Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE DISPENSARY. What Gov. Ellerbe Has to Say About It. HE STILL BELIEVES IN IT. Recommends the Abolishing of The County Boards of Con trol and Suggests Other Changes in Its Man agement. The following is what Gov. Ellerbe had to say in his message about the Dispensary: Nothing connected with theadminis tration of the State government at this time is of so much interest and impor tance as the Dispensary Law. This method of controlling the liquor traffic has now been in force for five and a half years, and the prvtracted and bit ter struggle between its friends and its foes has reached a critical stage. It must be firmly and permanently estab lished or completely don- away with. It will be remembered that, at the last session of the Legislature, the liti gation instituted in the United States Circuit'Court by Vandercook had reach ed the Supreme Court of the .United States, on appeal from Judge Simonton decision. For almost a year there hrd been absolute paralysis of the Dispensa ry Law, so far as its r unitive features were concerned, and the constables had all been discharged. The Dispensaries had been forced to fight free whiskey, on terms of absolute equality; yet, strange to say, they fought it success fully; for while the profits were redue ed by this lawless competition, there was still enough business to make the dispensary self-supporting and leave a small margin of profit. In May last, the supreme court at Washington hand ed dowi. its decision, sustaining the constitutionality of the dispensary law in all its features, wiLh the limitation only as to importation for personal -use. The long and hotly contested legal status of the dispensary was removed. The original package dealers at onee closed their shops, and shipped their liquors out of the State, with my per mission. I did not deem it wise or right to take advantage of them, as they had been doing business under the sanction of the Federal judiciary. The Constabulary was reorganized and put to work, and from that time to this the force has been kept busy trying to de stroy the unlawful traffic which had gained foothold in the State under the protection of'Judge Simonton's decis ion. I desire, in this connection, to recall to your attention the fact that, in 1894, the State Supreme Court, by declaring the dispensary law unconstitutional, gave the illicit liquor dealers encour agement, and as a result there was widespread demoralization, with liquor seIz prevalent almost everywheze, ea ir the country, notwithstanding the law prohibited its sale absolutely. After that decision had been reversed and the dispensaries reopened, and a more or less rigid enfor esment of the law for two years had extirpated in a arge measr-re the illegal traffic, came he interference of the Federal courts and the imprisonment of the eonstables for contempt. This interference gave enouragement to a large number of il licit dealers, and induced them to con tinue in the business; and when the pralyzing decision in the Vandercook ase came, there was a phenomenal in rease in the number of illicit dealers engaged in this taaf fic in South Caroli na. This is shown by the number of United States revenue licenses issued. In the fiscal year ending June30, 1897 the number of retail revenue licenses, or permits to sell liduor, were 322; in the year ending June 30, 1898, there were 625. In other words, the, pres ent unsatisfactory condition-and I do not hesitate to say that it is unsatis factory, notwithstanding the final triumph in the courts-is owing, in large measure, to the interference of the Federal Judge. with the consequent encouragement to all who saw fit to en gage in the sale of liquor, nothing more being required than to pay the United States revenue licenses. It has taken months of laborious and strenuous effort to restore the conditions of toler ably successful working of the dispen sary law which prevailed at the time when the Vandercook decision was ren dered. The friends of the dispensary, and those who have too readily turned their backs on it, should bear all this in mind, and still evidence hope and patience. The demoralization produced by the various causes mentioned can be readily overcome in time, and the law willwork more successfully and be obeyed more willingly as time goes by. Our efforts should be especially directed to perfect ing the system in its administrative features. There are a great many people who will never be friendly to the dispensary system. or to any like regulation. Many men are opposed to it on principle, some as extreme Prohibitionists, and some as extreme advocates of liquor traffic. These two widely separateo. camps meet on common ground in their hostility to the dispensary; others are influenced by political considerntions, and even by past political prejudices, now happily being fast dissipated- The dispensary law ought to be judged by its fruits rather than: by motives of po litical prejudice or self-interest. If these fruits have not been hitherto al together of the kind or quality that its friends still hope to see it bear, there is yet sufficient premise to ask that this tree, which has been almost uprooted and blasted by the blight of judicial interference, shall now be given oppor tunity to show what it can bring forth under fostering and friendly influences. I beg to remind you that at the begin ning of my term as Governor, I recom mended and urged this policy, and I have seen no reason to change my opin ion. The law has never had a chance hitherto to show what it can do, but now, since there is no longer any ques tion as to legal limitations or powers, we are free to address ourselves to per fecting and improving the system. The large vote received by the Prohibition candidate for Governor in the second primary of the late election can not be considered entirely an endorsement of Prohibition, for there is excellent reason to conclude that the Prohibition candi date polled the full Prohibition vote in first primary, while in the second pri mary he polled the vote of the majori y of the antagonists of the dispensary system, from whatever cause that an tagonism arose, and, in addition the strength of all the "soreheads" and dis grntled office seekers and politicians of both factions. The election in Charleston isastrikingevidence af this. It will hardly be disputed that, if the people of Charleston want prohibition, becausc they feel Sur that uudt that system there will