Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1905-07-12

the Legislature at it's next session to
some reform action which will purify
the atmosphere there is no possible
doubt that all elements Of opposition
to the dispensary aided by many OF
it's old friends, will combine in the
next election and kill the system.
do not hesitate to tell you frankly that
| if it has become, and is to remain a
corrupt political machine as is charged,
I cannot defend it and will not do so,
but will join the ranks of those who
seek to kill it. believe it can be re-
organized and purged of corruption,
with safeguards thrown around 1t to
prevent the recurrence of the present
unfortunate and disgraceful condition
of affairs cannot now go at length
into the details aud give reasons, but
will state briefly the causes as see
them which have produced the present
situation.
The purchase of liquor by any board
ex-officio or otherwise, should be stop
ped. The original scheme which was
hastily gotten up made the Governor,
| attorney general and the comptroller
general eX-officio the State Board OF
| Control. This was changed very soon
! after I left the Governors office anu
the Legislature assumed control by the
election of the board; and in no IN
stance since has my advice and opinion
had any weight in shaping its manage
| ment though have tried to prevent
some things being done and have urged
others without success. 1t stands to
reason that men who have to depend
upon the suffrage of the whole people
to get high Office are or ought to be OF
higher type with better characters and
in every way better fitted for reaspon-
sible positions involving the handling
| of public money than those who with
petty salaries are elected by the Legls-
lature Politics always enters into
legislative election. People who vote
for Governor vote for him because
of other qualifications than that he
would make d good dispensary direc-
tor, and for this very reason the Gov
ernor is the best possible man to place
in such a responsible position But
the law is fatally detective in regard
to the purchase of whiskey IN not
specifically defining in the most minute
and binding manner just what KINGS
of liquor shall be bought and how it
shall be bought without leaving it to
the discretion of any board. Every
detail should be worked out and then
the law would execute itself as far as
that feature is concerned. The board
would then need only to supervise the
conduct of State and county dlspen-
saries, the same as the asylum and.
penitentiary are run.
Now as regards the proposed cleo
| ton to vote out the dispensary. II the
! dispensary is to be voted out it should
| and must be voted out of the State, not
out by Individual counties. OF course
recognize the deep seated love OF our
people for local self government and |
would not compel any county to retain
the dispensary or have one established
therein if a majority Of the citizens
want prohibition with its ACKNOWLEDGED
failure to prohibit. But Judging simply
by the facts in the numerous elections
that have been held on the subject
believe that large majority of the
people of the State are, as strong be-
levers in the dispensary system as
am: and that they are only casting
about now for method Of relieving
themselves of the corrupt machine
which is said to be in charge in Colum-
bia. Many States in the Union nave
had corruption in their State govern
ments and their State treasurers have
defaulted-have sometimes stolen hun
dreds of thousands of dollars-but no
man has ever thought of abollshlng
the machinery of taxation because OF
this. We have got to deal with liquor
in some form and provide for it's le-
Ultimate sale or we know it will find
illegitimate sale.
Shall we have high license? say
No. That gives the monopoly to the
| wealthy man as against the poor man
and we know from experience with
| bar-rooms that it will be impossible to-
give any man the right to fill his store
with liuuor. to sell and then have him
| comply with the constitutional require
ments and not sell it at night and not
have it drunk on the premises. Ii the
dispensary is abolished I will stump
the State for prohibition rather than
see high license. have said this and
it is the reason probably that the story
is going the rounds about my stumplns
for prohibition. But before we nave
prohibition or high license either eX-
pect if my health continues good, TO
give a very earnest discussion to the
subject of how to reform the dispen-
sary instead of destroying it and TO
showing the true inwardness OF the
present movement.
Let us suppose that the present CAM
paign against the disrcnsary by county
elections. shall progress VIGOROUSLY as
it has thus far and that the majority
of the counties in the State vote 1t ont.
Will the question be settled? By nc
means. The alliance of prohibitionlsts,
1iigfE lcensesspsoIie ana@5lihdssS.sise gers
which is now wagisig successful war
| will have to continue the war between
themselves after the dispensary is de-
f1nct. Sensible men will not lend their
aid to any crusade which only gives us
confusion worse confounded" and pro-
duces a chaotic condition with no COM
pensation.
Under the decision Of the United
States Supreme Court, prohibition and
no other State regulation can prevent
liuuor from being shipped in by e%-
press for personal use of individuals,
and the Jug country traffic from Will
n,ington to Charlotte, Atlanta. Angus
to ard Savannah will be immense un-
der prohibition. and the money which
now goes into the d;spensary for the
Use Of the towns and counties of the
State and the school fund will De sent
out of the State to enrich the dealers
and distillers OF other States. Stills
will be run in every swamp ana Wag-
ons will peddle liquor all over the
country. The only fight worth enlist
ing in South Carolina is between pro-
hibition as rigidly enforced as it can
be and the dispensary as honestly en-
forced. as it ought TO be. High license
is not to be thought Of for a moment.
Yet the ptohibitionists say they prefer
the disDensary to license and the
license people say they prefer prohl-
bition to the dispensary while the
blind tigers want prohibition because
they know it means free liquor.
| Tho elections now heing held in the