The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, February 20, 1896, Image 1
if -E
e a
VOL. 6.---NO. 6. PICKENS, S. C., THURSDAY, FLBUR 0 86 N )LA IER
4'BR R
Dispeonsoy Message
IMPORTANT CHANGES RECOMMENDED BY
GOV. EVANS.
Ho Suggests that tho Board of Control be
Composed of Five Members and All Pur
chases be First Approved by Them-A State
Inspection of All Liquors Shippod in the
State in the Interest of Health.
The following Is the special message
of Governor Evans on the dispensary,
which was read last week to the Log
Islature .
Gentlemen of the General Assembly:
In 1892 the dispensary law was enacted
as a solution of tho vexed and imuch
discussed whiskoy problem. All rea
sonablo mon acting in the light of the
experience of other States acknowl
edge that prohibition is impractible
so long as whiskey is regarded as a
legitimate article of comnerce by the
national goverlmont. It uan only be
cherished as an ideal theory and must
be classed with other Utopian ideas.
The drinking habit is recognized by
all civilized governments as an evil
and one that is peculiarly within the
province of legislative action. This
action must be from the nature of the
evil directed to the removal of the
cause as we can not prohibit men from
gratifying their tastes and thirss.
We can punish muen for destroying the
life, limb or property of others and to
some extent restrain their actions, but
we can no more legislate the tasto for
whiskey out of an old toper than we
can jealousy out of the human heart.
As long as a stimulant is craved by the
human appetito and whiskey is dis
tilled in North Carolina the drinksrs
of South Carolina will have It law or no
law. I have n vjr dreamedof reforming
a drunkard by law or moral suasion.
For the habit once formed is a disease,
a physical condition which legislation
can not cure. We must address our
selves then to the condition that con
fronts us and not theorize on govern
ment. The first object should be to
Irovent this habit from being formed
by the young citizens. Second. To
eliminato drunkenness; third. To so
gratify the thirst, of the Old tojpr as to
imiake him unobjectionable to sober
cltizens.
We claim the diE p msary law has
practically accomplined the tirst and
second objects ; the third can only be
fully accomplished by the death of the
:ubject.
W ben de th occurs and the national
government outlaws whiskey and alco
holic beverages, then and not till then,
will prohibition be practicable. The
law in this State has ha I a hard road.
It has been ol)posed by the United
States Courts with! partisan judges and
by a few of our own citizens with riles
and shot guns, but so far it has pre
valled and is now wr tten in the or
ganic law of this Stato and better on
the hearts of the peoplo. It may be
said now to be the sottled policy of the
State. Its experimental stago is over
and I am happy to inform you that in
only one city of the State have the
people refused to accept it as such.
I have been req(Iuosted by a repro
sentativo of the Gospel Tomperance
League to ask you to amend the law
so as to allow whiskey to be sold only
for medicinal, pharmacutical and
mechanical purposes or in other words
to repeal the dispensary law and adopt
what was rejected by -your honorable
body and kut wn as the Nettles bill. I
can not do this for reasons that must
be apparent to you and which I stated
while a member of the Senate, anI for
the further reason that the dispensary
is succeeding beyond the expectations
of its friends, and to pass such a law as
requeste(d would not accomplish what
the dispensary ms now doing, but would
simply increase the crime of perjury
and false representation in the State.
I would not be unfder'stood as objecting
to the agitation of prohibition nor' to
restricting the sale of whiskey by any
means. It is beneficial to all govern
ments to have idealists, for if not we
might lose sight of the principle and 1
cease striving for the coveted goal.
As a moral reformn measure the dis
pensary must commend itself to any
unp~rejudicedl mind. Th'e temp~tations
to the youths of the State olfored by
saloons has been swept away and with
it has gone the games of billiards,
pool1, the fare banks and the corrup~t
influences of the 'oarkeoper ; in muni
cllpal and State olectiona. During the
late holidays there oIcurred only one
homicide in the State arnd this was not
from whiskey, hbut an old1 feud. This
record has never been known beforo,
not a caso of crime for which lynching
is resorted to or attempt at such has
ocurred,* within the p~ast year. Two
circuses tra&vemrsed the State during I
the past year, visiting large towns of
imp~ortanco and with the (exception of
Spartanhurmg not1 anl arr'est was mazde
fomr drunken ness or d1isorderly condumct.