be practicnlly no re straint on the sale of whiskey. Turning now to the practical consid eration of the Dispensary, I do not think whiskey should be sold in any' county where a majority of the people favor prohibition. I therefore recom mend the submission of the liquor ques tion to the qualified electors of each county. That each county may vote as it prefers. Any county, however, that votes for prohi biton should be made to beat all ex penses of enforcing the prohibitory law; and such county should rot receive any of th profits from the Dispensary. Un der the Constitution. the profits accru ing from the sale of liquor go to the support of our free schools. Now, the county of Marlboro. which never had a Dispensary, and which is now under the most rigid form of prohibition, with no possibility of legal liquor traffic within its borders. receives it propor tionate share of Disppensary profits, while at the same time the State is charged with maintaining constables in that county to enforce the law and pre vent the sale of liquor. I submit that this is unfair to the other counties. The same thing obtains in the county of York, where the only Dispensary, the one at Tirzah, has been discontinued leaving the county without any place where liquor can be legally bought. You will call to mind that these two counties are close to the North Carolina boundary, and it is well known that there is a large influx of whiskey from distilleries acorss the line, by wagons and other coaveyances, Of course, these counties may have liquor imported for personal use with out 1estriction, but it cannot be sold in them legally. I believe that it is but right and just for those counties which have prohibition, or may hereafter adopt it as the means of controlling the liquor trafc. to be taxed to enforce su.:h law, nor should they receive any part of the profits arising from the sale of liquor in the other counties, to add to their school funds. If the county oneers, magistrates and sheriffs, en force the law, well and god-there will be no need for constablee; but if they do not, the Governor slould be given the authority, upon petition set ting forth such violation, to appoint constables, and to require a levy in such counties sufficient for their mai a tence. Now let us consider matters concern ing the administration of the law other than those mentioned as dealing with its viclations. When the Dispensary system was first inaugurated,ithe State Board was composed of the Governor, the Comptroller General, and the Attor ney General, ex officio, and in these %.as vested the power to appoint the State Commissioner and the County Board of Control, and to exercise gen eral supervision over the working of the Dispensary in the whole State. After the retirement of Governor Tillman, in the middle of Governor Evans' term, the Legislature changed this provision, and created a new State Board of Con trol, consisting of five members, to be elected by itself. The Governor was left without official connection with the Dispensary, except the right to appoint and control the constabls. This sys tem has now been in force three years, and, in my opinion, it has failed to ac complish the purposes of its advocates. The idea was to divorce the Dispensary system from politics and to put it un der a strictly business nanagement. No such result has followed. It is notorious that the Dispensary is as much or more in politics than it ever was. As Governor, I have had little' or no authority in connection with the administration of the law and no power of restraint or direction over it; and yet I have been held responsible by the people at large, and by my ene mies in particular, for the mistakes and shortomings of its management. Re sponsibility without authority is a most unpleasant and unjust burden, and while I do not seek additional responsi bilities in connection with the Dispen sary, I sub nit that justice and fairness make it necessary either to relieve the Governor absolutely of all connection with this institution, or else give him some potential voice and influence in its affairs. The Legislature itself, last session, by a particularly unanimous resolution, deprecated and almost forbade the granting of beer and hotel privileges, but the State Board of Control paid no attention to this expression of opinion from the law-making body, and I had to use the constabulary to suppress the nuisances in the form of open barr ooms, which resulted from the granting of, these privileges. This brought me into antagoiism with the State Bard of Con trol-an antagonism which might have been avoided had these gentlemen paid any heed to my suggestion or consulted me as to the best policy to be pursued. As long as the original package stores were running in open competition with the Dispensary, and illicit sales were also unchecked, there was, perhaps, some excuse for the State Board of Con trol to continue that policy; but after the Sur-eme Court of the United States had confirmed the validity of the Dis pensary Law, and forbidden Judge Simonton's support of the State's com petitors, leaving the Dispeneary Law in full possession of the field, I did not think there was any excuse for the con - continuance of the policy upheld by the State Board: for I believed the former law, and I' believe the present law, should be administered as a temperance measure, with no regard whatever to the matter of profit or to anything other than to teach the people to use whiskey without abusing it, and to minimise, as for as possible, the evils inseparably con nected with its tarflie and use. More over, under the present system, the State Commissioner is a mere figurehead without power and almost without duties- The State Board of Control have absorbed nearly all of his func tions. I submit what seems to me to be the best plan of organization: The details of the business should be turned over to the State Commissioner, while the Board of Control should hare authority t purchase liquors and to exercise gen eral supervision over the whole system. The Board of Control should be ap pointed by the Gevernor, with the ad vice and consent ot the Senate, and the constables should be appointed by the Board of Control and State Commis sioner. If objection is made, it may be pointed out that the regents of the Hospital for the Insane are appointed by the Governor, and the management of the institution is excellent. Note, also, the members of the present Board of Control are not even