Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-09-15
DISPBNSARY
and EDUCATION
Claim of Six Weeks Longer
Term a Fake.
LESS THAN so CTS. A PUPIL
GresnviIIe Man Analyses the Dispen.
sary Revenue Situation and Shows
That the Humbus There 10 the
Same as Observation-Disclosures Yields
Profits All Right; But the Profits
Al

Il
1t is not my purpose to say any
thing in regard to the corruption ant
rottenness Of the dispensary as nov
administered. simply desire t.
show that it is, and has been Of LITTLE
assistance to the public schools O.
Greenville county. Senator Tillmar
and Cole L. Blease, ESQ.,, have II
their recent speeches claimed that t.
the aid received from dispensar!
profits, the public schools owe theil
we'll being and present prosperou!
condition and to this source 1t is du'
that the school terms are longer ant
the teachers better paid.
| Do the facts sustain this position
think not. The dispensary has fail
ed as utterly in its promised aid Il
schools Of the state as 1t has failed
In keeping the other promises made
to the people when the dispensar!
bill was first passed. The desire FOL
graft was too strong to remember th'
needs Of our public schools and tt
keep the promises made in regard tt
them.
When the law was passed, 1t pro
vided that all liquor delivered by tht
state dispensary to the county dis
pensaries should be billed at an ad'
vance of SO per cent, and the coun'
ty dispensaries should sell to the
public at a further advance Of 81
per cent.
This profit Of so per cent, after
deducting expenses was to be turned
over to the comptroller general and
distributed by him to the severa
counties according to their respect
i've enrolment. This would, OF
course, have yielded quite a hand
some sum to the schools. Did they
receive It? No.
The dispensary authorities frs,
used the school funds to accumulate
working capital. Every dollar OF
the $500, 900 stock Of liquors now ir
the state and county dispensaries be-
longs to the school fund. The coun.
ties, and cities, and towns did moi
contribute one cent Of 1t, out OF
their respective shares, they dividing
equally the profits Of the county dis
pensaries.
The school fund, however. was te
be still further diminished. promises
were again to be disregarded.
In 1900 the legislature, I presume
In an effort to popuiarize the dispeii'
sary law amended this law and de.
creed that liquor sold by the state
dispensary to the various county dis
pensaries should be billed at only II
per cent advance over cost and this
10 per cent. less expenses, was al
the public schools could rely on from
the dispensary fund. This, Of course
would practically have resulted in nc
assistance from the dispensary to the
schools, had 1t not been, that owing
to the occasional reduction Of the
stock on hand the schools got back
some of their capital, the dispensary
was using.
It was argued by the friends OF
this act that the schools would re-
ceive a share Of the increased profits
from the counties and cities, but only
few made any appropriation fol
the schools.
Greenville county's commissioner
in 1902 or 1903 voted $4,000 Of coun.
ty share of dispensary profits to oul
schools. During the last campaign
this question as to giving the schools
share of the county's dispensary
fund was made an issue. and the
people spoke in no uncertain terms
Hence the present delegation to the
legislature voted the schools two
thirds of the dispensary profits
which will amount to about $4,000
This appropriation was available
July /, 1905. Many counties do moi
thus help the schools and our nex'
delegation may withdraw this helI
from our schools.
Let us see what the dispensary has
done for Greenville county, and as
this fund is distributed to all coun'
ties alike, the result Is practically the
same.
I tried to get figures covering
every year since the dispensary start
ed but could get them for sever
years only, from 1898 to 1904 in
elusive. These figures were kindly
given me by the state superintendent
of education.
In these seven years Greenvillt
county received from the comptroller
general $36.184.06 or $5.16S.72 pei
annum. The enrolment during tha
period was S7,1SO pupils, or 12,454
pupils each year. This. therefore
shows that our schools received fron
the dispensary the magnificent sun
of 41b cents per pupil each year fol
seven years. Truly a generous anc
efficient help to our schools.
One year, 1908. the Greenvill'
county schools only received $l.2sC
from the comptroller general as oul
share Of the dispensary profits. Dul
enrolment that year was 1881 pL
pills, hence the schools got 10 cent:
per pupil, hardly enough to enable
the sessions to be tended, nor teach
ers to be paid large salaries.
Does this showing sustain Senator
Tillman or Mr.. Blease in their state
ments?
The 41b cents per year. the gel.
erous help given to our schools pc
pupil for a period covering sever
years, hardly enough to furnish
chalk, ink and pencils to the pupils
Do not be deceived. fellow citizens
whatever motives may induce you
to continue to support the dispen
sary, do not think 1t is any ma
terial help to your schools: they vii
not suffer If you vote 1t out. Hav'
not shown that the dispensary ha
broken its promises to the public
schools.
Think of only 41B cents per pupil
Chalk, ink and pencil money.
| P. T. HAYNE.
THE COLOR OF GoLD.-The ide'
that gold varies somewhat in colo
| tho looo litv IN Whicl