The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-08-23

STATE DISPENSARY

STATE DISPENSARY
As it is Now Operated and Suggest
Plan of Making 1t an Institution
Without Graft, if the Grand
Juries VIII Make Officials
Do Their Duty.
Mr.. James A. Hoyt, Jr., says in
The State that Senattr Tillnan vert
to Anderson with the expectation OF
making a speech IN which he should
outline bis views cn Tie oispensary
and give his remedies for the canker
now eating cut the life cf.that inSt1-
tuition. he had gone to tie unusual
trouble ct writing out his speech,
showing that be desire it published,
and published in full, in orcer that
his views might have the widest pub
licity. The conditions were such that
be was prevented from delivering his
spec CD in iull, though it nuSt be said,
In Justice to Senator Tillmsn, that
had be been urgenerCus be could have
mace bis speech and had plenty Cf
time to do II in, but he was very
ca,eful not to intrude upon the rights
Of tie other Invited speakers, and
gave way to them, particularly to MIR.
Smith. the president OF the Cotton
Growers association. Senator Till
man, had he had the opportunity,
might nct have stuck close to his
manuscript, as be is not accustomed
to speaking that way, and the little
Of it which be did read was interpo.
lated with si6e remarks as they would
pop into lis head. But his prepared
speech is Of interest and is given in
full as follows:
think the facts will warrant me
in claiming toat I knew as much or
more about the dispensary anG about
the liquor traffic in general than any
ether one man in the State. The law
was enacted n Decenber, 1892, and
went into effect lst Of July following
During this interval I examined most
thoroughly into the whole question
and gave the administration Of the
proposed system the most earnest
thought. EVERYBODY predicted failure
and I was most anxious that the eX-
pertinent should succeed. For year
and a half I administered the law
almost alone, and I therefore had the
fullest opportunity, both by obssrva-
tiCn and experience, to find out it's
good and bad points, and above all,
Its weakness.
The original draft and much that il
still in the Law was the work Of the
prohibition Committee, and only such
changes were naGe in the bill as IL
passed the House as was evidently ne,
cessary for the changed purpose to
which the law was to bedeyoted. At
the next session Of the Legislature my
efforts were devoted entirely to
strengthening the statute so as to
prevent and punish the illicit sale OF
liquor. I gave no thought to safe
guarding the State against fraud In
its administration except in the rules
and regulations, because I did not
not then believe, and do not now
beieYe, that the State Of South Caro-
lima could elect three men to the
highest responsible cfices OF Cover
nor, Comptroller General and Attor-
ney General who would fall so low as
to become thieves. During the y
years that the system has been on
trial tie law has been changed time
and time again. But my opinion and
advice have had no weight. The first
bad blul0er was taking the law out Of
the hands OF men elected by the peo.
pie and putting it into the hands OF
board elected by the Legislature. The
next mistake was taking the appoint.
ment Ct the county board out Of the
hands OF the State board. and giving
it to the delegation in the Legislature
from each county. The State board
is no longer directly responsible to the
people, and there is no way 10 get at
it unless the Governor Should exercise
his implied power OF removal. The
county board is no longer responsible
to the State board, because it Goes
not depend upon that beard for ap-
pointment and is not responsible to
that board, except in way, but looks
to the Legislative delegation. Temp
tationS that the Governor and other
high State officials would have been
expected to withstand have, I fear
proven too strong for the boards
elected by the Legislature. The ad-
minist1aticn by the State board has
been lax and altogether censurable
It has allowed scme Of the mCst valu-
able restrictive features Of the law to
fall into diSuSe-flling out request
blanks, selling to minors, drunkards,
etc. There has been no executive
head with power to see that the law
was administered in good faith, and
the county boards have TOO often al
lowed improper Influences, nepotism
and other selfish motives to govern in
electing dispensers. Ole Of the most
far reaching and destructive actions
Of the State beard was the change in
the manner OF buying liquor from
that which was instituted in the be-
ginning, to wit, the purchase OF whis-
key to be sold under the brand and
name and in the package Of the seller.
The original scheme, which has the
soun6est reasons In good business
Judgment Tor its Inauguration, pro-
vided that no liquor, except bought
in barrels AID bottled at the dispen.
ssry and labelled X, XN, NXN,
NXXX ocncrGircr IN 200 and o,,al;tv