The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-03-20
BID FOR DIsPEHsARY.
PEORIA WHISKEY DEALER Of
EERED TO BUY ENTIRE
STOCK.

VIM. e. Hull of the Famous Clarke
Bros. & Co. Offered to Put Up the
Cash Money-Could Not Be Enter
tanned.
Columbia, March 14.-While the
dispensary commission. did little Ses-
terday except to consider the ac-
counts Of various whiskey houses, as
to their regularity, most stupendous
proposition came up for considera-
ton. The proposition was to sell out
the entire stock at the State dispen-
sary and continue the institution un-
der private management as blending
and bottling plant.
MIR. VIM. E. Hull, president and
general manager o. Clarke Bros &
Co., Of Peoria, ILL.,, appeared before
the commission yesterday afternoon
and submitted the proposition. He
offered to take the entire stock on
hard at cost price to the State and
pay the commission cash for it, pro-
vided the commission would rent
him the State dispensary buildings
and plant and permit him to continue
the business. He would buy whlskey.
syrups, ETC., do his blending here and
sell the goods to the county dispen-
saries or ship them out of the state,
as they might see fit.
AS there is something like s650,Oo0
worth Of whiskey, wine, etc., on
hand at the State dispensary;; 1t VIII
be seen that this would have been
decidedly gigantic deal. It is said
that the proposition appealed to one
or two members Of the commission
for the reason that it offered thena
means of disposing Of the enormous
stock without any loss TO the State
from the purchase price and would
have enabled them to wind up the af-
fairs of the massive rum mill in short
order
Hon. W. f. Stevenson, attorney for
the commission, was not present, hav-
ing been detained at Cheraw on &C
count of the illness Of Mrs. Stevenson,
but Attorney General Lyon was call
ed in ap3 consulted as to the night OF
the commission tc make such a deal.
Mr.. Avery Patl IN, "a member OF
the comnaissin had no authority to
enter into any such contract as pro-
posed, and on his advice the matter
was dropped.
Properly analyzed. this proposition
meant giving Mr.. Hull license to
conduct a, distillery, which the COM.
mission nor any one else has any
right to do under the local option law.
Tt would doubtless prove a bonanza
faS
could have carried it through.
Mr.. Avery Patton. a members OF
the commission, when asked about
the proposition last night said that 1t
failed to appeal to him IN the least
and he was confident from the begin
ming that the commission had no
authority to enter into any sucic deal.
tNo doubt" said Mr. Patton, 1this
scheme would have given us nnore
none for the stock than we Will be
able to realize from it selling it to
the county dispensary boards. but
we are expected to wind this State
dispensary up, and that is what we
VIII dc"
It is said that another proposition
may be made to, the commission to-
day offering to take the stock on
hand and pay spot cash for it, with
out any proviso as to continuing the
business after the stock is disposed
of by the purchaser. An offer Of this
kind is said to have been suggested
by a, prominent whiskey distiller. Seer
dealer and capitalist of New York,
who has been in Columbia for several
weeks. While this woIid not Involve
the question of giving license to con-
duct a blending and bottling business,
as under the other proposal, 1t is
doubted whether the commission
would sell the stock to one firm ana
allow it to make the sales TO the
county dispensary boards.
The county dispensary boards being
forced under. the law to make their
purchases for at least 80 days after
organization from the State dlspen-
sary, the question Of the advisablilty
of giving one Of these whisSey houses
the monopoly which the State com
mission enjoys arises.
No claims Of whiskey houses have
been approved and it is not likely
that any will be approved this week,
there being an immense amount OF
work required in verifying the ac-
counts
Mr.. Stevenson is expected here to-
day and hearings on claims will con-
tinue until all are disposed Of.
In most instances the bonds which
have been submitted by the whiskey
houses with their claims show local
sureties. Each bond is for $4,000.
D,ounfl Of Last