required to give bond for the faithful performance of duty, yet they have absolute control of an institution doing annually a million and a half dollar business. The County Boards of Control should be abolished, and two or three inspectors should be appointed to look after the Dispensers' books and break age. This would be a much more eco nomical method than the one now pur 1sued This system or organization, to gether with the supervision of the -a juries would reduce neculation and embezzlement to the smallest amount possible. The State Commis sioner might be either appointed by the State Board or elected by the General Assembly. We have both systems now in force in the State. The Superinten dent of the Hospital for the Insane, who is giving perfect satisfaction, is ap pointed superintendent of the Peniten tiary, an equally etficient officer. is elect ed by the General Assembly. But there should be vested somewhere the power by which both State Commissioner and County Dispensers might be suspended, and, if ncccessary. be removed for-cause. I suggest also what seems to me a need ed improvement, and thatisa change in the mannerof purchasing liquors. Whis key is as much a staple article as corn or flour. though it varies in quality and price. according to age and the meth ods cf distillation and manipulation. The large bulk of liquor consumed by the people is obtainable in absolutely pure form and of good quality, without the necessity of recourse to chemical analysis, for it can be bought directly from government warehouses without passing through the hands of rectifiers and manipulators who are almost sure to adulterate it for the sake of profit. I think that the law should provide that purchases should be made, under annual contracts, with parties who would agree to furnish liquors from the bonded warehouses of the United States, of the required age and strength, upon the most reasonable terms. These contracts should be let in such a way as to preclude all possibility of collu sion or fraud. If blended or rectified whiskeys are bought, as is now the case, there is absolutely no safe test by which adulteration car. be shown, un less the liquor is so bad as not to be fit to drink. These remarks apply to the X and XX whiskeys, or liquors of the first and second quality, enumerating from the lowest to the highest, as has been the rule in the state. I do not be lieve it is, reputable, in the state's bu siness, that there should be a swarm of whiskey drummers meeting at Columbia once a month to sell the required sup ply in driblets. Arrangements should be made under contract for the pur chase. as I have indicated, and the or ders for additional supplies will go for ward with as much assurance of being honestly filled as if salt or bacon were bought. The special brands and wines required could be purchased in the same way, as these constitute only a small part of the business, no change need be made in the present modes of buying them. There is another matter that appears worthy of mention. With the experi ence gained by the employees in bot tling and packing and shipping of liquors, there ought to be practically no breakage, if the bottles were of good quality, and the packing were well done, for the cars are loaded alongside the State Dispensary building, and there is hardly ever a transfer from one road to another. This matter of break age has been the main reason for con tinuing the County Boards of Control. It can be readily seen what a saving would follow if these boards were abol ished, and it can be safely asserted that the prevention of breakage would make these boards no longer neceESary. There is one other matter to which I invite the careful attention of the Gen eral Assembly: it is with regard to the importatign of whiskey for personal use. The protection given by the Supreme Court to those who desire to exercise this right in good faith is in no sense objectionable. The State does not need, nor does it wish, to restrict its citizens in this right; but the abuse of it gives a loophole for illicit dealers to obtain their supplies, under the pretense that it is for personal use. The provisions of the law which was declared uncon. stitutional in this respect I think can be amended so as to make the importa tion of such liquors come within the terms of the Court's decree. But for for the opportunity thus afforded to evade the law, by importing liquor un der the pretense that it is for personal use, there would soon be small need for constables. I earnestly urge that the Judiciary Committee consider the subject carefully in the light of Justice White's opinion, and see if some pro vision for inspection cannot be enacted, that, while imposing no onerous bur dens on the citizen who imports for his own use, will yet insure the importa tion of pure liquors, and limits, as far as possible, the abuse of this right for the purpose of sale.. Let the law define fully and clearly the methods to be fol lowed in such cases. I have already pointed out how we may purchase, for the dispensary liquors that are pure; some provision requiring bonded ware house stamps on liquors consumed in South Carolina, it seems to me, would answer the purpose; but I only throw out the suggestion for what it is worth and call attention to the subjects be ause of it s importance. A Good Speech. President Thomas E. Miller, of the colored college at this place, delivered at Spartanburg an Emancipation Day speech in which he said many wise things to his brethren. The burden of the speech was to the effect that not withstanding the prattle to the contra ry, Negroes receive better treatment in the south than in any other portion of the world where white and blacks are trying to live together. He advises the Negroes that the white people are going to rule, no matter what comes, and that they are going to keep within the constitution sufficiently to guard against Federal interference. He tells his brethren, also, that they will do well to submit quietly to the superiori ty of the whites and devote their atten tion to education rather than govern ment. "I am convinced, ' he says, "that the south is the place for my peo ple. Here we will in the ena become a strong people; yes, we will ks a great factor in the accomplishment and de velopment of this nation; but we must not rely upon assistance from without. We must depend upon the aid that is to be had at our door. Each family, eery individual, must depend on itself. The greatness of