Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-03
DISPENSARY SYSTEM KILLED
Senator Tillman's Pet Scheme Gives Way
TO Local Option.
GRAFT CHARGES ARE FREELY MADE
Last Campaign the voters Chose n
Legislature Opposed 60 the state
whisky Monopoly The
New Liquor system.

COLUMBIA, s. c. March 2.-The South
Carolina State dlspensary, the govern
mental monopoly Of the whisky trafnc, in
PRODUCED fourteen years ego by Governor
y. r. Tillman, has been abolished. The
system is to be succeeded by local option
as between county dispensaries and pro-
hibition. This week, which is the transit
ton period, prohibition prevails throughout
| the state. BY proclamation OF Governor
Ansel the main state dispensary. with a
stock of $4,000. eighty odd subdispensaries
and sixty odd beer dispensaries were closed.
The proclamation came Unexpectedly, and
as there were private stocks in but few
/ homes. the dryness of the state is of a
kind not familiar in ordinary prohibition
communities. Not drug store in South
Carolina has a pint OF whisky and the
usual blind tigers" were unprepared.
How the New Law Works.
! Under the local option law. known as
| the Carey Cothran law. those counties in
which the state dispensaries had sub
dispensaries will continue the sale Of liquor
until the next general election. But the
management OF the dIspensaries will lie
exclusively in a county board of three, one
member being chosen by the mayor or
mayors OF the town or towns In the county
in which a dispensary is located, one Sc
lected by the school board and one by the
Legislative delegation. This board is TO
take over whatever liquor II wishes from
the state dispensary and continue the bust
ness. The county dispensaries have no cap
ital and the business, at least at the out
set, must be conducted wholly on credit.
The profits are divided between the NUM-
oipality, the county and the school fund.
When the county boards begin buying
new stock they are required TO advertise
for bids for the grades and kinds of LIQUOR
required. These bids are to be sent, sealed
10 the treasurer OF the county. and are at
specified time opened in public by the
board and the contracts awarded. Every
quarter the board must publish in county
newspapers their purchases. with names
OF dealers, quantity and price. No liquor
can be bought from any dealer who main
tains an agency In this state or who solicits
custom In any other manner than pre-
scrfbed by law.
Members OF the county boards as well
' as the dispensers whom they appoint are
heavily bonded, and II Is made a serious
offense for any oficiaI to receive a present
Of any character from liquor agent OF
] dealer or to push any particular brand
6 OF goods" in the dispensaries. It is hoped
E by these precautions to eliminate most Of
E the opportunities for graft, the graft thai
{ brought the state dispensary system into
e such evil notoriety.
stock Exceeds Legal Limits.
week before the abolition of the dis
pensary the governor, acting on the recon-
\ mendation OF the legislature, which in turn
I | acted on a report OF a special committee
j removed from ONCE the board of dispen-
$ sary directors. 1t was found by the Iegis-
r lative. committee that, while the stock IL
: the state dispenssry was limited to $500, 900
s the directors had on hand $4,000 worth o.
8 LIQUOR, besides having large stocks in the
subdispensaries. 1t was also asceTtainec
that in the preceding six weeks the pur
: ohases amounted to $5Oo.oOo. Much Of this
. was bought in violation OF law, which pro-
. vtded that sealed bids be submitted and tn,
Z orders given without the directors knowinl
II the names Of bidders. The legislative com
y mittee developed that one director visited
distillers in Illinois and made one purchas,
without bids being submitted OF $1,000
- An expert estimated that the state wa
. overcharged from $4,000 10 $4,000 on thi
|" one deal, In view OF this revelation all tn
:. directors were removed and prosecution
" will probably follow, as II was recon
:, mended by the legislature. Perhaps $3.50, 90
Is due by the state for liquor recently DUR
chased. This will not be paid until investi
~ cation proves that dealers were not in
3 conspiracy with the directors to overcharg
v for whisky, and 80 be able TO pay tremen
q dous rebates as bonus for the orders re
ceived
Voters support the Plan.
n The downfall of the dispensary Is not du
to recent developments. The legislator
II that overthrow II was elected after
straight tight on the issue before the irree
clarity and illegal conduct of the las
- board was known. It is the culminatio
Of twelve years fight. a fight that was a
he one time supported by not more than
se per cent of the people, and which wa
in finally sustained by 70 per cent. For
p dozen years there has been more or les
general belief in and indefinite charges {
corruption in the dlspensary. As resul
I OF year Of legislative investigation III
board of directors that preceded that while
60 has just been removed was defeated IL
reelection by the general assembly an
the governor ordered the attorney genert
TO prosecute, but the evidence OF curruT
ton was not Of such character that a cas-
he could be legally founded.
a Yet 1t is conceded that through a systei
T. IA o,