In Gmreenvi lie e arres1t w as mnado for
drunkenness and he was exhibited as
a curiosity. it wvas the invariable
practico of the color'ed p~opla~tionl to
drInk on circus (lays, hut it passed
away wvith har-moom dlays. i dlispatch
ccl four constables t-) follow thbe cir
cuses ini their tour th rough the. Sta te,
but they were not1 needed to pIcservo
the peace and not an~ accident of anty
kindt was reported. I addressed to the
various mnayor's of thme towvns of the
State the following circular letter:
Dear. Sir : You will greatly oblige~
moc by ahsweilng the following qtu's
tions at your' earliest con veiniee.
This is imp~ortant:
I. Ha~s druen ken ness andl l e noin
creased or decreased in your town and
county since August 1, 18941, to the
pre'senlt time ; if so, by wvhat per cent ?
-2. Uins the0 number of plain cases of
drunkenness tried before you, mayor
or in tend antI, increased or dleereased
since August 1, and If so, by what 1)or
cent. ?
3. H~as the com-umption of whiskey
incroahedl or doceosed since the estab
lishmnent of the d'aponsary, and If so,
by % bat per cent. ?
41. What has been tihe effect of the
dlisp~ensar'y law upon the general good
order alnd peace of your town or city ?
Some time ago we had replies to
these quioil los from your board of con
trol ; hut the letters have been dispos
ed of and it Is implortant that we bear
from you. Please number your an
swers to con form to the number of the
qiuesti ons above.
The replies received in some eases
wene unreliable na thn mayors wre
unworthy of belief. In such cases,
however, I took the precaution to ad
dress a letter to one of the aldermen of
the town and they are submitted here
with and I trust will be published it
full as tpey spoak for themselves. In
appears -frotn these reports that drunk
enness has decreased for the entire
St de fifty-soven per cent. The num
ber of cases tried in nuyors' courts
for drunkenness and disorderly con
duct has decreased sixty-six and nine
ixteouth per cent.
3. The consumption of whiskey has
decreased forty-seven and six-sevenths
per cent.
It must be observed that this do
crease Is not for the entire period since
the anactmont of the law, but for the
past year. Compared with the pre
coding year 25 por cent. may be added
as a reasonable estimate for the pro
coding year. It is quito encouraging
to the friends of the law to note the
gen .eral change of sentiment of most of
the towns in its favor. The country
has always been a unit in favor of the
law, and has demanded its strict en
forcoment. The bitterest enemies of
the system now admit that morally
speaking it is a grand success.
THE DISPENSARY AS A BUSINESS.
In 1892-93 there were in the State
ixty-nine dispensaries.
rotal amount purchused by
them ......... ......... ............$671,555 99
3ales at invoice price......... 573,578 38
I'otal sales to consumers... . 679,222 88
3ross profits................... . . 165,355 40
Expensus ...... . . .......... ...... 88,580 15
.qet Profits............... . 76,775 25
The operation of the State and
sounty dispensaries for the past year
iave been peculiarly successful. The
rolume of business has greatly increas
d. The sales of the county dispensers
or the eleven months ending Decem
>er 31, amounted to nearly one mil
ion one hundred thousand dollars. It
s not to be inferred from the increased
ales of the dispensaries that the -con
iumption of intoxicants is on the
ncroase, for the statistios which I
iave already given clearly prove the
:ontrary, and go to show that the
ntemperate use of intoxicants is on
he decrease. That the dispensary is
6 potent factor in the great moral
eformation I venture no unbiased
nind will dispute. The increased sales
)y the dispensaries are accounted for
rom the fact that the fierce and bit
eor opposition to the dispensary law
vthich has hitherto existed has 1 irgely
iubsided in its intensity and the sober
econd thought of law-abiding citizens
ias disclosed the fact that their un
'oasonable opposition to a law design
3d for the protection of the morals of
ihe State was grounded more on pre
udiced and a misconceived idea of
>ersonal liberty than aught else.