a race is the measure of the greatness of each person, of each family, of each community-" The Issues of 1900. In his latest deliverance on the sub ject of expansion Mr. Bryan says; "It is useless to ask what effect this new issue will have upon other issues. Is sues must be met as they arise; they cannot be moved about at will like pawns cc: a chess board." That is true. A great many people seem alarmed at the hold Mr. Bryan still has on the country. They have prophesied the death of silver and the demise of Bry an so often that they had come to the conclusion that it was true. But they will find differently when the issues of 1900 are presented. -Spartanburg Herald. I is now reported that Ex-Attorney General Barber will locate in the city of New York for the purpose of practic ing his profession. This may account for the opinion he recently expressed that Bryan and free silver are back ELLERBE SCORED By N. G. Gonzales, Editor of the Columbia State. SAYS HE WAS BUNCOED. The Story of the Famous Local Option Deal Between the Editor of The State and the Governor. In a signed editorial in The Columbia State Wednesday morning., Mr. N. G. Gonzales, editor of the State. exposes the history of the deal between himself and Gov. Ellerbe for conversion of the Governor to a policy of local option for liquor control, and the Governor's fail ure to keep his promise. After explain ing his failure in 1S97 to induce the Governor to accept a local option policy, which failure he attributes to the influ ence of Senator Tillman, he comes to the campaign of last summer and re lates as iollows: This afternoon, September 8, when I went to The State office I found a note on my table from the cashier stating that Mr. Weston and Col. Neal had been to see me and, having failed to do so, asked me to be sure to meet them that night at Mr. Weston's bank office. I kept the appointment. We talked for nearly an hour -n indif ferent topics. At last Col. Neal said to me, slapping his knees: "Well, let's come down now to busi ncss. Nearly every paper in the State is jumping on the Governor; he's pret ty badly worried and is very anxious for you to help him out. Can't yon do it?" I replied that I had told Gov. Eller be ali along that I would not support him for renomination if he stuck to the dispensary, and he had stuck to it. Mr. Weston said: "The simple fact of the matter is that the Governor feels that he is obliged to have the support of The State. and we have asked you here to find out on what conditions you will support him." Without hesitation and on the spur of the moment I replied: "If he will pledge himself to me in writing to urge the Legislature to pass a local option law, allowing each county to decide for itself between high license, prohibition and the dispensary. I will support him." This idea had been with me for a year; it had been the object of all my effort the previous f. 11 and winter, and it came spontaneously to my lips. I did not stop to consider the price I might have to pay in public misunder standing of my motives if he should accept. Mr. Weston looked at Col. Neal and then said: "I don't think there will be much trouble about that; do you, Col onel?" And Col. Neal replied, to me: "'I think he'll do it easy enough; he's got to do it if you insist." Mr. IWeston then asked me if a verbal assurance would satisfy me. I told him no; there had been too much question about Ellerbe's verbal assurances al ready; I must have it in black and white for my own protection-but he could tell the Governor that I would not show the pledge to anybody unless he failed to observe it, in which case I would. Then Mr. Weston asked: 'Would you object to having the letter addressed to me? I am going to Char leston to try and help the G'overnor down there and I would like to be able to'show it to some of the politicians." I answered that I would not object to that, but that after he had used it in Charleston I must have the custody of the paper. The confere ice broke up with their assurance that they would see the G-ov ernor next day and bring me his an swer, The next day. Friday, September 9, Mr. Weston came to my room and hand ed me an envelope bearing tI e familiar engraved lettering, "State of South Car olina, Executive Chamber, Columbia," and addressed: "Mr. F. H. Weston Columbia, S. C., Personal," Upening it I read: State of South Carolina, Executive Chamber, 'olumbia, S. C., Sept. 8, 1898. (Confidential.) . . Dear Frank: In reply to your inqui ry, will say-I fully concur in your view as to the best solution of the liquor question. After mingling with the people for three months and thor ough consideration I have come to the conclusion that the dispensary act should be amended so as to allow each county to settle the liquor question for itself, and have determined to make such recommendation to the next Gen eral Assembly. Your friend. W. H. Ellerbe. To Mr. F. H. Weston. All of this except the printed caption and date line was in Gov. Ellerbe's handwriting. The date was wrong one day behind hand. It was not as precise a pledge as I would have dictated, but whatever of vagueness there might be in the phrase "allow each county to settle he liquor question for itself" was offset by the initial statement, "I fully concur in your view as to the best solution of the liquor question." I knew, and it was a matter of public knowledge and re cord, that Mr. Weston's "view" was the same as my own; that he favored county choice between the dispensary. high license and prohibition. While I did not have any confidence in Gov. Ellerbe's simple word I did not believe he would dare to incur the obloquy of of exposure for violating this pledge, and I thought I had him fast. As Mr. We~ton was going that afternoon, to Charleston and wished to u~ e the origi nal to secure votes for the Governor there. 