Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-08-18
TILLMANS
PROPOSED REMEDY.
Wants to Return to The
Original Plan.
MAKE THE GoyLRSuR RESPONSIBLE.
Would Have the State to Buy Years
Supply Of Whisky at Time, and
3 Would Have the State Treasurer
Chief Justice Of the Supreme Court,
and Speaker Of the House Of Flsp.

Would Have the State Treasurer,
Chief Justice Of the Supreme Court,
and Speaker of the House of Rep.
resentatives Supervise the Opening
Of Bids.
There was big gathering Of the
farmers Of Anderson county at An
derson last Wednesday, on account
of barbecue, and number. OF
speeches. In all there were about
1000 people present. and 4s head of
cattle and hogs were slaughtered for
the barbecue. Messrs. E. D. Saith.
F. H. Hyatt and other officers of the
Southern Cotton association. who had
been invited failed to come on time,
and the programme was somewhat
disorganized. Several speeches we're
made during the morning under the
auspices of the Farmers Union and
in the afternoon the field was free.
Ex- Congressman Talbert made a pro-
hibition speech and Senator Tillman
read a carefully prepared address on
the dispensary. 1t was as follows:
"I think the facts will warrant me
in claiming that I know as niuch
or more about the dispensary and
about the liquor traffic In general
than any other one man In the state.
The law was enacted in December,
1892, and went into effect the LIST
of July following. During this in-
terval / examined most thoroughly
into the whole question and gave the
administration Of the proposed sys-
tenn the most earnest thought.
Everybody predicted failure and 1
was most anxious that tine exper,-
ment should succeed. For q year
and a half I administered the law
almost alone and / therefore had the
fullest opportunity, both by observa-
ton and experience, to find out It's
good and bad points and above all,
| its weakness The original draft and
much that Is still in the law waS the
work of the prohibition committee,
and only such changes were male In
the bill as 1t passed the house as
were evidently necessary for the
changed purpose to which the law
was to be devoted. At the next ses-
sion of the legislature my efforts
were devoted entirely to strengshen-
| ing the statute so as to prevent and
nunish the Illicit sale OF liquor.
gave no thought to safeguarding the
state against fraud In its administra-
ton except In the rules and reguia-
tions because I did not then believe
and I do not now believe that the
state of South Carolina could elect
three men to the highest responsive
offices Of governor, comptroner gen,
eral and attorney general VINO Wouio
i ~ IntGVeo.
During the IL years that the system
has been on trial the law has been
changed time and time again. But
INV opinion and advice have had no
weight. The first bad blunder, was
taking the law out Of the hands OF
man elected by the people ana put
ting n into the hands OF board
elected by the legislature. The next
mistake was taking the appointment
| of the county board out OF the
hands of the state board ana hvlns
| II to the delegation In the iegisiaturs
from each county. The state BOARD
is no longer directly responsible 10
the people and there is no way 10 get
at Il unless the governor should ex,
ercise his implied power OF removal.
The county board Is no longer re-
sponsible to the, state board because
A. does not depend upon that board
for that appointment and Is not re-
sponsible to that hoard except IN u
way, bu looks to the legislative dele
CATION. Temptations that the govern,
or and other high state omclais Woui9
have been expected TO Wlths'anu s
| the boards elected by the legislature;
The administration by the state board
has been lax and altogether censur-
able. IT has allowed some OF the
most valuable restrictive features OF
the law to fall into disuse-nliine
ont request blanks, selling to minors,
drunkards, etc. There has been no
executive head with power 10 see
that the law was administered III
good faith and the county poaTus
have too often allowed impropeI III
motives' TO govern In electing dis
pensers. a t.,-s
Most Farreaohins Actions.
"one <of the most farreaching and
destructive actions Of the state board
was the change In the manner or puy-
| ing Hquor from that which was hsu
tuted in the beginning: To VIZ: !ne
purchase Of whisky to be SOLO u's uhuer
the brand and name ana IN tne paon
ages of the seller. The original sche.he,
which has the soundest reasons IN
good business Judgment for Its inaugur-
alton, provided no LIQUOR except Una.
hought in barrels and bottled at the
dispensary and labelled x, Xxx, AhA'
xxx, according to age and qualfty.
All of the bottles sold through the dis
pensary were Of full proof as designat,
ed on the label and all were sealeo
tightly with the best sealing wax Tne
prices were put on card and nung IN
the window, so that there could De no
cheating Of the purchaser by the dis
nensers Case goods were sometimes
bought, but only upon special orders OF
individuals. They were not kept In
stock. Let US see what decentralization
has been wrought by the departure
from this policy. The first years OF
the dispensary's existence the local dis
pensers were not approachable by any
man In the whisky trade because no
one knew where the liquor came from
and there was no chance to bripe or
corrupt a local dispenser to push any
special brand. No cases were either
shipped directly to the dispensers In
the packages from the distillery, so
there was no chance to put In extra
bottles as bribes. Everything went
from the state dispensary. All cases
were Of uniform size, one for quarts,
one for pints and one for half pints,
and they held a given number OF DOL
ties. The liquor was sealed hermeti-
cally. There was no chance to change
labels or alter bottles. The request
books prevented that and the governor
was In the closest touch with every cog
and wheel in the machinery. l had
detective who watched the constables
and who reported to me alone whether
or not they were In collusion with
blind tigers. / had another detective
who watched the dispensers to see
whether they were complying strictly
with the law and regulations. Whisky
drummers hanging around the hotels
In Columbia to get chance to sell
whisky were unknown, and the agents
Of whisky concerns travelling over the
state and getting In close touch with
the local dispensers for the purpose or
corrupting them were also unknown,
and the condition Of affairs disclosed
by the Spartanburg investigation was
simply an impossibility.
Some Of the Temptations.
What are some of the temptations
which seem to have been too great for
the state board of directors to resist?
Purchasing whisky as II has been done
left opportunity for collusion. This
man or that on the board receiving
money as compensation for purchasing
from a given concern. The state COM
,oissioner Subjected to the temptation