The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-08-18
Dlspensary is Best Solution Of
Liquor Question, Says
SENATOR TILLMAN.
II There Is Graft The Men Now Howllng
Against the System Made the Fraud
Possible. Turn Out Rascals II
Located and See that There
is No Recurrence.

The following is the speech Of Sena.
tor Tlllman %delievered by invitation
at Edgetield last Saturday as reported
for The State by Mr.. William Banks:
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Fellow
Oltizsns: 1t is six years since 1 have
had the pleasure Of addressing a pub.
lie meeting in this my homo county.
On that occasion the issue was the
same one which we have today.
The people have passed on this ques.
tion five or six times and settled it by
overwhelming majorities. That year
the aggregate vote for the two candi-
dates who were running as d%ispensary
candidates was %, 600 more than the
prohibition candidate got, but there
are some people In South Carolina who
have never been willing to submit to
the rule Of the majority. They think
they know more, that they are better
than the masses Of the people, that
they have the right to dictate to them
what they shall do. So here we have
again this same old bone of contention
brought forward for politicians to gnaw
on. But why enter upon a discussion
OF this subject.
l propose In response to your ipvit-
alton to discuss the principles undor.
lying 1T, and the wisdom or unwisdom
of the policy which is proposed; but
before l do that l want to have d word
personally with you.
Fifteen years ago by the SURFACES
OF my fellow citizens l was taken from
my farm ten miles below Edgefield
and sent to Columbia to discharge the
duties of chief executive. After four
years absence, with only an occasion
al visit here, L was elected to the I'm
tied States senate and for nearly II
years l have been filing as best L
could the responsible duties Of that
position. These two great offices, the
greatest in your gift, that you have
conferred upon mo, have been sources
Of great qualification to me but my
countrymen they have also caused me
to be an exile from home, thoy have
carried me from among you, you whom
l love better than any people on
earth. / am q stranger in my own
land, and but for a few old men whose
heads are gray or bald | know scarce
ly 20 men in this audience. You all
know me; some feel aggrieyCd If /
don't step forward and call you by
name and shake your hard, but L have
met so many people in 80 many States
that faces pass before me like g panor
anna, ard l cannot longer recognizS
mon. IL Is not becluso | feel any
higher than you, for l am still plain
Ben. Tlllman. l have always regard.
nI tn>uunlf rN,,x oN,ox 49, 49, .-..
master.
TILE PRICE OF SILENCE"
l am here today to discuss this ques
tiOn. Some have said 1t was impropel
and out OF place for a United States
senator to NEEDLE with local affairs.
These men have felt aggrieved because
l Will not consent to shut my mouth
and close my eyes to the condition In
which am as much interested as vol
are, and they have demanded Of MT
the price OF silence. l AMT built tina
way. Thank God | ANT built tina
way. daughter and applause } Wher
l get too coNafdly to stand up in you
midst or anywhere else and speak til,
truth as l see it aud understand il
then l will have become too coward
and worthless to represent Q any
where.
1 know l shall make enemies.
know many OF my best friends are to
day lined up in antagOnism TO tn
liquor system which | devised. 80
aus they have changed am l to sur
render my conviction? again saw
amt built that way. The Office OF Tn
ted States senator is q high and noble
one, but tie Ctllce IL not worth tl(
price which some men demand OF me
Therefore ] am here in answer tC
your invitation to tell you what ]
think, not 10 dict&te-I know you a1e
not built that way, you 90 your own
thinking, and not al | say. What Is
the Issue? How shall we sell luuol
or whether we shall sell it at all? That
Is the whole proposition stated in a
brief sentence.
There are three systems that have
obtained In tho St&tc, not il the State
as o whole, but in paris OF the State,
n Is the license system, the old bar.
room system, the second is the dis
penSary system under which we arc
now working, and the thi q is prohi
billion. The ingenuity OF mar neycl
devised any more than those three
systems for the ltquor control. Whlci
n OF those Is tho bGsi? You have
heard eloquent ald strong arguments
facts III figures as they wuro pre-.
sented in favor Of prohibition.
| confess to you az between prohi.
bition and the barroomB, saloons or
any system Of license, l am q prohjbi.
zionist. But Will prohibition prohi0iti
L say no. These other gentlemen say
yes. Let's give the facts.
AssAILs PROHIBITION,
We had pro- EDITION in Elgeaeld
about 1884 or 1895. When the dry
council WIS elected you could not buy
Whiskoy lawfu'ly in the town OF Edge
field as a beverage; the only way YOU
could buy 1t wa TO get a certificate
from q physician and 10 to some drug
store With the dCctor's prescription, II
you needed some aqua fortis-what
other Latin phrase Go they employ?
a voice: SplriJuCuS furmenti.
Tillman: Some OF YOU fellows who
used 1t rccOlloct, but | have forgotten
the formula. (~Laughte). | know this,
that prohibition in the town Of Edge.
field was q Kissing and a by. word, and
that there was just az much drunk
enness then as there ever had beer
under the saloon system; and certain
physicians who lived In this town then
grew absolutely rich by giving pre-.
NcriDtiOu9 or certificates ~ Iobpcnn