1 took a copy of tile letter, on his promise to hand nme the original on his return. He did return it and I have kept it in my pocket most of the time since. must confess that the Governor's prompt compliance with my ultimatum~ was not altogether gratifying, for I had thouit the matter over and concluded that to carry out my part of the agree ment would subject mue to much criti Icism and perhaps suspicion of my mo tives and that 1 would have to withhold my justification until the Legislature met. On this account I half regretted my impulsiveness, which had entailed upon me a severe ordeal. But the thing was done, and 1 went to work in good faith to carry out my part ot' the compact, having the satisfaction of feel ing that I had acted wholly for the pub lic good. The next morning The State contained a signed editorial urging high license voters to support Ellerbe, and each day until the election the paper did its best for him. If it changed as many as 2,000 votes which would oth erwise have gone to Featherstone it is res~onsible, I regret to say, for his nomination. I did not see Gov. Ellerbe from the time I returned from Cuba until some three week afte his nomination by uit sceond. prinary; ne had called at ny office when I was out, and had sent me mnc ces asking me to visit him; so [ went one day to his office at the State house. After an excbange of civilities he isked my opinion of the clause in the itat. constitution permitting the issue f licenses for the sale of liquor, say ing that according to that clause all liquors sold under high license would have to be bought from the State dis pensary. I analyzed the section and showed that it could bear no such in terpretation. He persisted in his claim, however, and I realized that'he was trying to find a loophole by which to escape the redemption of his pledge. This realization angered me so much that I could hardly trust myself to speak. I paced fuming up and down the executive chamber, and finally told him that I was in no mood to be dallied with in that fashion: that if he intended to bunco me, as several news papers. had predicted he would do, he might rest assured that I wQuld publish the pledge and show up the whole affair. Then I started out, but a" I had my hand on the door-knob he called me back and offered to leave the interpreta tion of the clause to any lawyer I would select. I proposed Chief Justice Mc Iver, but he objected. I then suggested Mr R. W. Shand and Gen. LeRoy F. Youmans, and he chose Mr. Shand and said h,: would submit the question to him. (Weeks afterward I questioned Mr. Shand, and he told me that the Governor had not said a word to him about it.) The maiu issue then came up, after some talk, and Gov. Ellerbe bare facedly denied that he had made any agreement whatever. (I had his let ter in my pocket at the time.) He attempted to unload the whole respon sibility on Weston and Neal, saying he had told them when he wrote the letter that he thad not changed his views, was still for the dispensary and would make no agreement. Assuming an air of virtuous indignation he said he would send for them and make them set him right. (He never did.) I was so disgusted that I again started to leave, saying I would expose the whole affair and let him settle it with Neal and Westson as he could; but again he beg ged me to come back, and then leaving his seat and coming to my side, in front of the west window at his right hand, he said: "Don't get mad; let's talk the thing over quietly and see if we can't compromise it." And then he proposed do precisely what he had promised and what I had expected-to urge the 'Legislature to pass an act permitting each county to choose by ballot be tween prohibition, high license and the dispensary. It was a lightning change on his part' that almost took my breath away. He went on to say that this was no new thing on his part; that he had held those views before he had writ ten the letter to Weston and had told W. D. Evans, of them. Then he added: "But I don't see how I can p't through an administration measure carrying out the plan." I answered that that did not matter; that I did not like this "administration measure" idea anyhow, and that I thought in this case itmight doas much harm as good. All I ex pected was that he would do what he had promised to do andleave the conse quences with the Legislature. He said again that he would make these recom mendations, and I wept away satisfied. I did not see Gov. Ellerbe agin un til last Saturday afternoon .On Fri day Mr. Weston informed me that the Governor had read him that part of his message relating to the liquer question, and that it seemed to him throughout an argumuent for the re tention of the dispensary system, al though it did made a brief and bare suggestion as to letting the people of the counties. settle the question for themselves. He did not like it, ho said. I told him that if the message did not come up to promise I would show up Ellerbe ruthlessly. The next day, Saturday, Mr. Westen gave me a proof of the liquor section of the mes sage, with an invitation from the Governor to call on him at the man sion at 5 o'clock that afternoon. I read the proof and was greatly incensed at what I found in it. My disinclina tion to see the Governor was strong, as I was afraid I could not control my tem per after this revelation of his duplicity; but I did not wish to bring Col. Neal and Mr. Weston into the matter-a I must do if I exposed Ellerbe -I Inally determined to keep the appointment. At 5 o'clock I went to the executive mansion and found the Governor con versing with a visitor. When the latter left I told him I had read his liquor recommendations and was greatly sur prised and disappointed; that he had not said what h'e had pledged himself to say; that he had defeated his half way endorsement of local option by other recommendations of the strongest character. He asked me to specify. I pointed out this paragraph for one: "It (the dispensary) must be firmly and permanently establishgd or completely done away with." Thin, I said, clearly meant the establishment of the dispen sary on its present basis or its elimina tion from the whole State-it was ad verse to partial elimination under the influence of local option. Then I show ed that the context of his recommenda tion as to local option limited the choiee to prohibition and the dispensary only, wholly ignoring high license as an. al ternative. This. I said was not what he had promised me; if adopted it would defeat the very policy to whieh I was committed and which I preferred -high lieense.