The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-01-04

The State.
The question of the abolition Of the
whiskey traffic in South Carolina be-
gan to be agitated soon after the re-
demDtion of the state under Gen.
Hampton in 1876, but this early agi-
tation was for local option in few
scattered counties Special acts OF
the general assembly were introduced
and passed permitting wet and dr."
elections for Anderson, Orangeburg
Laurens and other counties. The con-
test between the prohibitionists and
license men in some of these counties
was heated. In none Of them which
succeeded in voting out the licensed
saloons was prohibition successfully
enforced in those days and after few
years most of them returned to the
licensed saloon system.
In the legislature Of 1890 bill for
statewide prohibition. introduced by
the late L. D. Childs of Richland coun-
ty, developed great strength and mar
rowly failed of passage. This was the
period of intense factional division be-
tween the "TilImanites' and the "anti-
TilImanites" and both factions includ-
ed numbers of men on both sides Of
the LIQUOR question Neither faction,
as such, was willing to take stand
on either side of the question. In 1892
when the contest for governor was
between B. r. ITillman and John c..
Sheppard, the state Democratic eXecu-
tive committee consented that in eacn
precinct a separate box should be
placed in which the people at the prl-
mary election might vote as between
prohibition and licensed saloons. The
total vote cast for governor at this
election was a little less than $4,000
and the vote on the whiskey question
totaled a little more than 10000. The
prohibitionists won in the referendum
b. about 10000, the vote for license be-
irg about $4,000 and that for prohlbl-
ton about 10000. When the result be-
came known it was taken for granted
that the legislature would enact the
Childs bill or one similar to 1t. MI
Childs did not return to the legisla-
ture and the new prohibition bill was
introduced by Mr. Roper, when the
legislature met in November. The Till
NANTES or "Reformers' had over
wnelming majoTities in both houses.
The leaders of their faction were afraid
of prohibition. They apprehended that
i might, if enacted, cause an increase
of taxation and in other ways divide
the Tillman forces. The Roper Dill
was, however, promptly passed by the
house. In the senate a number OF
bills bearing on the whiskey tramc
were introduced and at one time II
seemed as though the subject would
be so confused in that body that no
legislation would result. Gov. Till
man already had taken the position
that the profits of the saloons, which
hitherto had gone entirely into the
town treasures, should be divided
with the counties, so that the rural
sections might share in them. MARI
boro county at this time was dry,
as it had been since a day preceding
the War Between the Sections, and
there may have been one or two otner
dry counties,
Gothenburg System.
AS the end of the session OF the
general assembly approached the dis
pensary bill was introduced by Sena-
tory John Gary Evans, then of Aiken.
The dispensary system, modelled upon
the Gothenburg system Of Norway, was
already in operation in Athens Ga. T.
Larry CAN'T, then editor of the Colum-
bia Register, mad lately come to South
Carolina from Athens and it was said
o. he suggested the Athens plan to
Tillman At any rate Gov. Till
became enamored Of the scheme.
b the bill was introduced in the
n'SS SSno one took it seriously except
the inner councils of the Re-
ers, but it was said that the Re-
members of the general assem-
or some of them, held a caucus
decided that it should be enacted.
measure came up in the senate
discussion at time so close to
day fixed for adjournment that 1t
impracticable to give it three
dings in both houses. The prohi-
6ft1on bill already passed by the house
had come over to the senate and the