The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-10-09

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seven counties per annum has reach
ed the enormous sum Of S2,500,00C
in round numbers. The prohibition
wave which swept over the State ha:
so far subsided that blind tigers are
to be found everywhere, even in these
dispensary counties. They have al
ways existed in Charleston, though
had won the fight against them afte!
the Darlington riot, and only the dec
iaration by the supreme court thai
the law was unconstitutional kept
them alive.
I will recapitulate for your oenen'
and quote from my last message 70
the general assembly:
The Law Unconstitutional.
Two weeks after the Darlington
riot the supreme court, TO the sur
prise and disgust Of large majority
Of the people, declared the act OF
1892 unconstitutional. The effort to
enforce the law OF 1898 had brought
On rfot-r;ot had resulted in blood
shed and insurrectioE; but the law
had triumphed and order been
promptly restored, so that We had
every reason to feel, and, in fact
here was every evidence to show,
that the fight was won, and men were
ready to yield obedience and cease to
obstruct the law-not willingly. but
from necessity and fear. I had by
proclamation taken control Of the
municipal police throughout the
State, under section 519, G. S., and
ordered constables to conf1ne them.
selves to seizures OF liquor in transit
and to watching the authorities OF
the towns and cities. Conferences
were held with the mayors Of those
where the Illicit sale OF
.:quor had been most fragrant, and
everything pointed to a satisfactory
solution OF the vexed question, and a
luiet and efficient cooperation be-
tween the coustables and the police
Cor the enforcement Of the law. But,
alas! All my work Of nine months
was undone in an instant. The whis-
Key dealers, who had closed their
doors or were preparing to- quit or
!eave the State, opened up their bars
in grand style. Bonfires were kin
died in Charleston and a triumphal
procession, headed by a wagon con-
tanning q whiskey barrel, garlanded
with flowers, paraded the principal
streets Of the city. The opinion by
the court was Illogical and strained,
and 80 muddy that no one knew or
could say just what was the status
established by It. In supplemental
Ease brought before them, the two
Judges who had united in the decis-
:on declared that the act of 1892 was
all dead letter, except the provision
prohibiting the issuing of licenses;
that we had in effect prohibition,
rick-ribbed and steel-hopped.
While the decision was on the act
of 1892, ! knew the same general
principles underlay both acts, and
that if one was unconstitutional the
other must be also. I therefore or
dered all the dispensaries tc be clos
ed, stock to be taken and all accounts
20 be adjusted as soon as possible.
As two dispensaries were broken
into and robbed the night after, Or
Tered the dispensers to sleep in them
and guard the States property, and
offered them one-half pay for this
work and for the responsibility under
their bonds till the matter was finally
disposed OF. I fully anticipated a
case being brought under the act OF
1893 and decision Of like nature to
he first, and as I had put forth all
my energies to make men obey the
law, I felt compelled to obey it my
seif-although / felt, as did most Of
che people. that the decision was an
outrage and the result Of partisan
bias. 1t would take too much time
and space to give my reasons for this
opinion, but will mention that the
Judge Of the United States court and
ave Of our eight circuit judges had
sustained the constitutionality of the
law, and the supreme court itself in
he Chester case had declared it was
. police regulation and not revenue
measure.
To Thwert the Court.
But while I obeyed what thought
was the law under the decision CT the
court, resolved to thwart the court
If could. and, every effort was put
forth to prevent the act Of 1898 from
coming before the court as it vas
then constituted. In the meantime
1e had a whiskey deluge. During the
period from July /, 1898, when the
dispensary law went into effect. to
April 81, 1894, when 1t was suspend
ed. 277 United States retail licenses
were issued. In the time the dis
ensaries were closed, April 81 to Au-
gust !, 1,174 were issued. All the
I'D dealers, those who had left the
6 ate and those who remained, laid in
stocks. Men who had never sold Ii
iuor went into the business and at
every town, hamlet and crossroads.
almost, whiskey could be bought with
nc effort at concealment.
Left Too Soon.
left the Office Of governor too
soor. If I had continued in control.
there Is no doubt I would have had
the law amended to prevent the pos
sibility Of fraud in the purchase o:
whiskey and the odium thereTrom.
The peculiar thing about the mem
bers Of the State board elected by the
Is this: The general as
sembly never went outside Of its own
mem bership except in one or two in
stances. 1t is a e-ave reflection OF
the people OF the State that so many
legislators who were alleged to be
corrupt have been chosen to conauc:
the affairs Of the dispensary. It is
that after vainly trying to
destroy the dispensary by popular