The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-08-03
HOW III WORKS.
Impartial View Of The Prohibitions
Experiment as Seen by
MAYORS AND POLICE

Officials Who Live There In Several
CT untles. TIE Experiment
Succeeds In Some and
Fails In Others.
Fifteen Of the al counties In South
Carolina have within the last two
years closed the d%ispensary by popula,
vote under what is known as the
"Brice law" These counties nov
have prohibition, as do the counties o.
Marlboro and Greenwood, which have
" had dispensaries. Wishing tt
obtain q fair, impartial and accurate
idea OF the working Of prohibition
under this system Of limited loca
option, The State sent to Its CORES
pondents in the county seats of the II
counties the following letter:
Please obtain from the sheriff
supervisor and superintendent OF
education of your county and from the
mayor and chief Of police Of your
town q statement as to conditions
since and before tho closing Of the
diBpenBaries in your county, as tC
sobriety, law and order. Ask tho
sheriff and chief Of police particularly
as to the comparative prevalence Of
blind tigers under dispensary and pro
hibition, and also as to the jug
trade. Give impartially the senti.
ment Of the people concerning condi'
ttons before and after voting out the
dispensary, asking each Of these
officials IL he considers that the PEG
pie desire dispensaries reOpened OF
are satisfied with the present situa'
tion." The replies are presented be-
low and they speak for themselves.
sPARTANBURa COUNTY.
Sheriff John M. Nichols states
there Is less lawlessness in the county
and that conditions generally are bet
ter. II do not think that the people
desire the reopening Of the dispeu.
sary. The court records show that
there are not as many blind tigers us
in the days Of the diSpensary."
Ohief OF Police a. b. Dean, of
SpartRnburg, in reply to a question,
stated that there is at present In
Spartanburg prohibition In every
sense of the word. TIE tigers have
been driven out and with Tie excep,
tion Of the pocket trade" there IL at
present practically no Illicit selling OF
whiskey here. The jug trade Is still
heavy, although l think that there
has been q falling of recently" The
conditions aS to law and order anO
Bobriety are better, as the police doc.
ket will show, and for the police de-
partment matters are certainly quiet
er than when the dispsnsaly wal
here. I do not think that the people
generally desire the r%eOpening Of TIT
~dispensary in Spa1tanburg."
Mayor John Il. Floyd, Of Spartan
burg, stated that there was no com
parison between the number Of drunk
and disorderlies which come up befor
him now and the number which cam
up during the oispensary regime
The present administration OF th,
oity'B affairs ia trying to give the PEG
pie practical prohibition and is sue
ceedtng. The general condition O
the town In regard TO law, order AM
Bobriety Ia much better than when tn,
d~ispensary was In Spartanbu,g.'
Mayor Floyd stated that the bllnt
tigers had beer driven out Of buslnos,
INC that they would be kept out.
Inquiry at the express Office In re
gard to the Jug trade resulted In 9
statement being made chat there is 9
slight diminution In the traffic, bul
this was thought TO be owing to the
hot weather. The express Officials
state that there is q regular trade
which varies but little. at times
these shipments amount TO vel 10C
gallon per day. The correspondent
says In the city OF Spartanburg there
are practically no bind tigers, the
Illicit dealers having been driven out
by the city administration and the
Spartanburg force Of State constabu
larry"
CCONEE COUNTY,.
Mayor Jas. Thompson, Of Walhalla,
Hays that there have not been over
half dozen cases before him for
drunkenness since the dispensary was
voted out. When the dispensary was
here be FIRE quently had that many per
week. There are no active tigers In
town. The jug trade is not one-hun
dradth as much as the dispensary sold.
Wants no more ~dispens&ry.
Ohief Of Police Davis, Of Walhalla,
says that law and order and sobriety
have increased at least so per cent.
since the %dispensary was closed. Has
arrested but one man for drunkness In
the last three months. He watches
express for jug trade. When a per.
Bon receives more than q half gallon
per week he must show what he is do
ing with 1t. Have o town ordinance
to that effect. Don't want dispensary.
Prohibition Is o success.
Sheriff VIII Kay says conditions
have improved under prohibition
There are fewer tigers and much less
drunkenness under prohibition than
under the dispensary. Considers
Walhalla the drlest town Of Its size In
the State. Liquor can scarcely be
found here at all. The people over
whelmingly favor prohibition.
Mr.. j. S. Collens, county superin.
tendent OF education, says: "As re.
CARDS the information you desire con.
celning the dispensary and liquor
trafflc before and after the closing OF
the dispensary, l Shall say the condi.
tions are much better since the dis.
penaary closed than they were before.
Nhe order Of cur town is far superior
.oW to what 1T vas under the diSpen.
'Sry system. The majority Of the