With this return of reason and the
3xhaustion of the supply of barroom
,vhiskey came in a large degreo a
,essation of the bitter hostilities to
:he law, and as a result the trat11c in
iquors was directed to its legitimate
-biannels, and public sentihent cry
italized about the disipensary law as
the wisest and most practicable solu
,ion of the whiskey problem. The
sales of county dispensaries for the
Mleven months ending December 31
Ltmounted to $875,530.20; the sales by
ounty dispensaries for the same
period amounted to $1,076,963.65 at a
xross profit of $201,383.45. The not
profit that has accrued to the State
'rom the operation of the State dispen
iary for the eleven months ending
Decomber 31 amounts to $133,467.77,
mtd the not profits to the towns and
.ounties from the operations of the
mu)-diispensaries for the corresponding
s)ti iod amounts to $106,131.28, making
i total of accruod profits to the State
md towns and countios for the cloven
nonths of $239,599.05. Adding the
125,571.85 unearned profit due the
stato on good1s in hands of county dis
onsar-ies at the close. of the past year
.t would swell the total of ear'nedl and
mcarned profits to the State and
owns and counties for- the eleven
nonths to the amount of. $265S,170.9J0.
'rho net proflt accruing to the State
Ls revised1 to December 31 fr-om the
)eginning of the operations of the
lispensom y to theiclose of ex-Cemnmis
.ioner Traxier's term on January 31,
895, amounted to $110,348.80. Added
o this the not accrued profit of $133,
67.77 for the period of eleven months
rom Fe bruar-y I to December 31, 1895,
nakes a total of net accrued pr1oits to
ho Sta to from the operation of the
tato dispensary to the amount of
243:,816.57.
Thelm hooks of thoState Commissioner
s Is shown in his annual r'ei~ort, and
.lso by the special legislative examnin
ng co.s: nittee, show that at the close
if the pal~st year the total assets, at
ost price, of the State dispensary
vrco *314,070.241, and the total liabili
ie $70.253 671. Thliose asts consist
as h ........ ..................$ 5 ,107 03i
Vines and liquors at the
State dlispe'nsary-........55.631 56
'cams and' w agons............ 800 65
vlachinery and (Aile fix
tu res......... ......... ......... ..2,656 47
1ottles, corks andl cooper
age....... ...... .. ...... . 26,681 43:
jashm loaned to the Stati,
TIm r a-oi r'e.. ....... ...... ....50,00 00
Nines ati liquors at sub
d iP s pi'krs.............. ..16.235 o5
'er'mal ac:counmts......... ... 8.057 .15
laking totatl available as
se t-; of ... ........... ....... 314070 24
)mts:unding against these assets are
labilI ties to the amount of $70,253.67,
wvhich, is duo by the State for wines
amilq oginespuhased, makIng a net
Illa:n'e onf assets ab):ve labil ities of
02l1,81 5ts7, whih a nfount represents
the net iend prollit tin the State at
the 'lo'in of the~ yearL, and this priollt
has1 b~neelniacodl by thme Commissioner'
bk)tho credlit of the general fund of
the State. in confor'mity to a clause
in the n-aw confltitu'inon. prinoviding that
Ill futuro earnmings of the State (dis
pensary shall go ton the schools of the
Stato, tihe Commissioner will place to
the creudit of the school fund all net
sar'nings wvhich shall hereafter accrue.
From a careful analysis of that pro
vision of the !onstittion, it will be
meen that the school funimd will not be
entitled to any portion of thme net
earnings to Dajcemhor :31 of $243,.815.57
shall have been covered into the State
treasury to the credit of the general
fund. -Henco it will be eighteen
months at the earliest bofor'o we may.
expect any increase in the school fund
fr'om this source. I am happy to state
that the state appop-ation- of $r50000
excluded from the State or if all
persons were prohibited to import
alcoholic liquors or if the laws ol
South Carolina had declared that all
alcoholic liquors were of such poison
ous and detrimental character and
that their use and consumption as a
beverage were against the morals,
good health and safety of the State
other and different questions would
arise."
