The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-07-11
l. SUMTER. S. c.. WEDNESDAY. JULY
Gated, the supervisor of the county


ty, and one man appointed by the
governor. The county dispenser
should be removable by the governor
for cause. The State board Of control
ought to be elected by the legislature,
but its duty should be confined to
general direction and supervision Of
the business, the same as the peniten-
tiary. and Hospital for the Insane are
run. It should not purchase any wlais-
key or anythink else required in the
business. Everything required, in
Guiding the whiskey, should be bought
under annual contracts made as fol-
low: After the State commissioner has
advertised in the manner prescribed
by law (and this ought to be very
clear and specific, leaving nothing to
the discretion of any one, and going
fully into details) the bids should be
opened in public by three men select
ed just before the date fixed by the
governor and the contract made with
the lowest bidder by the year for the
supplies to be ordered out by the
commissioner as nedeed. These three
men are to serve only once, and an
nually there shall be three new men
chosen to MAKE the contracts. The
bidders will not know who will make
the awards and, therefore, cannot en-
ter into collusion in advance, and even
should the governor, which is incon-
ceivable, be willing to select a board
which would act corruptly, the speci-
fcations Of the biding made with min
uteness and the publicity would pre-
vent any graft.
No whiskey or liquor should be pur-
chased except from government bond
ed warehouses. In the case Of wines
and beer the brewers should alone
furnish the first direct from the brew
Leries, and the small quantity Of the
other used could be hedged about in
the advertisement so as to insure hon
esty and the purest and best article.
For the information Of those who are
not posted I will say that the govern
ment bonded warehouses are under
the control Of the United States inter
nal revenue officials entirely and whis-
key deposited in them comes directly
from the still, and the owner is not
permitted to manipulate it or handle
it in anyway until the tax is paid and
it is removed. We thus get a guaran-
tee of absolute purity without chem
ica1 analysis and such liquors are as
much staple articles Of commerce as
corn, wheat Or bacon. It is the blend
ed and rectifed whiskeys that are
adulterated and where the cheating
comes in. The blending and mixing
could be done in the State dispensary,
where there would be no incentive to
increase profits by adulterations, be-
sides the law would provide severe
penalties for that kind OIL thing.
The county dispensers. being elected
by the people, will be anxious to
please the people as they Will be beat
en- at the polls if they do not do their
duty. The county board chosen as in
dicated will be responsible to the peo-
pie also, with every incentive to give
good administration. The whiskey
purchased in that way Will be as pure
and as good as can be obtained under
any possible conditions, and there is
absolutely no way in which corruption
can creep te, if there is the least eff
fort on the part of the people and the
governor to prevent it. :
SIaps at the Governors.
The trouble with the dispensary
now is that our governors have neg
lected their duties and have not kept
supervision over the workings of the
local dispensers and the State board.
People are Rightly Disguised.
The people are disgusted and they
have a right to be, but the one crime
which they should not forgive is the
failure of the last legislature TO change
the law so as to prevent any further
stealing and to restore the dispensary
system to its original purpose, that Of
controlling whiskey and minimizing
the evils inseparable from its sale and
use. The enemies Of the dispensary
were bent on killing it, and the COM
bination of political and other in
f1uences in the House having failed
in that, compelled the election of
new board because they. refused to
change the law and continued all OF
the old and proven evils. 1t was the
most glaring betrayal Of the peoples
interests that I have ever known re-