The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1913-05-21
ASKS RESIGNATION
OF CONSTABLES
Gov. Blease Says there is No Further
Need of Their Services after De-
cree of Supreme Court.

afternoon, Gov. Blease said this af- |
ternoon there was no use for him to |
continue to keep State constables in
operation and he addressed letter to |
his constables, telling them that he |
would have no use for their services |
after the 1st of June.
There is no statute by the State pro-
hibiting the Importation of liquor from
another State for personal use, and
the Webb Act gives the State the
right to enact such statute if it so
desires is the opinion of the South
Carolina Supreme court.
When asked about the decision of
the Supreme Court in the Webb case,
and it's effect upon his policy, the
Governor said:
well, Of course, I am not surprised
at the decision. However, | regret
as much as it is possible for man
to regret that the Court saw fit to rer
der this decision If that was the
Courts idea Of the law, / wish it had
done as it has done in thousands of
other cases, held up the decision and
delayed and delayed.
81 have had more trouble and worry
in the last two or three months with
complaints as to blind tigers than one
poor fellow can stand. | have had my
| constabulary force full, my detectives
at work, and recently counties have
been calling on me to send them spe-
cial men, and | have been tightening
the screws. / had presumed that the
Attorney Generals views would be i
sustained, or if not, that the members
of the Court, who presume are pro
hil'itBoasts 'cdrtanIy Politically, if
not otherwise-the majority of them
would help me out in this fight, by
holding the decision even as it was
rendered, until / could get the situa-
tion somewhat in hand
But 10. and behold, they shoot the
decision back with lightning-like rap |
idity and ,"ey say to the blind tigers,
ON with the dance, boys the music
will be furnished
Now, it is up to the people to curse
and abuse me, for enforcement Of
the law, when everybody knows | am
helpless and no power on earth can
enforce the dispcnsary law in this
State, and keep down the blind tigers /
so long as white men furnish the iq-
uor and have free negroes to sell it /
for them and then go around to law
yers' Offices and hire lowycrs to de- /
fend these negroes and at the same
time whisper to the lawyers, don't let
me be known in connection with the
matter
81 am not critci2ing the Court ] |
accept their decision as the law, but
as they have delayed in so many other
matters, wish they had delayed just
a little while in this.
His Only Course.
81 see nothing for me to do now but
to withdorw my constabulary from
Charleston and Columbia and all over
the State. There is no use for people !
who pay tayes to pay cOnstables and
detectives under any such conditions
as we are living under right now, and
it certainly is dishcrtening to a man
who has done all he could to try to /
enforce the law. And. ] hope the peo-
pie will understand that when the /
blind tigers are roaming over their
communities that it is not the fault OF
the Governor of South Carolina. III
parties will write me | will take the
matter up and do the best | can, and
if they will go to a magistrate ond
make afiidavits as to the illicit sale of
liquor | will see that the magistrates
do their full duty but under the law
of personal use l do not see how we
can sie2e any shipments
You Can Never Tell.
"Now, for instance, | know two men
that drink quart Of liquor a piece
every day. Now, when they get case
every ten or fifteen days who can say
1t is not for personal use? 1t is for
their personal use ] know other men
who drink a moderate amount of liQ-
uor, but they have friends TO drink
with them. Some do not enjoy drink /
ing by themselves; they want some
body to drink with them and they will
go and call in a friend, and they con
sumo a great deal of whiskey and will
say il is for personal use Now where