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
Bill in Vigorous Attack on the
Dispensary, but it Was Killed
by Decisive Vote by the
Senator's.

OF York was brought up. There was
practically little Debate on the bill,
and 1t was killed by vote Of 18 to /.
In the mornir & Senator Brice spoke
for the bill, and in the evening Sena-
tor @. L. Bleass against 1t. Senator
Mauldin also spoke for 1t.
The bill had been introduced by
him, said Senator Brlce, to give the
people of South Carolina an opporiun-
ity OF wiping I ut the dispensary, root
and branch. He said that II the naked
devil had come to earth this would
nave been the sort Of law he would
nave framed. The law bad been adopt.
ca as a compromise and now was an
infquity.
Instead Of being a solution and i'm.
provement Of the liquor question, said
Senator Brice, 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
year against Senator Brice's wish.
He said In his speech that hordes
OF negroes around the Gispersaries
: on Saturday afternoons were like "a
crcwd of cayrion crows around car
cass. .H--
Fighters against the diSpcnsary had
teen successful when coming out bold
ly, and the time is not far of 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. Cheroke had voted
1t out in spite Uf the tax.
Senator Blease said that he believed
that the senator from York was sim
cere In his views ON the dIspensary
law, and IL fact believed that he was
at one time n sympathy with 1t. He
alluded to the fact that the Prohibi-
tionists had advocated the dispensarY
law after tlllr ChildS hill was defeated
Il Il n. ioe2 II the prt hibitionis,s lad
: helped the i-prohibitionis; the
d1spensary law would never have been
passed. II stone had been given
when bread was asked for, it was ths
prohibitionists who had done it.
The argument had been made that
the d1spensary would have been over.
Thrown II the people had ever had the
opportunity. Senator Bease cited the
candidates. Of G. G Featherstone and
James a. Boyt, who had both been
defeated, and In passing paid a. tribute
70 both. 1t Is now a disgrace for the
State to sell 0hiskey, and yet the pro.
hibition ticket had recommended it.
What matter IL 1t 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 OF 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 stcLch In the
nCstrils OF the peuple-the SO called
social club''-where men sit and
drink and play cards until the WI G
small hours, but this cannot be laid
at the door; Of the dispensaIy.
In defense of the late II. il Crum,
d1speDsary commissioner, he read from
The Evening Record Of Columbia an
article relating to the dead mans
estate. The article stated that, al
though Mr., Crum was reported to be
very rich, he left an estate OF $I3 OOC
and owed from this S3, ,O0O This then
was the real fortune Of man who was
said to have come to the general as
Sembly q poor man and died wurtf
e169,00O. Why not tel! the truti
about these things, asked the senator
Pictures had tecn drawn OF splendit
homes builb by those in charge OF til,
d1spensary, when In reality some o
these homes were really crowded cot
tages.
The questions was too big for loca
control. l { the 500 voters OF New
Derry decided by a majority OF 100 Il
vote out this dispensary, would THU
be Justice tC the other citizens OF tn
county?
He was sorry that the dspensary in
vestigation resolution had not, as orl
glnally intGrded, been carried out, 81
that the committee would have re
ported by Feb. lSt. 1t had been sait
that this resolution had been dictated
by member Of the State beard O
directors, but this Senator Bleas, de
MED with great vigor.
The single question involved.
said Senator Mauldin, is whether O.
not the general assembly is willing Il
leave the matter to the people Of tn,
counties" He said that the dispcn
sary lay was not being attacked az
whole, and, II such popular institu
tion as described by the senator iron
Newberry, IL was certainly in no dan
GER A law Of this kind would he tn
first opportunity for The masses t.
really demonstrate whether or no
they want he dispensary. Senate
Mauldin thought government by TIN
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 /
Its financial success. The State ha
literally set ts seal Of approval on tn
system. L. tcly a friend bad ask
him: "Wn1 not maze your motoc
read, DUN Gpiro spero biho and 'Aui
mus opibusque ct paratus spIritus fru
menti?'
The ayes md nays were denande
and the vote was as follows on Sena
tor Bleases motion to strike out th
enactlng VOID:
Ayss--senatora Bfvens, Blake