The Lancaster ledger. (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, July 08, 1905, Image 1
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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
th<?n any other thing.
3. The proper policeing ant
control of the liquor traffic so a
to minimize its abuses is one o
the most perplexing and trouble
some questions with which an]
government has to deal. Mei
have never agreed as to any oni
method being best and neve
will, and there is a constan
agitation of the subject in booh
form going on all the while it
almost every State in the Union
4. Experience shown lha
some meii will have liquor as i
beverage and that no law ha
ever yet been devised which wil
prevent thorn obtainiag it Wis*
men are, therefore, content t<
reduce the evils of liquor &elliti|
and liquor drinking to the mini
mum, and the questmen at iesui
in South Carolina now, as it hai
been these fifteen or twentj
years, is as how to do this.
NO NKKD FOR PASSION.
There is no need* for any hea
or passion in discussing th<
subject, and we should dives
>1^ <pl
3 J ourselves of all prejudico in it's
. consideration. Three policies
have at one time or another been
adopted in dealing with the
j question. License, high or low ;
prohibition and the dispensary
system. Since 1893 the last
named has been the method followed
in this State, but all
1
along there have been staunch
advocates of the other two eysB
^ terns, embracing within their
ranks many of the moat iotellif%
*
gout auci bori people we have.
Ii is, therefore, eminently prop
j er that we recogaizo those earnest,
houest udvocatea as having
just what we claim for ourselves,
110 other than that of the public
welfare. And those of us who
? have been the supporters of the
1 dispensary system must meet
> 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 :<? #'i- Tvr* ts
. . fkSrr*2^*
\ii , ;'. i >.' , 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 bcliev<vi in the
u iy. I bit i \n ant it to be
he inajorits of the Democrats in
.ho Stale.
(Signed ) II. it. Tillmun.
Several 1'. t' .Mis IVidiy Wounded.
Joluuibin ilecor I, th Inyt.
News was received in the city
.his wftrni ;on uoin Gaston, in
l.axingtou county, about sixtoen
miles south of Columbia, of a
serious shooti:1. affray. It seems
that a public I) or bocuo was given
there to-day at. i crowds o'f people
from the sui rounding country
were pvc cot. Mick Jerriotte,
Kembcrt Mil re, Kiiott Pound, T.
K K ' >n 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 <!-. Recce
h'i. i> 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 .