The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1916-01-04
.D|SPENSARY DIES
AFTER LONG LIFE
Nearly 25 Years Ago State
GrOg Business Was
Opened.
SYSTEM KEPT UP Z YEARS.
FINAL Blow Struck by Vote of the
People in September.
Dry Now.

Columbia, January 1.-The uues-
ton OF the abolition of the whiskey
traffic in South Carolina began to be
agitated soon after the redemption
OF the State under Gen. Hampton in
1876, but this early agitation was
tor local option in a few scattered
counties. Special acts of the General
Assembly were introduced and pass
ed permitting "wet" and dry cleo
tons for Anderson, Orangeburg.
Laurens and other counties. The con-
test between the prohibitionists and
license men in some of these coun-
ties was heated. In none of ,hem
Wh!ch succeed in voting out the Ii
censed saloons was prohibition sue
| cessiully enforced in those davs
and after few years most OF them
returned to the licensed s9l0on sys-
EN-
In the Legislature of 1890 a bill
for Statewide prohibition, introdu
ced by late l.. d. Childs. of Ricbland
county developed great strength
and narrowly failed of passage. This
| was the period of inte"a4 division
between the "Tillmanites" and the
"anti-Tillm antics" and aoth factions
included numbers of men on both
SIDES OF the liquor question. Neither
factions, as such, was willing to take
stand on either side of the question.
In 1892 when the contest for gov
ernor was between b. f Tillman
and John C. Sheppard, the State
Democratic executive committe con-
senter that in each precinct sep
arate box should be placed in which
the people at the primary election
might vote as between prohibition
and licensed saloons The total vote
cast for governor at this election was
little less than $4,000, and the vote
on the whiskey question totaled
little more than 10000. the prohibi-
tionists won in the referendum by a.
bout 10000, the vote for license be-
ing about 10000, and that for pro-
hibition about 10000. When the re-
suit became known it was taken for
granted that the Legislature would
enact the Childs bill or one similar
to it. Mr.. Childs did not return to
the Legislature and the new prohibi-
tion bill was introduced in the house
by Mr.. Roper, when the Legislature
met in November. The Tillmanites
or "Reformers" had overwhelming
majorities in both houses. The lead
ers of their faction were afraid of
prohibition. They apprehended that
1t might ~ enacted, cause an increase
or taxation and in other ways divide
the Tillman forces. The Roper bill
was, however, promptly passed by
the house. In the senate a number of
bills bearing on the whiskey traffic
were introduced and at one time it
seemed as though the subject would
1 be so confused in that body that no
! legislation would result. Governor
Tillman already had taken the posi-
tion that the profits of the saloons,
| which hitherto had gone entirely
into the town treasures, should
be divided with the counties so
( he rural section hight share them
Marlboro county at thisi time was dry
with the counties, so that the rural
sections might share in them. Marl-
boro county at this time was dry
as it had been since day preced-
ing the War Between the Sections,
and there may have been one or two
other dry counties.
GOTHENBURG SYSTEM
AS the end of the session of the
dtspensary bill was introduced by
Senator John Gary Evans, then OF
Aiken. The dispensary system. mod
eled upon the Gothenberg system of
Norway, was already in operation in
Athens, Ga. #. Larry CAN'T, then
editor of the Columbia Register, had
lately come to South Carolina from
Athens and 1t was said that he sus-
gested the Athens plan to Govern
or Tiilman. At any rate Governor TIL
Imam became enamored of the scheme
When the bill was introduced in the
senate NO one tot.sst seriously cx4
trept those of the inner connctl8 OF