The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-10-09
SENATOR TIEIMAN SAYS he Is
NOT RESPONSIBLE

FOR DIsPENsARY GRAFT
10 Maintains That Tinkering With
the Old State Dispensary Law By
the legislature Has Been the Cause
of the Official Corruption that Fin
ally Destroyed the System.
The following letter b. Senator
TiI,map to W. Il. L. McLaurln OF
Latta, Is given to the press IS Sena'
) tor Tillnan's defense and explanation
os tha oft-repeated charge that he is
Z responsible for the corruption Whicn
Is te:ie7eS to have been bred oy the
d;slsnsary system:
Trenton, S. c., Sept. %, 1919.
Mr.. ". H. L. McLaurin, Latta, S. e.
MIR. Dear Sir:-Your letter OF Sop
teuoer II came in due course OF mali
and I have read it several times very
carefully. You say, I'VE conceae
ecu every honesty OF purpose. out tne
facts stand out against you, too ptslE
10 deny, that. you are the palernai
ancestor OF both the dispensary ana
BIeassism. Both OF these isns' will
ha handed down in history when you
,,6 have both been gone to the
Judgment, as the greatest curses IN
the history Of our great common
weairh. And am sincere in saying,
senator. that you will have no great
ar sin 20 answer for in. that great
Ssy than the two mentioned above
As there are two counts IN yo3
Indictment against NE, will dispose
OF. the dispensary Indictment trst:
may discuss the one about Bieaseism
;ater, although have alread pointed
out tie difference between Baeaseism
and Tillmanism.
a great many people in South Car
dina have been taught and believe
re;isiously that I am responsible TOT
the dispensary law, and hold II
AGAINST me as a crime against the
people of the State. I did originate
the law and to that extent am re-
sooasible. But many people still De-
lieve it the best whiskey law ever
conceived. The law as 1t was Wr1tten
by me and enacted by the legislature
provided that the governor, the attor-
rev general and the comptroller gen
erai should ex-of6cio constitute the
State soard of control, and perform
all the duties Of the board, to wit:
bny the supply Of liquors for the dis
pensary. appoint the dispensers, ana
in every way superintend the ousi-
ness. I made thorough study OF tne
wh;skey business from start to nnlsa
and found out about its manufacture,
manipulation and adulteration- !
.rssd everything / could get on the
snbiect. made inquiries Of distiilers,
wholesalers ana retailers, investtgat-
ed Sottling works, anu -" out aii
about the manufacture Of beer, how
II Is brewed, and how whiskeys are
sIepde6 or mixed. learned that CO.
5 logre spirits or deordorized alconol
Is tie basis Of nearly all liquors SOLD
In tSis country; and ! was perhaps
! The best posted nan on the suo1ect
In the State.
Did Work Well.
Tie law worked well under this
srstsn,, and there was no Just or
even reasonable complaint OF corrup-
ton while was in the governors
ONCE. There were, of course, char
res of rebates; and there will always
he charges against an unpopular law,
and those who administer It. Men
viii always find something to COM
main Of. The barroom element and
their friends fought the law bitterly
and they received aid and comfort in
rery marked degree from the anti
TElmanites, solely because OF their
political animosity. So bitter was tne
fsct;ona,ism in 1892 and 1894 that
could do nothing right, no matter
how hard ! tried. My enemies were
aiyays lying in wait to pick flaws
End find fault. Not q sc!ntilla OF
evidence was ever produced to show
that ever got rebates; and only the
meanness and venom Of my political
enemies led to the accusations being
made. retorted on my accusers that
they thought I stole because II they
had had the chance / did they would
haye done 80, and they could not
noss,bly conceive how q man could
be honest under such temptation and
cnpcrtunities. I explained that the
reason ! did not collect for the State
the rebates allowed by the Mill Creek
p!stilIing Company, from whom
bought many thousands Of dollars
worth OF whiskey and other liquors,
that I did not want to have anything
to do with rebates. The Mill Creek
Distilling company had credited the
State, and sold it over $4,000 worth
Of LIQUORS, largely on its confidence In
n,- personal integrity. agreed with
M. Hubbel Of the Mill Creek Distill-
ing company. that the company should
get all the rebates allowed by the
trsst, as a bonus for its liberality IN
dealing with the State. Without this
credit the dispensary never could
have started, as only $4,000 had
been appropriated by the legislature,
and nearly all OF this was spent in
EEing up the agricultural hall to run
the business.
The law was being fought very Bit
tsS!y In the courts and otherwise.
The bitterness was produced and kept
alive By the bowling OF The News and
Courier and The State newspapers,
mainly, and the others yelping IN
= chorus. So bitter was the feeling in
the State, and to such high degree
of. passion had the newspapers fan
ned the fame of opposition to the dis
pensary, that it led to the Darlington
riot. Factiona!ism was 80 bitter at
the time Of this riot that civil war
between the townspeople and the
country people seemed imminent.
Changed the Law.
When left the governors Office
the machinery Of the dispensary had
not been fully completed Or tried.