"!" vSKSbSw & OAJHEKB. I ^>w**p miwiiii i m > 1 " 1 ? ? h>l i- VVEKKLY Senator Tillman's Attitud< Toward the Dispensary? His Views Given at Length Greenville, July 3.?Spacia to News uud Courier: It har been accepted that Senator Till man would discuss the dispen sai'y law and situation atjlon Rtl in his speech hero tomorrow But this he will not do, hi views being fully set forth it his letter which i3 made_publii today. The letter possesses far reaching political significance it South Carolina aud will be reat with interest. It is as follows senator tillman's letter. Treuton, July 1, 1905. Mr. Francos W. Higginson Newberry, S C. ? Dear Sir ; have your letter of Juuo 28 propounding certain inquirie in regard to the auti-dispensarj movement in Newberry aud ti the dispensary and liquor quaH tious in geueral, and to my owt attitude towards it. The ques lions )0u ask relate to the mis interpreted subject now agitat in it the minds of the nnmilo ? - r ? v thn State, and in order to cove the ground at all satisfactorily it will require me to answer a home length and to discuss th subject iu its various phases and this becomes the more neces sary as you notify rae in advanci that you desire mv answer fo publication. PREMISES OP THE ARGUMENT. 1 shall premise what I writ! by laying down certain genera principles which will be disput ed only by those who are fanati cal and unwilling to conside any subject froin any otlie standpoint than that of bigotr; and prejudice. Most men will agree to tin following : 1. All men love Rtimulant and ore usually slaves to sora< kind, as witness the strong ap petite which prevails for coffee tea, tobacco, beer, wine, brandy whiskey, morphine, quinine cocaiae, etc. With the exceptiot of some of the drugs meutionec there are no injurious effects tra mediately perceptible and noni of them intoxicate except thoei containing alcohol. Alcoholh beverages in moderation aro no more harmful than tea or coffee pi uunwiji IOBJ OU. 2. The abuse of liquor by met drinking to excess has caused ui much or more crime and miser th1^ them in argument, and show 9 from experience through which 7 the people of the State have 3 passed, us well as with forco and " logic, that tlie advocates of both 3 prohibition and high license are * in error. You ask, have you lost faith in the dispensary system, and ' do you consider it so inherent r ly defective that it cannot be V purged ot corruption'and made 1 to serve its original purpose? HAS NOT LOST 1IIS FAITH I answer most emphatically b no, I believe the principle of State coutrol and the sale of It r quor through bonded officers tc bo the best that was ever dwis eJ, that it conies nearer to the 3 ideal idea of teaching tnen tc 1 use liquor instead of abusing it, ' and throwing around it safe" guards which will be the .best r for th? cnuso of temperance. r There is no inherent defect in y the scheme, and if thero bo corruption and maladministration 0 in the enforcing of the dispensary law, it i9 directly traceable 8 to the Legislature, and to those 8 who have been placed in charge * of its execution. In the absence ? of anv positive proof o*f corrup ? tion we mu3t wait with depp in ? terest the investigation which is 1 now under way and urge those 1 in charge of that important work * to earnest, thorough and speedy B action. The people believe thero * is corruption and a great deal of * . TT - u. very many tlungs go to 1 show that this belief has good ? foundation in fact. We ought to know as soon as possible just 1 what and how far men have R been guilty of unlawful bos' havior. J DISPENSARY UNDER A PALL. R Tho suspicion which now f hangs over the dispensary like . a pall will cause many to hastily f vote for its destruction who are j still or have been, strong bea lievora in the dispensary syBtem r as a means of controlling the ^ stile of whiskey. So I would say q to the gentlemen who are io -j charge of the investigation that they cau do the people of the t Stato a groat service by letting i in the light and probing to the a bottom. We want to know what 1 is wrong, and we can then da3 termine how to provide a rem> edy, while the criminal Courts j will or ought to provide punish. ment for tho wrongdoers. 