing
that fearful warning written
in letters of enlightment and
resentment upon the walls of
Cherokee County, here comes
the chief sinner, Senator B. Z.
Tlllman, in an interview, in
which he leaves his dispensary
converts from the prohibition
ranks, stranded high and dry
upon the dispensary rocks,
while he grapples for the
life-lines hanging over the
sides of the anti-Dispensary
ship, making for the haven
Of Prohibition.
Senator Tillman's interview
sounds like the last notes Of the
dying swan, his suggestion to
tfarm out" the dispensary, he
s knows will not be acceptable to
the people, and he also knows
the dispensary, as at present
managed, sscannot be made like
Caesars wife. above suspicion" +"
The Senator is staggering under
the blow he received at Cherokee
and is eroping about for a soft
place to lie down. We believe
another such blow will bring
him to the place where he will
..see political death if he clings
to his unmanageable offspring.
or a chance for continued life If
he disinherits it, and it will not
surprise US in the least, to hear
Senator Tillman apologizing for
his utterance that s:no honest
man can vote for the Brice Bill, "
ard, if he thinks it will help him
win out, initiate the reform
drunkard temperance lecturers
by confessing his entire connec-
,tfen with the dispensary, pro
Tossing penitence and asking
forgiveness.
We do not agree with the Sen
ator's position, that cit is i'm
practicable and Ill advised to
have county management Of the
dispensaries. He suggests 'sthat
the same incentive" which s:now
actuates one board to making
money out of the dispensary.
would exist among forty boards,
and that if there is corruption IN
one central board it would be
spread out among forty boards. "
It is not impracticable, if the
people want a dispensary, to run
it successfully under county con-
troll. for the reason, if the people
are endowed with the power to
create or remove the dispensary,
they will if they decide to create
one, place such guards about it
as will protect it from corrup-
ton; because, they will feel that
if stealing creeps into it they are
themselves robbed, and they will
not submit to it. To make a sue
cessful management of such an
institution by county control, the
managing board should consist
of the Mayor Of the town, the
county Supervisor and the fore
man of the Grand Jury. This
would be a board constantly be-
ing changed, and they should
be required to make their pur
chases in public, and publish in
the county newspapers the guam
tity and brands bought, from
whom bought, and the prices
paid. With these safeguards
there would be little room
for corruption; the people
would be interested and the COM
peting distilleries would watch
the prices paid for the goods.
There will not be the same IN
centive to steal under county and
municipal control as there is un-
der State control. In the first
place, on the boards as we sug-
gest, there are different interests
represented, the PERSONAL con
tinusE9 changing, then the pub:
licity cts as a check,a and the small
amount that would be involved
would leave little room for spoils.
County control can be operated
more successfully than State
control, and if the legislature
will give the people an oppor-
tunity to test it, we sincerely be-