The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-02-10
For The Brice Dispensary Bill in
the State Senate
FEW SPEECHES MADE.
The Senator from York Defeated His
BIZ in a Vigorous Attack on the
Dispensary, but il Was Killed
by Decisive Vote by the
Senator's.

the local option bill OF Senator Bricf
OF York was brought up. There was
practically little Debate on the hill,
and 1t was killed by vote Of 18 to l 1.
In the NOR mir G Senator Brice spoke
for the bill and in the evening Sena-
tor O. L. Bleass against 1T. Senator
Mauldin also spoke for 1t.
The bill had been introduced by
him, said Senator Brice. to give tho
people Of South Carolina an opport un-
1ty OF wipiDg ut the dispensary, root
and branch. He said that II the naked
devil had come to earth this would
have been the sort Of law he would
have framed. The law had been adopt
ed as compromise and now was an
iniquity.
Instead Of being solution and i'm
proyement or the liquor question, said
Senator Bricc, the dispensary law was
retrOgrade In movement. Let tie peo.
pie say what they want. This Is de.
mocracy.
The bill which Senator Brice has
introduced this year Is practically
similar to his local option measure Of
1904, except that 1t has no taxation
provision. This was tackled on last
He said In his speech that hordes
OF negroes around the oispersaries
on Saturday afternoons were like "a
cfcwd OF casri0n crows around car
cass."
Fighters against the diSpcnsary had
teen successful when coming out bold
ly, and the time is not far Off when
the system will be broken up, he de-
clared. The tax would not scare the
counties which really wished to be rid
OF the disper sary. Cherokee had voted
it out in spite Of the tax.
Senator Ble3se said that he believed
that the orator from York was sim
cere In his views on the dlspensary
law, and In fact believed that he was
at one time n sympathy with 1t. He
alluded to the fact that the Prohibit
tionists had advocated the dispensarY
slaR after tlltr Ch1lds bill was defeated
I. aint lSG2;ASIf the prt fibItionis,s had
helped the prohibitionists the
dispensary Ia w would never have becn
passed. II 4 stone had been given
when bread was asked for, it was the
prohibttionists who had done it,
The argument had been made that
the d1spensary would have heen over
thrown II tho people had ever had the
opportunity. Senator Blease cited the
candidates. Of G. G Featherstone and
James A. Hoyt, who had both been
defeated, and In passing paid tribute
60 Doth IL Is now disgrace for the
State to sell 1hiskey, and yet the pro-
hibition ticket had recommended It,.
What matter II it was for medicinal
purposes the effect is the same
In giving the advantages Of the dis
pensary law, the sp' aker cited the de-
praV1ty or barrcoms, tie stringent
regulations On dispensers as to selling
to minors, keeping open after hours,
ETC., and the stamping out OF tile SO
cial drink. There is one stencil In the
ncsurils Of the pepple-the SO called
Social club"-where men sit and
drink and play cards until the we
small hours, but this cannot be laid
at the doors Of the dispensary.
In defense OF the late Ii. II Crum,
d1speDsary com missioner, he read from
The Evening Record of Columbia an
article relating to the dead mans
estate. The article stated that, al
though MIR. Crum was reported to be
very rich, he left an estate OF $l3 600
and owed from this S3 900. This then
was the real fortune Of man who was
said to have come to the general as
Semhly q poor man and died worth
s150,OO0. Why not tell the truth
about these things, asked the senator
Pictures had hecn drawn OF splendid
homes built by those In charge OF tile
dispensary, when IN reality some OF
these homes were really crowded cot.
tages.
The questions was too big for loca
control. II the 500 voters OF New
berry decided by ma ajority OF 100 tc
vote out this dispensary, would this
be justice to the other citizens of the
county?
He was sorry that the dispensary In
vestigatiOn resolution had not, as ori
ginaly interded, been carried out, sc
that the committee would have re
ported by Feb. 1St. 1t had been sale
that this rcsoiu tion had been dictated
by a member Of the State beard ol
directors, but this Senator Bleas, de-
MED with great vigor
The single question involved. ,
said Senator Mauidin, is whether OF
not the general assembly Is willing tc
leave the matter to the people OF the
countless" lie said that the dispcn
Bary law was not being attacked as 9
whole, and, 4 such popular institu
tion as described by the senator FROM
Newberry, IL was certainly in no dan
ger A law OF this kind would he tn,
first opportunity for the masses tt
really demonstrate whether or no
they want Ihe dispensary. Senate
Mauldin thought government by thu
people true Jeffersonlan Democrac,
and therefore only just The dispen
sary system had had as It's chief rec
ommendati0n that it would reduc,
drinking, and now It's chief glory il
Its financial success. The State baC
literally set ts seal OF approval on til,
system. L. tcly friend had ask II
him: "Wl1 not MAKE your motoc
read, Dunn .piro spero biho' and AM
mus opibusquc ct paratus spIritus fru
menti?
The ayes and nays were demanded
and the vote was as follows on Sena
tor Bleases motion to strike out th
enactlng VOID:
Ayes--senators Bivens, Blake