Let an injunction issue as prayed for
in the bill.
The following injunction was is
sued: "Ordered and decreed that a
writ of injunction, be awarded and do
issue out of this court commanding and
enjoining and restraining the defon
dants M. T. Holly, Sr., as Chief Con
stable of the State of South Carolina
and all other persons acting under him,
his and their successors in ottilce, and
also the defendants J. M. Scott, I. M.
Gardner and N'. C. Beach and all other
Stato constables of the State of South
Carolina and all county sheriffs and
their deputius and municipal ofilcors,
chiefs of police, and policemen and all
other officers of the State of South
Carolina or any county or city or town
of the said State of South Carolina
and all persons whomsoever acting or
claiming to act under the authority of
the Act of the General Assembly of
the State of South Carolina, approved
January 2nd, 1895, or any warrant
issued by or under authority thoroof
from seizing or attompting to seize in
transit or to seize both before and after
arrival in the State of South Carolina
and at any place in the State of South
Carolina take carry away, or con
fiscate any package whatsoever of ales,
wines or spirituous liquors or any in
toxicating liquors the product of any
other State or foreign countries im
ported into or brought into South Car
dina by any moans of transportation
whatsoever by complainant James
Donald or any other person whomso
ever for his own use and consumption,
and from entering and forcibly search
Ing or attempting to search the prom
ises or dwelling of the complainant
James Donald or any other porson
in the State of South Carolina, or
any railroad depot, railroad car, or
steamboat or sailing vessel or other
vehicle of interstate commerce, or any
vehicle whatsoever within this State
for transporting such intoxicating 11
quors as aforosaid imported or brought
into this State for his use or consump
tion from hindering or pireventing by
any means whatsover the complainant,
James Donald, or any other person in
the State of South Carolina as fim
porter and consumer of tho ales, beers,
wines an. spirituous liquors of the
other States and foreign countries from
importing, holding, possessing, using
and consuming the said intoxicating
liquors as aforesaid so imported for his
use and consumption." I incorporate
this injunction here in order to per
petuate it as a legal curiosity a nd to
show the extent to wuich a partisan
judge can be swayed by unreasonable
prejudice. It will be soon that he en
joins everybody from unborn babes up
to the high sheriff from interfering
not only with Donald's whiskey, but
from interfering with any citizon in
the State who had not eovn asked his
gentle protection. Courts of Equity
sometimes legislate for parties before
the court, but this Judge has assumed
the power of our General Assembly to
make a law for the State and also of
Congress of the United States. U-ider
contempt proceedings he has incar
cerated men in jail who were absmute
ly without notice of his injunction and
when brought to his notice that the
sheriffs were treating the jailed col
stablos as men charged with contempt
and not as ordinary criminals he
:rdered them removed to city jails
with instruction that they be treated
xs the commonest, criminals.
You are familiar with the state of
rifairs that followed his injunction.
Whiskey was imported into the State
by every quondam barkeeper for per
ional use and the barrooms of Charles
Lon were virtually thrown wide open.
I'bey became so bold under the pro
tection of their judges as to violently
resist the efforts of the constables to
3lomse their hell holes. I found it im
possible to do anything with them on
recount of the sentinent of the city
being overwhelmingly in their favor.