0 The dispensary law has boon 9 under fire in the Courts, and on j the hustings ever since tho system was inaugurated. There has been only one; general election t in the Stato, the last, in which it 0 was not an issue. It won vict fcory after victory, for it was the 4 r? ^e^3dr: Avtto PZxsrjsJkx* t# SSteJ* :^r~-?.~r .. :, 'v/'y.itsasaaa L A iN C A S T JS K main issue in tho election "94," in the election for .t Constitutional Convention "95," and in the State electi of "90," "OS" mnI 1900 hi 1902 Those candidates f public office, who carriod banners were aKvavh vir.tnrim WIIV THIS UPHEAVAL ? What thou has caused t present upheaval? Why nro f titions circulated in a dozon more counties asking for nn elt tiou to \ote it out under t Bryce law, and that, too, counties in which its knowu n vocutes have always had lar id m j oritins V II uvo the peof any greater hiith in Prohibits j than they '>hvo had all the j past years? I do not think sc Are the advocates of high censo any stronger than til have boon? I do not think so. am bouuc to l>< !i?-ve that the f i ting d sat^sf f.'iou nnd do si to destroy the dispensary com from the well-nigh universal I lief of the people that there icorruption in its adraiuistrati ;aud because the last Legislate j faileu to take any action otli jth.:u to appoint a committee investigate. There were chai us, with how much truth th were made I do not know, tb the dispensary influence in t ' Legislature was paramoui Anyhow the friends of the d i pensary and its enemies join fort e at the last session to p i vent any action, and nothi 1 iff ii w rl n n o a - ? - - t - j . T UUU( , aim Uilil'! i pill) , opinion shall drive t?.e Ti"gis tur at ':t? next session to soi ; reform uctiou, which will pur the atmosphere, there is no pi i isbls doubt that all element-? opposition to Lin* d.ispensai aided hy many of its old frient will con.hiuo iu the next ol< i tion and kill the system.' ' WILL NOT STAND liV CDKRl'I'TK) I do not hesitate to toll y frankly that if it has bccoti ftoti is to remain a corrupt pol ical machine as charged, I ca uot defend it and will not do * but will join the ranks of the who seek to kill it. I believe can 1)9 reorganized and purg of corruptiou with safoguar thrown around it to prevent t recurrence of the present uuf< tunate and disgraceful conditi of affairs. I cannot now go length into the details and gi reasons, but I will state brie the causes, as I see them, whi have produced the present sil ntion. >v 11AT Ji ASS CAUSED THAT TKOl'BI Tho purchase of liquor by si board ex ofticio or otherwi should be stepped. The oripir scheme, which was hastily g ten ui', made the Governor, I torney General and Oomptroll General ex ofticio, tho Stf board of control. This w changed very soon after I I i the Governor's office, and t Legislature assumed control the election of the board, and no instance since has my advi j and opinion had any- weight shaping its management, thou 1 liavo tried to prevent aoi things which wero being do and have urged others witho success. It stauds to reas that men who have to depe j upon tho^.uffrage of the wht i people to irefc hierh r. - --ft- am, onght to bo, of ft higher tyj with batter characters, iu eve way betier fitted for roenouail positions involving the baudli ? ? r / - .*" T:: -i^rgr.tr.srr1?>u , ?. t\. .1 U i, Y 8, I of of public money, than those whc he with prtty salaries, are electe iu by the Legislature, on L Politics always outers into rid T>?tMativo election. People wh or vote for a Governor vote for hie ite because of other qaulification is. than that he would make a goo dispensar/ director, and for thi lie v-ery reason tho Governor is th e. beat possiblo man to place i or such a responsible position. jc- defects# of tiie law. be Hut the law is fatally dofectiv in in regard to the purchase c id- whiskey iu not specifically dt ge liuing in the most minute an )le binding manner just what kind du of licjuor shall be bought an so how it shall be bought, withoi: >. leaving it to the discretion c li- auy board. Every detail slioul ey be worked out, and then