Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-18
TILLMAN TN HOT Plight
BATTLING FOB RETENTION OF
THE DIsPENsARY SYSTEM.
Criticised Reundly for Not Keeping
His Hands on Purely
Local Matters.

Senator Tillman is having red-het fight
down in South Carolina He jumped right
out OF the Senate into something hotter In
his own state. Curfously enough, he Is not
opposed for reelection in the primaries
soon to be held, and be win come back to
the Senate for another six years His bat.
tie is with the elements opposing the re-
tention Of the dispensary system FOR the
control OF the whisky traffic.
Senator Tillman cannot keep out of a
fight when one is going, and his answer to
the criticism that he ought to keep his
hands out of local affairs altogether is that
he was a citizen before he became a sena-
tor; that he is still citizen. and expects
to express his views whether some of the
people of the state like it or not.
Originated Dispensary System.
When Senator TilIman first came into
power in South Carolina as governor the
license system of saloons was in existence.
The saloon element opposed Tillman
strongly.
When he looked around for some way to
give his adversaries a blow he thought Of
the dispensary plan and originated it. He
did not believe then that prohibition would
be success. and so he turned the state
into the whisky business He Is now so
strongly opposed to prohibition that he is
denouncing it on every stump throughout
the state. Although he is a teetotaller him
self, using neither whisky nor tobacco, he
asserts that he hates hypocrisy, and that
he knows nothing half 80 hypoeritieal as
prohibition. A curious feature of the situa-
ton is that while he denounces prohibit
ton everywhere some OF his strongest
friends are its supporters.
The fight against the dispensary system
has gone on for years. but it is so close
this time that Senator Tillman Is throw
Ing the weight of his influence toward
the retention of the system. He Is as
sorting from the stump that the pro-
hibitlonists are trying to do away with the
dispensary so as to get prohibition; that
the former saloon men want to do away
with 1t so as to return to the license sys-
tenn, and that the two elements have form
ed an unholy alliance. each expecting, from
Denounces Trial of Prohibition.
Under what is known as the Brice law
about one-tliird of the counties of the state
inimical to the d.spensary system some time
ago voted it out of their borders, leaving
prohibition. 1t is the trial of prohibition IN
these counties that Senator Tillman is de-
nouneng as the greatest farce of modern
times. He declares in speeches that blind
tigers flourish on every hand. and that
thousands of people send their money to
adjacent states for whisky in jugs and bot
ties. He points out that the jug business
eultivates taste for the strong drinks to
the exclusion of the mild and comparatively
Misunderstanding ones like beer and light
wines. thereby, he says. striking blow at
real temperance, which means moderation
in drink and consumption of alcohol
Senator Tillman is without any opponent
for reelection to the Senate. but he has
many enemies, who bitterly dislike him
and denounce the part he is taking in Il
strictly local fight.
South Carolina people state that the cor
ruption that has been detected in the man
agement of the dispensary system has less
ened it's hold with the people, but. it Is pre-
dicted that it will pull through and that
the legislature elected this summer under
Tiilmans advice, will reform the system
so as to minimize the opportunities for
graft.