ordered the constables to confine
ilhoir efforts to seizures that they h-rd
reason to believe were not for personal
uise and they accomplishedI a great deal
although the results were quite un
satisfactory. I, appealedl to the mayor,
and he promised co-operation ; but
shortly afterwards the city council re
fused to pass an ordinance prepared by
the mayor which provided for the
p~unishment of tihe keepers of blind
tigers. I calledl upon the mayor and
le endeavored to have the ordinance
enacted; but in vain. They wore
joined to their idols. TIhe chief of
police was a friend of the law but he
bad neither the moral nor the legal
mupport of the council or the com
munity and his aippeals were only p~ar
tially successful. I gave tee city
notice that unless the law was~ better
enforced I would have to re.sort to the
metropolitan piolice law. Tnis had
slight effect ; but it soon wore off.I
igain gave war'ning soveral monthis
afterwards and the eh ie'f of pol~iice
asked rae to give him a little more
Lime and he thought matters wo)uld be
In a better condition. LHe succeeded
in making several eases against illicit
dealers; b)ut the grandl jury, of tihe best
citizens, so we are i nformecd, re fused to
take the oaths of men who they placedl
in charge of their homes and liv' s
and unceremoniously threw outI all
bills against illicit dealers in whmis.key.
This emboldened thbe illicit dealers
and I again invoked the aid of the
L'ourts andl suceedoed in obtaining
charges of venue in several casi': but
the question is still in the supremo
Court as to our right to such change.
My patience became exhausted and I
appJeaied to the State Ibard of I 'ol ice
Commissioners and they did not hesi
tate to place the police of the city of
Charleston under the control of a comn
mission. I regret that this was neces
sary, but it was simply a qumestioni of
whether we should abandon the Dis
pensary in Charleston or first exhaust
every means in our hands for the en
forcemont of the law. I am satisfied
that the police0 can d1( mor(E3 than all
the constables in the State towards en
forcing the law in our cities, and if the
city authoritIes will not allow them to
do Bo it is the duty of the State to take
change. If .the next yoac (loes not af
ford better results then a new law
must be made for Charleston. I ai
satisfIed, however, from present indi
cations, that we will have nothing to
complain of.
Convictions of violators of this law
have been promptly had in nearly
every county of this Stato whore tried,
except in Charleston. This is encour
aging and shows that the stubborn re
sistanco to the law has gradually sub
sided. You will readily see that the
protection given by Judge Simionton to
erson- importing liquors into this
State for personal use and the burden
of proof being placed upon the consta
blos to show that the samo is not fot
personal use, makes our task indeed a
hard one, In fact it preveuts us from
seizing imported liquors except where
it is consigned to persons convicted of
violating the law, and oven those can
always find a frion'd who will allow the
u,, of hiu name to shield a criminal.,
In order to comply with the Inter
protation of the interstate commerce
law by this United States Judge I
would respectfully recommond that the
law be amended by declaring that all
alcoholic liquors, except w hon analyzed
by the State chemist and found to be
chemically pure, are detrimental to
the health, morals and welfare of the
c! .izens of this State, are contrabAnd
and liable to seizure wherover found
without a warrant, and when seized
shall, be forwarded to the State Comn
missioner and by him destroyed. This
would cover the objection of Judge
Simonton and would relieve the law of
a continual warfare by the "whiskey
ring."
I will endeavor to point out to you
the amendments to the law which
have suggested themselves to the
Attorney General and to me in our
offorts to enforce It during the het,
year, and which wo believo absolutoly
necessary for its protection and por
potuation. The Board of Control
should bo composed of live members,
consisting of the Governor, Secretary
of State, Comptroller Gonoral, ox
ollicio, and two members to be elected
by your honorable body who hold no
other oflice and are of the blusinuss
people. Thoso two members should
be elected for a term of four years,
and so arranged so as to requiro the
election of one every two yours. The
object of this must be apparent to you.