-I went on to say that the whole deliverance was obnoxious to his professions and pledges, and that I quite understood his motive in limiting the choice to prohibition and the dis pensary and in imposing, special and onerous burdens on prohibition coun ties-he sought to force the dispensary on the people as the only endurable al ternative. He had made the word of promise to the ear and broken it to the hope. I said. He replied with marvelous ef frontery, that he had made no promises that Frank Weston had not aeted pro perly in concealing from me what he had said, and that he would make him publish his letter. I answered that I would do .that; that Iproposed to shoaM the public that I at least had acted in goodfaith. I got up, bade him good evening, and walked out of the sitting room, while he was saying; "You can do as you please." o this is the end of my hope of do ing something through W. H. Ellerbe for a fair and democratic solution of the liquor question. I have made my try and failed, and all the men and pa pers that have been saying the man was faithless and The State newspaper and Columbia would be buneoed can have their fling at me. I am fair game; I have been buncoed. I can only plead that I thought I had guarded against it by securing his pledge in writing, I believed him quite capable of violating any verbal promise, but I did not think he would be quite so shameless as to inite the prodnetion of proofs in his - wnhandrin tha b had lied. To do him exact justice I do not be lieve that Ellerbe has acted spontane ously in this matter, but under dire compulsion; that he has taken what he considers the safest choice between evils. I belive that Senator Tillman holds his written pledge to support the dispensary, in terms more specific than those of his letter to me-or else some papor the publication of which would damn him. Tillman, I am informed, was here last week and week before last; he whipped Ellerbe back to his feet a year ago and it is quite likely that he put his collar on him again the other day. However that may be, I plead guilty to being cheated. I expected to be lied to. but I did not expect to be brazenly swindled. I did not think that W. H1. Ellerbe would adopt the device of sneaking out of an obligation in writing by accusing men who had been almost his only friends of bad faith toward him and toward me. Messrs. Weston and Neal will doubtless speak for them selves; I have refrained from quoting them as to the statements Gov. Eller be made to them. My own story is too long. Meanwhile Mr. Weston is a member of the.House of Representatives and will doubtless have occasion to state his views on the liquor question; and the other members can consider in connec tion with ths recommendation in the Governor's message the following ex tract from his letter now in my posses sion: b "Dear Frank: I fully concur in your view as to the best solution of the li quor question." Sigaificant Object Lesson. The city of Chicago has recently had a very significant object lesson in the centralization of great wealth in all sorts of trusts and monopolies for the oppression of the people. This is only one of the many evils made possible by the gold standard. The straw that broke the camel's back was the effort of certain capitalist to procure a perma nent control of the city franchise of the street railway transportibn. The great Chicago papers, all of which opposed Bryan in 1896, jumped on the scheme and denounct d it. To show how these papers viewed the matter we will quote from one of them. The Times Herald said: "The anarchists of today are the men who corrupt legislatures and purchase aldermen. Their attack upon our bus iness, politica).and social life is infinite ly more to be'dreaded than the mouth ings of Spies, Parsons and Lingg. It is an insidious serpent that wraps its coils about the cupidity of men and deadens their consciences to the prick ings of honor and honesty. It be smears all public spirit with the slime of selfishness and personal aggrandize ment. The anarchy of corruption goes armed with boodle where the poorfools of 1886 threw bombs. It uses secret gold for arguments instead of open threats. It masquerades in the garb of capital, and pleads necessity for cor raption while it prostitutes legislatures and city councils to steal the people's birthright. Against this anarchy of corruption is arrayed every honest, un purchasable element in Chicago." This is very strong language as well as a very humiliating confession on the part of a strong Repulican paper that did all it could in 1896 to put Mark Hanna and the very anarchists it now denounces in charge of the government by the election of McKinley to the Presidency. The old adage that chick ens will come home to roost is true, and we are glad that some of the Chicago hickens are going home toroostso soon. When Bryan charged the same crimes against the monopolists in 1896 that these papers now charge against them they sailed him a "calamity howler," and said he was an "alarmist," but two sh.rt years have caused them to che~nge their ideas a little, and now they agree with Bryan that the real anarchists of today are the Mark Hannas and other "orruptors of legislators and the pur ehasers of aldermen." A Plain Statement. The South Carolina Spartan says the Sprtanburg W. C. T. U has changed its name to the Christian Temperance Workers. It has the same old offiers: Mrs. C. D). Whitman, president; Miss Julia V. Smith, corresponding secreta ry; Mrs. A. P, 'Mulligan, recording sec retary; Mrs. J. B. Wertz. treasurer. The same place of meeting, and the same plans of work will be observed. It still conducts the Band of Hope. The society of Christian Temperanee Workers is entirely unconnected with the W. C. T. 1U., local, State or nation al. It is a State organization for the promotion of temperance, non-political and undenominational. Its president is Mrs. E. S. Herbert, of Orangeburg, 8. C. This organization, though new, has met with great encouragement from the prominent prohibitionists of the State. A few of the members who did not approve of the change met at Mrs. B. Wofford's residence, -and elected~ her president of a W. C. T. U., which is an auxiliary of the State W. C. T. U., of which Mrs Roach is president, Miss N. Farrow is secretary. The State W. C. T. U3. is, of course an auxiliary to the National W. C. T. U., of which Mrs. Stevens is president and Miss Gordon is vice-president. In commenting on the above the Southern Christian Ad vocate says. "Christian Temperance Workers is the name of the split-off in Spartanburg, in this State, of the lady Temperance Workers there from the National W. C. T. U. The new order proposes to give itself exclusively to work of Temperence Reform and to have nothing whatever to do with Wo man's Suffrage or any other kind of politics. This latest secession we hail with undisguised and enthusiastic de light." __ _ _ _ _ _ _ Mr. James M. Smith of Columbia, S C., writes: Dear Sir-It ei~ar. me great pleasure to say tnat tne Uid North State Ointment