th I law would execute itself as fn 'x- as that featuro is concernec ire The board would then need onl ies to supervise the conduct ( >e- State and couuty dispensers, th is same as the Asylum and Pen on tr-ntiary are run. iro OBJECTS TO COUHTT ELECTIONS. Hut as l egat es tbo proposed eh lion to vote out the disponsar) ^ If the dispensary is to be vote out it should, and must, be vote iat k out of the state, not by individui coun'ies. OPcourso, I recognis . ' the deep-seated lore of tho pcopi for local self-government, and wouid not compel any county t retain the dispensary or ba\ l,1" one estsblished therein if a m 11C , iority of their citizensjwanted pi In* hibition, with its acknowledge failure to prohibit. Hut, judj ^ ing simply by tho facts in tho ni morons elections that have bee held on the subject, I believe thi ' a largo majority of the people c the state nro as strong believer in ine dispensary system as I an mid that they uro only castin N ubmit now for a method of r? ou lieving tliemselves of the corruj l8> muchine, which is said to be i lt" charge in Columbia. Many stale in" in the Uniou have had corruptio ,0? in their State Governments am 190 their Siato Treasurers have dofai lfc ted, have sometimes stolen hur ec* dreds of thousands of dollars, hi: QS 110 man has ever thought of taxi *10 tion bacauso of this. We have gc 3r" to deal with liquor some in fori 00 and provide for its legitimate sal at or we know it will find illogit v0 mate, fly : OBJECT TO IIIWII Lie EN SB. Cll Shall we have high licenso? 1 U m ^ say no. That gives the monopt ly to the wealthy man as agaim the poor man, and we know froi experience of bar rooms that i ls0 willbe impossible to give any nia ,a* the right to till his store with liquc 0t" to sell, and then have him compl v twith the constitutional requir< I o r tncnts and not sell it at night an 1 tfl not have it drunk on the prom * tt 8 sos. If the dispensary is abolisl od 1 will stump the State for pr< hibition rather than see high J conso. I have said this, and it 10 the reason, probably, that tl C0 story is going the rounds aboi l" my stumping for Prohibition ( " bigh license either, I expect, my health continues good, 1 give a very earnest discussion the subject of how to reform tl ou ^ ^ dispensary instead of destroyir it, and to showing the true 11 wardnoss of the present movemoi or ^ Let us suppose that the prese )e' campaign against the dispensai iry by county elections shall progrei rictoriously, as it has thus far,at ng that the majority of the counti **? > -\ wT?TI. - ,? ..J _ _ n*stiia&Mxo&A 1905 >, iu the State |vote it out. Will d I ho question ho settlodl B> no 1 means. The alliance of l'n h bia tionists, high license people o blind tigers, which is now wagmu n successful war, will have t c. ns tiuuo the war between themselves l d after the dispensary is defunct, c ,s Sensible nion will not lend their i e aid to any crusade which only n gives us "confusion worse cc.n- ', t founded1' and produces a chaotic ( conditiou with no conipuns ttii u Under the decision of the unit- \ l 6 ^ ed States Supremo Court pivl.i- -v bition and nootherSiato regulation ^ can prevent liquor being shipped \ 0 in by express for personal u i of | ^ individuals and jug county trail: with Wilmington, Charlotte, At- j; Ill j lunta, Augusta nnd Suvaunnh w 'u , ^ be immense under prohibition,* -id the money which now goes in' the dispensary for tho use of the I towns and counties ot the Stai and the school fund vi!i be :- < m y . out the btute to enrich the deal v. and distillers of other States. St.: e . will be run in every swumti an d l- ' 1 - j i wagons will peddle liquor all over the country. The only ti; V. worth enlisting in South ( arc n 5C is between Prohibit! n -.a i :b ' enforced ns it can be and the ^ pensary, as honestly er.f 1 it ought to be. High lb' ns. is not to be thought of for i ; ? 