The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-03-13
Turn on the Light.

Had the Legislature passed the
Raysor-Mannins Bill before the last
election the people would have stood
by the State Dtspensary by q large
majority. The enemies Of the State
Dispensary knew this, and that is
the reason why the House of Repre-
sentatives refused to pass the puri-
flcation measure. The State Dispen-
sary as originally designed was al
most graft proof, but it had been so
changed by the Legislature that
graft became an easy matter in its
management. The Raysor-Manning
Bill would have put the institution
back where Senator Tillman put it
when he designed it, but the prohi-
bitionists, the County Dispensary ad-
vocates and the high license or bar
room element in the Legislature by
acting together prevented the pas
sage Of the Raysor-Manning Bill
and thus prevented the publication
of the State Dispensary. They claim
ed that the State Dispensary could
not be reformed.
It must be admitted that there
was considerable graft in the man
agement of the State Dispensary,
and the Legislature must be given
credit for turning out the old board
Of directors and electing q new onet
but the House OF Representatives
refused to do what the friends Of
the State Dispensary asked them to
do. which would have made the
State Dispensary graft proof. When
the new board of directors was el-
ected It was hoped that its members
would 80 act that there would be no
ground for the slightest suspicion
OF any wrong doing on their part,
but unfortunately this was not the
CaSSy dUu FSlJ SoSA oASoA Wv A~SoHS
lature met committee investigated
them and the Legislature unant-
nously recommended that they be re-
moved from Office, which to his Gre
dit be 1t said Governor Ansei very
promptly did. The revelations
brought out by the committee DOOM
ed the State Dispensary,
It was brought out by the COM
mittee that Ar. Black. one Of the
mem bers of the State Board OF Dis
pensary Directors, had placed 2 very
large order with one whiskey house
under very peculiar circumstances.
In repo1 ting their findings the COM
mittee aaid in reference to the case
mentioned above that they found
that Mr.. John Black, member Of
the Board Of Directors. purchased q
large amount Of liquor amounting
to about one thousand six hundred
barrels, from Clarke Brothers & Sons
|sof Peoria, ILL.,, Black making the pur-
chase in person at Peoria. The COM
mittee went on to say that the IL
Quor thus purchased by Mr.. Black
from Clark Brothers & Sons at $3.50
to sl.75 per gallon, is very infer
ior quality OF liquor, being what is
known as high wine, and it is not
worth more than s1.33 to $1.35 per
gallon and can be bought In the
market at that price.
Mr.. Norfolk, the blender at the
State Dispensary under the old sys-
tenn, testified that the rye Whiskey
purchased Of Clarke Bros. & Sons,
was nothing but "ehlogne spirits
worth but s1.S2 per gallon in the
market, whereas the State Of South
Carolina was expected to pay from
$3.50 to S1.75 per gallon, notwith-
standing the fact that the single Or
der aggregated nearly 100000. He
declared that the corn purchased Of
this firm was about as cheap whis-
key as one could buy, and was worth
about S1.s3, while the State was to
pay $3.50 for 1t. According to these
figures it appeared that the State
paid about thirty thousand dollars
too much for this one order. 1t was
Just such transactions as this that
caused the downfall Of the State Dis
pensary.
This matter should be probed by
the commission appointed to wind
up the affairs Of the State Dispen-
sary. Let the commission hold up
all the bills of Clarke Brothers &
Sons until this transaction is sifted
to the bottom. They should be fore
ed to tell how much they were to
pay for this large order and to whom
If 1t should develop that some dis
pensary Official was to get this rake
of he should be prosecuted to the
full extent Of the law. Lot an e1-
ample be made Of some old State
..Aspensary official II he has been
dishonest, and it Will have most
wholesome effect on the officials OF
the County Dispensaries throughout
the State. If the dispersary system
is to stand it must be conducted
honestly from top to bottom.
Inc rensIon Army.
The Oldest member Of the Gran
,rmy or the Republic, William
-ed 106, is dead, and the