bought of you has entirely cured me of eczema when everything I had used previously failed to giye any relief. It is a great medi cine, and I would not be without it in my house. I use it for almost every thing, where any medicine is needed, and have gotten the best of results every time. Respectfully, James M. Smith. MR. Win. P. Hlouseal has assumed ed itorial charge of the Newberry Obser er. He was one of the original found ers of the paper and a member of the firm of Wallace, Houseal and Kinard for spveral years. He is also publisher of the Lutheran Visitor. We welcome him to the secular field and trust that hewill find it both pleasant and profit IF Spain could not whip the Cuban rebels into peace during half a dozen wars sinee 1829, how long will it take Uncle Sam to drub the Cuban and Philippine insurgents into perf ect tran q~uiity, with Yellow Jack and malaria ABSoml Makes the food more de ROYAL SoM P Vest Shows It Up. The Atlanta Journal says the impe aialists may complain that Senator Vest is bitter in the article which he contributes to the current number of the North American Review, but they will find it easier to whine than to an swer thesolid aruments or tooffer sub stantial reasons against the apprehen sions which he declares. SenatorVest holds that the program of the adminis tration for the forcible assertion of the authority of our government over the the Filipinos is utterly iIcansistent both with the theory and the traditions of our government. He appeals to our own history in a way that must affect all except those blind and blatant ex pansionists whose only argument is that no good citizen will advocate a withdrawal of our power where it has once been asserted Senator Vest shows conclusively that from the de cisions of the supreme court and from the speeches and writings of the great men who founded and fostered the re public that such a thing as the exten sion of our government over people who did not ask or desire it, was not only never contemplated, but was repugnant to the principles of the fathers. He exhibits also in a series of decisions of the supreme court a very importantfact which the imperialists seem to ignore entirely-namely, the fact that we have in our system of government neither a scheme for a colonial system or the right to make one. Senator Vest speaks boldly, but it is time for plain talk. He says: A great crisis is upon us, and our free institutions must be main tained by the intelligence and virtue of the people, or cease to exist. We can not escape the peril by stopping our ears, as did Ulysses those of his sailors, when allured to ruin by the sirens songs. Let us keep them wide open, that they may hear the truth. Let us listen to that lofty resolution of con gress declaring the war with Spain to be waged not for conquest, but for hu manity and the liberation of Cuba from Spanish despotism; and then let us hear with impatient disgust those who are shouting against "haulling down the flag," which they would dishonor and degrade by violating this solemn pledge. Let the flag of our republic not be "hauled down," but brought back to congenial soil, where it will wave over freemen, instead of floating above con quered islands in another hemisphere and ten millions half barbarians bought for $2 each." As the Journal says, Dewey's victory was glorious, but it did not subvert the constitution. If it changed our notions sof government then it was worse than a defeat. Tighter and Tighter. While the trade journals are enth'u siastic over the large amount of busi ness done in 1898 by our different lines of industry, there is a general com plaint from the retailers that their profits are very small. This is fully explained by the Augusta Chronicle when it says that "under the gold stan dard, to make ainy profit at all, in most lines of business, vast amounts of goods must be sold at bargains, because the masses, impoverished by falling values, will not and cannot purchase in any other way, when they purchase at all. Even in the old-fashioned city of Bal timore, where 10,000 houses are esti mated'to be vacant, there is hardly a week passes now that some trust com pany is not formed, and the only, two rival street car companies are making a fight to absorb one another. If this thing should go on, and there is noth ing yet to prevent it, and everything to provoke and compel it, the middle class will be afflicted and despoiled, just as the cotton planters are today, and the wheat farmers will be tomorrow. The president's plan, colonially, will only intensify, aggravate and demoralize the situation, so far as the masses are con cerned- So, we look for a tremendous following for Mr. Bryan, in 1900, that was opposed to him in 1896. They are having their eyes opened, as savings banks presidents have been illuminated, with compulsory cutting of interest, and they may prefer to take even free coinage rather than trust to McKinley's threat of the wrath to come." Murders Last Year. The total number of muders commit ted throughout the United States dur ing 1898 shows a decrease-being 7,840, as compared with 9,520 in 1897; 10,682 in 1896; 10,500 in 1895. The causes of these murders may be roughly classi fied as follows: Quarrels, 3,867; un known, 2,678; jealousy, 205; liquor 207; by highwaymen, 222; infanticide, 248; resisting arrest, 147; highwaymen killed, 82; insanity, 89; self-defence, 33; strikes, 22; outrages, 5; riots, 25. The criminal work of mob murderers through out the country has decreased, as com pared with 1897, being smaller than in any year since 1885, except 1890, when the number was the same. Judge Lynch has executed 127 persons-i22 males and 5 females- The lynchings in the various states and territories were as follows: Arkansas, 17; South Carolina 14; Georgia 12; Missouri, 6; Kentucky, 6; Louisiana, 6; Texas, 3; Maryland 2; Oklahoma, 1; Washing ton, 1; Wyomling, 3; illinois, 1; Indiana, 1: Mississippi. 15; Indian Territory, 3; New Mexieo, 1; Alabamza. 12; Northi Carolina, 4: Tennessee. 6; Virginia. 1; Florida; 1; Alaska, 1; Montana. 1. 