The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-07-11

tigers and heavy jug trade by express.
Other counties will vote for county
dispensaries and the cities where the
principal newspapers are published
will have the fight on the issue of
State dispensary or county /dispensary,
with the ultimate purpose of having
the county dispensaries turned into
licensed bar rooms if the county dis
pensaries are abolished. The scheme
is to restore the sale Of liquor to pri-
vate individuals rather than let it re-
main in the hands of State officials.
Those who clan1or for county dispen-
saries instead of one State dispensary
must demonstrate how it is easier to
prevent corruption among the thirty
or forty county boards than to stop it
in one State board. I have great
faith in the good common sense of the
people, and do not believe they can be
persuaded to destroy the State dispen-
sary, and leave each county to pur-
chase and sell its own liquor. Yet the
State and News and Courier, which
have always hated the dispensary
.s.Worse than the devil hates holy wa
ter"
are advocating candidates who favor
county dispensaries. The only possible
good reason that can be advanced on
this line is that the prohibition coun-
ties under the Constitution receive a
part of the profits which arise from
the sale of liquor in other counties.
This as unjust, as everyone must ac-
knowledge, but 1T can be remedled
very easily by having the State dispen-
sary make no profits other than a few
thousand dollars above its running ex-
penses, thus leaving the counties and
the towns TO divide the profits between
them. This can easily be done and
when we consider the expense OF buy
ing LIQUOR in retail quantities and pay
ing local freights on 1T instead of buy
ing carload lots and paying through
freights the county dispensary cannot
stand the comparison. But this is not
the greatest objection.
The leakage or stealage in bottling
of liquor at each county dispensary
would be immense, and I know Of no
way that it could be prevented, nor,
do know any by which it would be
possible to prevent the whiskey being
watred. bottles ref1lled, relabeHed and
other schemes of making money dis
honestly, if the system were adopted.
It is not possible to prevent it and
do not thi..k any sensible man who
considers the question will seriously
contend that it is. Even if one-half
of the counties in the State should
adopt the prohibitio4ablind tiger-5ug
trade programme it would be better,
more econ omical. and there would be
less possibility Of corruption and pecu-
lation in the purchase and handling of
liquor in the other dispensary coun-
ties, if the buying, bottling and ship
ping should be done at one central de-
pot, instead Of in each county.
Jumps on Charleston.
1t must not be forgotten, because 1t
was the understanding (and a bargain
was made during the fight in the Leg
islature last winter against the State
dispensary) that the ultimate purpose
is to have Charleston wholesale liquor
dealers supply the county dispensaries
as we'll as the jug trade by express in
dry counties. and while this would be
better than to have this liquor ship
ped in from North Carolina and Geor-
gia, as it row is, because it would keep,
the money at home, do not believe
that the people of the State are now
willing, or will ever be willing, to see
the State dispensary destroyed. with
the inevitable result that liquor sell
ing will gradually go back to the old
system Of private control. would be
glad to have Charleston prosper, but
It is not The loss of the liquor trade
that has hurt Charleston. Other
things are to blame.
The issue between private control
and control by State officials must
hinge at last on. the question of
whether or not the people Of South
Carolina shall determine that We can
not find honest men enough to carry
on the dispensary system and devise
laws to make those who are dishonest
afraid 7 say we can do not believe
that every man who handles whiskey
must becdme thief. I believe that
the people only need to see and know
that the dispensary system can be re-