Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-09-20
TLlmAN WANTS BOARD rO RESIGN.
Calls Upon the Governor to Remove the DIS.
pensary Directors.


ground to-day, aud fully $500 people
were gathered to wituess the combat. A
giant picnic, the kind that has made Til
zah famous, had been arranged and pei
feet weather, with tho excellent Gold
Hill band, made the occasion a success.
In response to a numerously signed in
vitaton to talk dispensary and reply to
charges made at a recent prohibition
meeting in Yorkville, Senator Tillman
was present. Senator Brice was on hand
to represent the .dispensary side of
the question. Senator Tillman was in
fine form and spoke for two hours. Sena.
tor Brice made vigorous speech. In
quiry among representative men in the
audience failed to show that sentiment
against the dispensary had been changed,
the general opinion being that the county
would vote the institution out.
Senator Tillman made much the same
speech that he has made elsewhere, the
only new feature Of Importance being a
demand that the Governor exercise his
power and remove the members of the
State dispensary board at ouce. A
''hands up" vote being called for, it was
seen that the crowd was with him on
that proposition.
Senator Brice was, under the arrange
ment, the first speaker He vigorously
denounced the whole dispensary system,
maintaining that it was undemocratic,
that it makes every citizen, whether he
will or not, partner in the liquor bust
ness, that it dignifies tho sale of liquor
and makes it popular, respectable and
reputable, that it attempts to make the
sale and drinking Of liquor a permanent
and fixed institution by fastening it on to
one of our most cherished institutions,
our public school system, that it has in-
creased murder 10 per cent and assault
and battery 40 per cent, that it is a com.
mon cheat and swindle snare, de-
lusion and fraud, and vast lake of
pitch that detiles and blackens every one
who touches it. 1t 10 a deadly vampire
that hovers with it's black and hellish
wings over every home in South Carolina.
1t is whited sepulchre, beautiful with
out, but full of dead men's bones and all
uncleanness. Mr.. Brice stated that the
dispensary system could never be
cleansod. Ho said 81 shall nevor vote
as your Senator to purify any such black
law as the dispensary, and L will fight it
to the last ditch. Tho only law [ will
support is one to kill" His speech was
we'll received. He spoke for an hour. At
its conclusion Chairman Wilborn ad-
ipnrnp6 tha nat;nr for I;npor
Senator Tillman spoke for two hours,
devoting much of his time to Mr.. Brice,
the Yorkville Enquirer and others, whom
he alleged had impugned his character.
His line of argument was that the sale
of liquor cannot be stopped, that men
will have it in spite of prohibitory laws,
that it's illegal sale would mean moro
harm than it's sale lawfully, and that as
long as it could not be kept out it should
be sold in the least harmful way. He
declared he was as much of an advocate
of the dispensary as ever, and that he
would always stand for the system as
protected and hedged about when he APP
proved it as Governor and undertook to
enforce it. He said az originally de-
signed it decreased drunkenness and
gave no opportunity for stealing. The
Legislature had later so changed the
law and put such men in charge as to
give thieves every chance. The Legisla-
ture was directly responsible. If the
dispensary law had been carried out in
good faith by a Governor-and ! won't
say Legislature, for God have mercy On
any laws the Legislature enacts-if sup.
portcd by that large element believing it
wrong to sell liquor at all, coupled with
honest administration by the executive
officers, by this time the whole State
might have gone into prohibition. He
said he had only Is months in which to
administer the dispensary law and look
out for thieves. "God knows | did not
know South Carolina had such brood
of them, but whoput them there ?"
Ue spoke of the effect of the Brice
law in cutting out 10000 votes by set.
cling the matter by qualified voters and
declared it fair that every man have
chance to vote. He wanted to see race
next year between prohbitionist, a
clean dispensary man and possibly a
ohnd tiger man for Governor. Four
olind tiger men had already nominated
candidate, but three out of the four had
been in the United States courts.
The fight is to be on liquoS or no liquor
and he deprecated hurrying the vote be
tore next year when the whole people
could express their opinions.
Speaking of the election about to come
off in York county senator Tillman said
he hoped the dispensary would be voted
o@t. The people would then get taste
of the evils OF prohibition which would