1v is rumored that Lieutenant G or. ernor McSweeney will be a candidate to succeed Governor Ellerbe. G~overno'r McSweeney has not exyressed any in tention of being a candidate, but should he enter the race he will be a winner, as there is no man in public life more deserving than he, for public recognition. A swEEPNG~ press law has been pro claimed for China by the D~owager Em press. "Since the newspapers only serve to stir up the masses,"' she de lares, "and to overthrow the existing order of things, and since newspaper writers arc the dregs of the literary class. the continuance of such danger ois implements can result in no good. We hereby order, therefore, the com plete suppression and cessation of all newspapers that have hitherto appeared in the empire; all publishers and edi tors will be arrested and punished with the utmost severitw of the law. The dre affects 56 Chinese newspapers. %ME licious and wholesome DER CO., NEW YOAI. STUCK IN THE SNOW. Dangers of Traveling by Sledg M Siberia In Winter. Traveling by sledge in Siberia in winter has its perils, as the experience of Mr. Robert L Jefferson and his friends goes to illustrate. The incident is told in "Roughing It In Siberia:" We bad chartered six sorry looking horses to drag us on to the next stage. It was night when we started. The driv er, maudlin drunk, had to be helped to his seat, and we set off along the narrow roadway at the usual gallop, which, however, soon dwindled into a mere shufae through the snow. We had gone to sleep, and some hours after our departure Gaskell woke me and said he thought something was wrung. The sledge was at a standstill, and our shouts to the yemshik brought no response. Black darkness prevailed. I bundled out of the sledge, so benumbed that I could scarcely move. I felt along the sledge, sinking to my knees in the snow. The driver's perch was empty, and just then I stumbled over one of the horses, which was lying buried up to its neck. It was clear that the driver had fallen from his seat, and that the horses had wandered from the track. The poor beasts were stuck fast, and a closer inspection showed one of them to be dead, literally frozen to death. If we would save ourselves from the same fate, prompt action was necessary. The other horses were nearly suo cumbing. They lay flat on their stom achs and nibbled at the snow. We cul the dead animal adrift, and, using the spare rope as whips, we stood on either side of the living and lashed them till our arms ached. At length theymoved, and by pushing and pulling we got the' sledge turned. Then, step by step, with much floundering and many fails, 3e began to retrace our way. All this in pitch darkness in a raw, cold wind and in momentary expects tion of one or all of the horses dropping dead. It was a terrible experience, but we regained the road and finally reached, the village. BLIND MAN'S BUFF.. The Origin of This Faxorite fpert of Childhood and Youth. This favorite Eport of childhood and youth is of French origin and veryhigh antiquity, having been Introduce&inF England in the train of the Tmmn conquerors. Its French name, "Qou Maillard," was that of a brave wManin the memory of whose exploitastill lkvi in the chronicles of the middli ages In' the year 999 Liege rekrnetaman its valiant chiefs one Jean Oolin.. acquired the name Maillard omim chosen weapon being amalne with in fight he used literally his opponents., In one of the' which were of perpetual recuree% those times he encountered the ouat~ de Lourain in a pitched battle,an o runs the story, in the first ostOI~ Maillard lost both his eyes. Beoreei his esquire to take him into the thaikatN of the fight, and, furiously brandishing his mallet, did such fearful execution that victory soon declared itself'forhbim. When Robert of Franceheard ofthes~ feats at armns,bhe lavished favors and~ honors upon Colin, and so great war the fame of the exploit that it was oem-a memorated in the pantonmia oiepre, sentations,that formed part of the rude& dramatic performances of the age. By ~ degrees the children learner toatit/ for themselves, and it took the form ot a familiar sport. The blindfolded pursner as, witfr bandaged eyes and extended hands, ha gropes for a victim to pone 'upon, seems in some degree to repeat the ac tion of Colin Maillard, the tradition of which is also traceable In the name I lind man's bluf-Philadelphialreus His Reason. Smofthe best of Dean Pigon's sto. iescome from Halifax (not Shef~eld)J One of these concerns his verger, mne Sagar. Imagine him, a veneable iguze with gray hair, skullcap, gown and verger's staff. In ignorance they had, married a man to his deceased wife'r't sister. - Sagar, whose business it was to set tle the matter about the banns, was at: once cross examined. "Oh, yes, vicar," said he, "Iknowed right well! I know ed parties. "But why did you not tell me?" I should have forbidden them." "Well, vicar, it was just this way, do you see. One of the parties was 84 and t'other 86. Isays to myself: 'Lord, it can't last long. Let 'em wed, and bother the laws!' "-London News. A Regular Polyglot.. A gentleman in a rural district drew down upon his head astorm of adverse criticism by marrying a second wfr shortly after the demise of his first Two of those good ladies who look ge erally upon the surface of things and who are ever ready with condemnation were discussing the disgraceful affair. "Why, my dear, there's his poor wife hardly cold in her grave, and he goes and marries another!" "Dreadful!"de clared the other. "I never heard of such a thing." "I should think not indeed," went on No. 1 angrily. "Mar rying wife after wife like that-why, the man's a regular polygot !"-Cornhll Magazine._________ The Last of the Patches. I was born in 1837, and I have per sonal recollections of a lady in the early forties using them. The curate of -- lodged in a farmhouse contiguous to my fatber's place. His wife was a tall, fine, handsome woman, dressed in black when I first saw her, and had patces "beauty spots" they were called-on her forehead, cheek (left, I think) and chin. I told my mother on returning home, and she replied-they were "beau ty spots" and "in the fashion." Ihave a most vivid recollection of seeing her and her husband on the occasion. A nndsomer couple you would rarely meet. -Notes and Queries. A NEWSPAPER compilation of rail way accidents in the United States during 1898 states that the number of lives lost- from these causes was 3,500, compared with 2.764 in 1897, and that the number of seriously inju:ed was 2, 616. as against 2,42S in the previous year. These figures evidently include all sorts of accidents resulting from the operation of railways, a very small part of which affect the traveling public. The past year has been comparatively free from "railway horrors," although there are recorded eight deplorable ac cidentsi in which the number of killed ageate 38 with as many injured.