As the board is now constituted three
of the busiest State ollcerS are re
quired to look after this stupondous
business of more than a million dollars
a year. They elect a Stato Commis
sioner, whose term of ollce expires
with that of the board. Next yone
the duties of the Secretary of State
will be almost doubled by reason of
the additional work imposed upon him
by your body. The Comptroller Gonoral
Is one of the busiest men In the Stato
llouse, and is required to be absent
from the capital a great deal by
reason of his settlements with the
County Auditors. Our terms of o1ico
expire every two years, and if tie two
additional members are not furnished
the Dispensary affairs are liablo to be
placed in now, inexperienced hands
every two years. The incoming board
would in all probability elect a now
Commissioner and the institution
would be greatly embarrassed by in
exporiencod officers. By the plan I
have suggested there would be two
directors always in olice who would be
familiar with the business and not
dependent upon State officore for their
appointment. The responsibility for
the success of this business rosts upon
the Board of Control and it, is unfair
to the Governor and his associates
upon. the board to compol them' to
vouch for every check that is signed
and every purchase mado and every
dollar expended. The duties of their
oflices ronder it impossible for them
to do justice to this business and to
oven know of wvhat is going on. L"or
tunately we have had Commissioners
so far in whom we have coulidence ;
but should this oflicor' provo to he cor
rupt or incompoetent be could in a few
woeks wreck the entire institution.
The inducoments to corruption in this
business are exceedingly great, andl
the men with whom the Comnmissioner
is compeclled to deal are ofteni uni
scrupulous. It is useless for mne to
enumerate the many ways in,whicha the
boadrd of Control may be imp~osedl upon
an~d unles the most, stringent regutla
tions are thrown aroundl the buin~zess
to .protect it, I fear the result. It is
mnaide the d uty of the Governor as
Onmairman or theo lynnrd of Con trol to
approve every warrat drawn bily the
Comnmissioners upon thbe State TIrens
urer, and I have apIproved( as high a..
ti e.1y thousand dlolarr in one (lay
wi houf having any evidence as to
bow it was to be app~iliOd excpt the
signature of the Coinimissioner aind the
draft of the fIrm for whose benflit it
was drnawn. This is too much re
51pons1 iility to lacoi uiponl the Gover
norn, and he should bo1 roleioved of It.
I would, therefore, recommend that,
all accounts of the Sf,uto Comninmiioncr
be first approvedl by thme Statmi Hoard of
Control and the consent of the board
bo first obtainod beforo the Comnmis
sioneor is aiillowed to incur anmy dlebtas,
and that such hills when so approveu ~oe
pmres~entedm to the Governor for approval
and paymnont. I would further recomn
nmcnd that tho clerk of the board be
paid a salary of fifteon hundred dollars
por annum and his dumties enlarged
and he he required to certify all bills5
approved by the b~oard and chock off
the mnerchand iso purported to he cover
0(1 therein. In this manner the hoard
wvill be enabled to know what, thoy are
doing and tihe Governor rollovedl of a
responsibility that should not be plaeed
upon him. This would also relieve
tho Conmmissionor of any Insinuation
or charge of favoi tlsm andl remnedy
the weakest feature of the law, and
thu lhaco It beyond the criticism or
reproach of Its enemies. Of one thing
you may be certain, If any deogroe of
corruptilon iseover dIscovered at this
institution the people will destroy it as
quickly as they inaugurated It, and
should such corruption ho practiced
it will ho sure to be unoarthed sooner
or later. it is your conscientious duaty
to so frame this statute as to guard
against any contingencies that may
arise In the future by the election of
State oflicers hostilo to the law or
from its careless (inforcoiinout b~y Its
friends. There are amendments of
minor Imp~ortanco, but which are
necessary for the enforcement of the
law, but I am sure they will appeal to
your good judgmont without further
hint from me..
Trho system of operating the County
Dispnsaries since the Inaugurain
has been refunded to the State from
the not earnings of the (lpensary and
an additional $50,000 surplus covered
into the State treasury to pay the ex
pons6s of the constitutional convention.
