Goldsboro semi-weekly argus., 1909-08-21
PROHIBITION GROWING
Palmetto State May Go
Dry in Isdays
Election.
Governor TiIlman's State Dispensary
System Was in Force Thirteen
Years and Caused Nc End
Of Trouble.
Of Trouble.


state, which has been half dry ever
since twenty-one of its forty-two
counties voted to close the county dis
pensaries, and which has had the un-
usual experience of being completely
dry for the last two weeks, may be-
come permanently dry, if the twenty
one counties voting on the prohibition
question today should decide against
the reopening of the liquor stores un-
der county supervision.
TOday's election is not a general
election, and the result in each coun-
ty will affect that county alone and
have no effect whatever upon any
other county. The opponents of pro-
hibition are hopeful that many of the
counties voting on the prohibition
question today will decide against
prohibition, preferring to return to
the county dispensary system, an out
growth of the state dispensary sys-
tenn, inaugurated by former Governor,
now Senator, Tillman, shortly after
his election to the governorsEip. The
friends of prohibition. on the other
hand, hope that a large majority of
the counties, taking part in today's
election, will join the ranks of the
dry" counties, thus eliminating per-
manently the dispensary system,
| which has been such a thorn in the
| flesh of the prohibitionists.
The state dispensary system, of
| which Governor Tillman was the ia
ther, was in force thirteen years, and,
during that time, caused no end of
| trouble, corruption, riot and bloodshed
and came dangerously near precipi-
| tating South Carolina into a bloody
| civil war. The corruption of the state
| dispensary officials and various polit-
| ical intrigues were the rocks upon
which the system was wrecked and SO
| great became the antagonism to it
throughout the state that two years
ago the state dispensary law was
killed by small majority in the leg
| islature after one of the storrllest ses-
| sions in it's history.
A half dozen of the officers of the
i state dispensary, charged with receiv-
| ing thousands of dollars in rebates
/ from whiskey houses. are now at lib
erty under bonds ranging from $4,000
to $4,000. Since the Inauguration OF
the county dispensary system there
have been no charges of corruption
Differing from saloons the dlspensa-
ries under the county system were
operated under the control of a coun-
ty board. The bartender, krown az
) a dispenser, was bonded. InCoXicants
were permitted to be sold only in orig
inal packages and no liquor was per
mitted to be consumed on the prem
ises. The dispensaries were opened
| at sunrise and closed at sundown anl
every purchaser had to sign a blanl
: for each purchase, giving his name
age and address. Minors and drunk
/ ards were not allowed to make pur
} chases. All liquor sold in the dispen
) saries had to be chemically pure. Th'
sales of liquor in the twenty-one we
: counties approximated $4,000 900 an
/ nually, giving a net profit of $700,00'
to the counties The loss of this rev
: enue was the principal argument urg
ed by the nti-prohibitionists during
the campaign preceding today's elec
: ton. No matter, however, how tht
election may turn out in the various
counties, all of them will remain DIR.
for at least two weeks more, that is
| until the official result of the election
is announced.