The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-08-14


the dispensary?
There were some members In the
Legislature who favored the proposi-
ton advanced by the Charleston del
egation. that was to let each county
decide for itself as to whether It
would have prohibition. dispensary
system. or high license. That, 1t is
believed. Is local option in its high
est meaning. There are those who
say that even with the passage of a
prohibition measure whiskey legis-
lation will not be ended in this State
and that finally there will be high
license for those cities that wish it.
Conditions make 1t so that for some
places high licenses Is good, while
for others the dispensary system
works better. In the meantime the
counties now wet are to say whether
they will remain wet or vote out the
dispensaries. What is to come after
that IL speculation.
What Of the FIRST week of prohibi-
tion In South Carolina? Very little
has been heard from any of the
counties save Charleston and Rich
land. In Charleston there have been
seizures OF beer and whiskey and the
same has been true in Columbia. In
fact. very large amounN has been
seized here. The question is natural.
Why does one hear Of seizures in
Columbia and Charleston and not of
them in smaller towns and in the
country? The answer Is very easy
There are well organized police and
constabulary forces In Charleston and
Columbia and when they set out tn
raid blind tigers there's usually some
thing doing. There may be just as
much whiskey and beer sold in other
territory now prohibition as in Char
lesion and Columbia In comparison
with the size Of the places, but II IL
harder to catch up with the Offend
ers. Reliable information ia to the
effect that the shipments of whiskey
are about the same as before the pro-
hiAdtion law went into effect. Natu-
rally. too. the shipments could hardly
increase In one week. as there was
q great supply of whiskey already on
hand In this State. a. shown by the
recent raids that have been made. As
. matter Of fact there was more
whiskey and beer seized during the
present week in this city than in the
preceding seven months.
Some of the papers have been cry.
Ing out against the social club evil"
Now some of the clubs are run abso-
iutely according to law. In the city
OF Columbia there are clubs in which
the members would find 1t the hard
est task they ever attempted to break
the law--the fact IL. they just
couldn't DO It. But there is no doubt
that some OF the social clubs are not
run according tG law and these are
the ones the local police have been
after.
AZ stated. very little Mas been said
In the wet territory papers about the
effect of prohibition the first week.
The Sumter Item says: 1.-THE blind
tigers will begin to get busy within
a short time. since the supply
of liquor procured from the dis.
pensary will be exhausted before
many days have elapsed. The vigi-
liant enforcement Of the law will ma
terially help to reduce the deficit in
the city treasury. Keep the tigers OH
the run!''
What about the prohibition breth-
rem In the upcountry? There has been
so much written lately about the en-.
forcement and none enforcement of
the law that some facts and figures
may give enlightenment as far as
they so. The Greenville Piedmont in
a story to the effect that revenue Of
ncers few days ago destroyed a
distillery In the upper part Of Green
vile near Tryon. adds: Hardly a
day passes that the officers do not de-
stroy an Illicit distillery in the upper
part of Greenville county and on the
North Carolina line. When the next
session Of the United States court
convenes here. good sized docket
VIII greet Judge Brawley and District
Attorney Cochran. A number of ar
rests are yet to be made In connec-
uon with the distilleries that have
been destroyed here recently and
these defendants in all probability
VIII be tried at the next term of
court" Surely not all the distilleries