Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-11-24
COUNTY pIsPENsARIEs.
Probable Result of Revolt Against
State Liauor Machine.

Probable Result of Revolt Against
State Liquor Machine.
In a. recent letter. Mr.. August kohn'
Columbia correspondent of the News
and Courier discusses the dispensary
situation as follows:
II Is not many weeks now before the
general assembly will meet here. Tax
alton and liuuor will be the two most
important, and serious matters that
will be discussed. There are a great
many folks who are specializing what
Is going to be done about the dispen-
sary situation and how the liquor prop
lem can be settled.
There is no one who can tell. 1t Is
very much worse prophecy than 10
speculate on cotton, as there appears
&c be much more certainty about the
price of cotton remaining good ilisn
there is that the general assembly VIII
do one thing or another.
The members from Pickens and
Cherokee and York and Spartanburg
and Greenville are most likely going to
carry out by their votes what they re-
gard as the expression Of their people.
These counties have voted for prohibi-
ton, pure and simple, and the chances
are always that members will vote In
accord with the express sentiment OF
their home people, regardless or their
personal view in such cases. 1t may
be argued that the vote was light and
that there has not been full vote
The members realized that those who
did not vote did so from their own
preference, as the subject was agttated
for months in every county In the state
before an election was held. and those
who did not participate in the dispen-
sary elections did so from preference.
and where the vote has been four and
five and even to six to one the mem
bers know the sentiment Of the people
to be against the dispensary system
and that Is most likely to be their
guiding star.
AS to present advices there Is every
reason to say that the prohibition SEN
timent will prevail in both the house
and senate. 1t is not so much the pre-
ference of the individual members, but
the result Of the recent elections, and
if Charleston and Sumter and Rich
land and other counties want to re-
tain their dispensaries they will have
to do so by the grace OF the prohlol-
ton voters In the general assembly.
There Is more moderation in the pol
itics Of the state these days than there
ton and Columbia and Sumter and
Georgetown may be able to convince
the members that they do not want
prohibition and that 1t would be better
for the balance of the state II prohibi-
ton be not forced on an unwilling peo-
pie, but 1t will have to be done by per-
suasion, and today the outlook Is none
too favorable for such exemptions, OF
local option.
The very best that Charleston, Co.
lumbia, Sumter, Florence and the oth-
er anti-prohibition folks can hope fol
is county dispensaries. BY county
dispensary Is meant a dispensary sys-
tenn operated and controlled by county
and city authorities, as is done ir
Nor.h Carolina and Georgia. The state
dispensary will not be continued. The
argument to continue 1t will be that II
wind up the business now on hand
sell the stock on hand at auction or tc
the counties that continue the dispen-
sarieS.
With half of the counties out Of the
dispensary system 1t can be readily
appreciated that the continuance OF the
system of q large state institution
means that the cost to each Of the
remaining counties will be that mucf
larger in proportion.
Until recently the expenses Oh TIE
state system have been divided be-
tween forty counties, 1t will soon have
to be borne by twenty counties, even
If no other counties vote out the dis
pensaries. 1t is simply case Of short
division instead of long division.
The state system is going to be
abolished in time simply from busi-
ness standpoint, to say nothing OF the
feeling that there is at present against
1t.