The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-07-13
AVS !
sPENRARy
hswerS Some Questions
bundled to dim
BE A GENERAL 0YERHAULiNG
! Of Law Shows His Position and
! of Sins Which Make People
Oppose and Fight 1t.

fins, of Newberry, Senator Tillman
comes out squarely against the move
Nent against the dispensary and de-
ciares that the several counties should
not accept prohibition until the Lesis-
latrre has been given a chance to re-
form the institution. 1t is as follows:
Trenton, S. c., July l, 1905.
Mr.. Francis w. Higgins, Newoerry,
S. c.
Dear Sir: | have your letter of June
81, propo9nding certain inquiries IN re-
gard TO the anti-dispenSary movement
: in Newbe-ry, and to the dispensary
and liquor question in general, ana 10
my own attitude towards 1t.
The question you ask relate to the
most important subject now agltallnS
the minds of the people OF the stare,
and in order to cover the ground at all
satisfactorily it will require me to an
swer at some length and to discuss the
Subject in its various phases, and TINS
: becomes the more necessary as you no
tify me in advance that you desire my
answer for publication.
I shall preface what l write by lay
ing down certain general principles
which will be disputed only by those
who. are fanatical and unwilling TO
consider any subject from any other
standpoint than that of blgotry and
prejudice. Most men will agree TO tne
following:
1, All men love stimulants and are
usually slaves to some one klnu' as
Witness the strong appetite which pre-
walls for coffee, tea, tobacco, peer
wine, brandy, whiskey. morphine, qul-
nine, cocaine. etc. With the exception
of some of the drugs mentioned there
are no injurious effects immealateiy
pereeptible and none of them intoXl-
cate except those containing alcohoi.
Alcoholic beverages in moderation are
no more harmful than tea or cohee'
probably less so. ~
=. The abuse Of liquor by men drink
ing to excess has caused as mucn OF
more crime and misery than any otner
one thing.
8. The proper policing and control
of the liquor traffic so as to minimize
its abuses is one of the most perpleX-
ing and troublesome questions with
which any government has TO deal.
Men have never agreed as to any one
method being best and never Will. ana
there is a constant agitation OF the
subject in some form gcing on all the
I while IN almost every State IN the
Union.
4. Experience shows that some men
will have LIQUOR as a beverage anu
that no law has ever yet been devised
\ which will prevent them obtaining II.
wise men are therefore content TO re-
Suce the evils of liquor selling ana
Eouor drinking to the minimum, and
the question at issue in South caro-
lima now as it has been these fifteen
or twenty years past, is how 10 10
this.
J There is no need for any heat or pas
Sion in discussing the subject ana we
should divest ourselves or all preJu-
dices in its consideration. Three poll
c;es have at one time or another been
adopted in dealing with the question;
License. high or low. prohibltlon anu
the dispensary system. Since 1898 tne
last named has been the method 1cl-
: lowed in this State, but all along there
have been staunch advocates OF the
+ other two systems embracing within
their ranks many of the most inteln-
gent and best people We have. 1t IS
Rerefore, eminently proper tnat we
Aognize these earnest, honest auso,
Gates as having just what we cialm ioi
ourselves, no other purpose than .hal
of the public welfare. And those Oh US
who have been the supporters VI Tue
dispensary system must meet tnem III
argument and show from the eXpeIl-
ence through which the people OF tne
state have passed as well as with 1orce
and logic that the advocates OF botn
prohibition and high license are IN er-
ror.
You ask. Have you lost faith n the
dispensary system and do you cohsloel
n so inherently defective that 1t cannon
,--be purged of corruption and made te
serve its original purpose? l answer
most emphatically, no. l believe the
principle of the State control and the
sale OF LIQUOR through bonded orflcerE
To he the best that was ever deYlsca;
that II comes nearer to the ideal loes
oY teaching me to use liquor nstea(
Of abusing it, and throwing around II
safeguards which will be the best 1ol
the cause of temperance. Ihere Is Il,
inherent defect in the scheme, ana II
there he corruption and mal-adlnlnls'
: tration in the enforcing of the dispen'
sarv law 1t is directly traceable TO tne
Legislature and to those who have peer
placed in charge of its execution. in tne
absence of any positive proof OF corrup,
tion we must await with deep interest,"
fbe investigation which is now unuel
way and urge those in charge OF tha'
important work to earnest, thorough
and speedy action. The people belieVe
there is corruption and great dea! OF
it. Very many things go to snow tha'
this belief has good foundation IL tact
We ought to know as soon as posslole
inst what and how far men have been
guilty Of Unlawful behavior.
The suspicion which now hangs ovei
the dispensary like pail will cause
many to hastily vote for itse destruc'
tion. who are still or have been strong
believers in the dispensary system as
means of controlling the sale OF whls
kew. So l would say to the gentlemen
who are in charge of the investigation
that they can do the people of the state
ia great service by lie ting in the hsn
and probing to the bottom. We wan
TO know what is wrong and we cal
then determine how to provide a rem
edy. while the criminal courts will, O
ought to provide punishment for tn'
wrongdoers.
The dispensary law has been unde