'u ment. Yet tho prohibition' ts '? say they prefer the d:s;>en*ur 4 > ^ licenso and tho licen- v people they prefer prohibition to th * pensary, while the blind tig , a" prohibitionbecause they know it *? means free liquor. WHY HE I'UEFF.ltft A STAT 1-1 VOT*'.. ^ The elections now being he' u 1_ the counties to vote the di p , n sary out are very dillWcnt i r u ; tho Democratic primary elect >n which will settle tho question iinally. In the first place, the j ' vote 111 those counties where ele< i " tions have been held against the 1 [?? V i ? dispensary has been held against i the dispensary has been very small ( n as compared with tho regulni < 5 S ? election. It requires a cortiticate j of registration to vote at such an i j election, while in the primary the 4 club rolls of the Democratic clubs 1 l" ! govern. it Then men aio indilTerent, as I- . . they were in tho prohibition oUc k tion in 1892, when only sixty " thousand of ninety two thousand ' voters voted in thut box. There are probably thirty thousand or ' more good Democrats in the State, who, from one cause or another, 1 I are not ublo to vote in tho elcctions held under the llryce Act.!,' Thut law was shrewdly drawn and 111 for the express purpose of killing 1 tho dispensary, 1 have been told. n These thirty thousand will deter>r mine the question in the future ? V uu thniT luiun in 1 in n.icd Iwvoivn. > they will elect the Legislal no an! State officers in tho State Demo l~ cratic primary in spite of any com bination, such as is now giving us prohibition by a negative proce*?. ' '1_ voting out tho dispensary, not bt 18 cause the pooplo want ptohibitii 16 but giving us prohibition hcca . some people want t; e 1m 3r people prefer to buy iliioi. pi " some people want high license a* . 1? a return to the old bar room sy tern, whilo many people will d any thing to kill tho dispensary with th3 hope of profiling by i! n" destruction. I would advise eve \ advocato of tho dispensary whv> is nt in doubt, to vote against pulling ry the dispensary out of his county, ss until we too what tho report of the id investigating committee i.?, at d es thon whether or not the Logi^l i l --N V 4 * r1' 1 ** "* t' <; . " i '$*&? 4 ' iVae ri t :.' , will purge '.: "i- . ;:i ot the dispen v l p:. i safeguard* i! .* 1 i v 'i:. ?. I nay un ' '. > : \ 1 ' - uccc.v -dully in ' -"(I .1 iaty ays.ii ! liOw a strength in ?):ist !c? L - boeuta -op t thought t was iioiicsJy adm .o.stored. . Ali t at is nety is to have li'jtn u; derdanb hay will un? lei .u::d l/i lDOii. t they must ill! the I: .v i. o dt 1 ) got rid of no ci-r iij :i? a, . it., y whl make i'joi wo U of it. ii must bo made clean or it nu-I go At prose-a* the cum aign to vote out, county by (.'.ait/, ( oiy >i lih! :ibout confus . i .i; ,ura? b .t.a timers and cuu ?...- .11' .1 oliitu to ii! ! , . ' v.- nothing, uni it . ... s.si \ < settle the i?i -ti< .1 :p . I repeat it iii i i i??: . .ho general !\. t'u. , .man when all I ho >c.?i .o L . 1. ? ; ...i .<* !> and Luvo mi ' . n im i i intelligent! \ . J dec iu to i i in i-i ncliision aui I r i ' . s .i a l'tohibi'i \ Iy dunk 11" 1 bo? i 1 i on Id b'J i.. US I do ii*'-; li. . ., l.. ?t evil ut: . t i liquor, I V ' , 11.1 : i ;0isl, but .i - lurching 1 ti c official uu :A . t'u t .it- . Sates Govkiu .ci? iii in .Liir.o and Ivuu* b \> here L'rohib. uon ?)ievftil?, t ( ic has been a nn>.d dismal fail. i . " >1 o too law, 1 prefer I el;y.kvy - ' !) lesser evil ; Ii w often said in the i> i i.v-ii \ e that St:i! e control j >ii! !.e:> . to the management f ti is tie ; one tjuestion tluin \ .y other. 1 h no personal uteieal in vi \ and am only ncluctcd by .'i pi 'die duty q taki g the position 1 have ocni I'cd^in ( i-d ;i:-, \ which 1 shall jontinue to occupy. i ; o always bclievn I J< i'.eoco were tic.- who. ol ll op.portunitv to ?.?t\ boiiM o i <;o ...is that had been in ex nco cumber of years. Li -tarlc . liy Pound kn icking j -m 11o down, and when the latter at lie began shooting, i he others polled \ ^tols and kn; e - a >. \s! ' Y crowd finally I-.t \lf; i- 1 ' vv e* found ' <* ' "hot : 11 tllC i: d 1 e .1 . find was (I i ').. ? . t !, Mack ,!ei'r. Ami back. I L.i a- j)! a vo fatal. > 15 ) '' ' ~l , 'D III M 1 > d tv tth kidney coinpLf.it foj t.bowl two year*," wiii 1 a .v. 11. Davu, of Mt. ibtori in^, l:t., "but two bottles of Foley's Kidney Cure effected n j; rma" nt core.'' Sold bv Fundorburk Pharmacy. i .