The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-07-24
WHOLESALE TIGERS MUST GO.
Mayor Rhctt Of Charleston is Deter
mined Drive Out Illegal Import
nm the News and Courier.

From the News and Courier.
Many people in puolic Office and on
the streets We're commenting yester-
day upon the new method OF attack
which the municipal authorities have
recently adopted in the fight against
the wholesale importation Of liquor.
All citizens who have followed the
fight which the city has made against
the Wholesale importation Of whiskey
know, perhaps, that this fight has
been attended with but i'll success.
The importers devised many meth
oos Of getting in their stuff through
the common carriers, and it was soon
realized that some new plan would
have to be tried. With the wholesale
importers out Of business it is be-
Iieved that the retailers. the small
dealers, can be handled with compa-
rative ease.
Mayor Rhett, in speaking further
Of the tiger situation yesterday, said:
s'In my conversation with the News
and Courier Wednesday morning l
did not mean to intimate that l pro-
posed to relax my efforts to suppress
the sale Of liquor by blind tigers; on
the contrary, I propose to take such
steps as I believe will very corsidera-
bly, curtail such sales.
There have been large Illegal I'M,
portations of liquor into the city
which importations I have been en-
deavoring to stop in every conceiva-
BILE way I found them all ineffective
and I am determined to attack these
wholesale importations through the
purchasers and receivers of the liquor
by concentrating the efforts Of the po-
lice. department upon that class first
and foremost.
.sSome persons appear to have con-
strued my remarks as quoted Wednes-
.dav morning as meaning that blind
tiger might secure immunity by pur-
chasing supplies from the dispensary,
which, Of course, is not the case"
Continuing, Mayor Rhett said:
cat present three or four wholesale
dealers are making fortunes in bring
ing in liquor and selling it not only to
blind tigers, but to parties for person
al use, while the city dispensary
board, although it has endeavored to
lay in stock of liquor to suit all
classes and states that it is making
these sales at very low figures, is do
ing comparatively little business.
by concentrating first upon these
blind tigers who are breaking the law
not only through Illegal sales, but IL
legal importations, I believe the best
result can be obtained.
Gas long as wholesale dealers are
operating freely in the city it is going
to be impracticable to curtail retail
sellers. The topography Of the city is
such that l have found it impractical
BILE to materially check this illegal
importation by guarding the stations
of the transportation companies.
"The law does not permit US to
hands of the consignee. We have
men detailed on horseback to follow de-
livery wagons; we have men at each Of
the railway stations; at the Express
Company. and at the Clyde Steamship
Company's dock, but in spite of it all
the illegal importations have not ma
terially decreased.
"In fact, as soon as one method of
importation is discovered another is
devised, and after several months
trial I have concluded to attack the
situation in a different way. Whether
this will be more effective in reducing
the blind tiger business will soon be
evident If it does not I shall have
to adopt another, but I do not pro-
pose to spare any efforts to decrease
the business of the blind tigers in the
CITY,"