From the following tabulated state
ment you can gain an Idea of the
heaviest items of expenses Incident to
the running of the business:
Supplies used for eleven
months................ $93.804 70
Freight charges............... 50,953 14
Cost of constabulary...... 43,032 01
1 found that the system of bookkeep
Ing in vogue at (he disponsary was
most unsatisfactory, and I employed
Mr. Soth W. Scruggs, an export book
keopor, to deviso a Aystem especially
suited for this business, for which I
paid him $250, and I regard it as the
best investment the State has ever
made. The system as inaugurated by
and now in charge of Mr. Scruggs, its
originator, has received the endorse
ment of many of the leading business
men of the Union. It is a most satis
factory check on the county dispen
sers, and is so si1nplo and comprelion
sive that any one of any business
knowledge can understand it. A
record of the gallons, value and brand
of all liquors bought and sold is kept
at the office, as is also a record of the
number of gallons of all kinds dumped
into and bottled from the tanks. The
county dispensers are required to send
a weekly statement of their sales at
invoice and consumers' prices and a
weekly statement of their cash trans
actions, and a check covering the
State's share of all sales.
At the end of each month they are
required to send to the State Com
missioner a copy of their merchandise
purchases and sales and remittances
and a copy of their cash transactions
for the month and also a copy of their
sales at invoice and consumers' prices
for the month and an itemized state
ment for the monti-. They are re
quired to take stock tt the end of each
month In the presenc3 and with the
assistance of one membor of the county
board of control and to send to the
Commissioner an itemized inventory
of all merchandise on hand signed by
the dispenser and the member of the
board of control who atsisted in the
stock taking. At the end of each
quarter they are also required to send
to the State board of control a quar
terly statement of their purchases,
sales, expenses, gross and net profits,
and stock on hand. A duplicate state
ment is also sent to the board of con
trol. Under this system we have been
enabled to dispense with the inspec
tors. The expense of the constabulary
has been more than met by the the value
of the contraband whiskeynand wines
seized and the suppression of the illi
cit traffic in such. The amount for
maintaining the force was $43,032.01.
The value placed on contraband dump
ed was $17,031.70, leaving a net cost
for maintenance of $26,000.37. The
value placed upon contraband seized
does not represent the true value of
the articles captured as there is a
large amount still on hand of goods
unsuitable for the business of the dis
pensary, and consequently of no actual
value. I am satisfied no State officers
are entitled to more commendation
than these men who do not hesitate to
risk their lives and in several instances
have lost them in defense and in exe
cuting the laws of this State. If it
wore not for the espionage of these
officers the "blind tiger" would be
rampant and the dispensaries would
not be self-sustaining. If the present
improvement in public sentiment in
the towns and cities continues I am
satisfied the constabulary can be safely
out down to one-half the present force
at the end of another year.
THE uNFOicEMiNT Or THIE LAW.
The Governor is empowered to em
ploy two chief State constables and as
many State constables as may be nec
essary to enforce the law. Upon my
induction into oflice I determined to
reorganize the constabulary and if pos
sible dispense with it altogether.
A fter trying a small force for a monlh
I found that It was Impracticable and
unless the for'ce was increased the
execution of the law would be a failure.
Whet ever the constables were with
drawn fromn a town or county im
mediately potitions would be sent me
requsting their return.
F'or the year ending the lirstof June,
1895, there were issued by the United
States 1internal lb..vonuo Collector 805
licenses to retail liquor. This Includes
as Dispensar-ies which leav'es for illicit
dealers 7:30. For the year ending June
1st, 1893, there have been issued so
far 387 licenses, this includes 88 Dis
pensaries, leaving a total (,f 299. for
illicit dealers. Of this number 167
were taken out in tiho city of Chmarles
ton, ten of whichb were for the Ditspen
saries, which being dleduced leaves a
grand total of 157 illicit dealers in this
cit, it will oc seen from these figures
that over fifty-two per cent. of the
illicit traffic in whiskey is carried on
in the city of Charleston. It, will be
further obsoervod that the number of
United States licenses issued for the
State hns decreasedl over for ty-one p)or
cent. for the past, year.
The illicit sale of liquor had al most
heen starved out andi dwinlel to a
minhnum when we wecrc par-alized b~y
a most unexpected dlecroe by the
U nited States Circuit Cou rt, through
Jludge Simoniton. Tihxis .Judlge it will
be remember-ed was the first4 to suis
tin the constItutIonality of the law;
but ho has now completely reversed
his former decision and undler the
guIse of intorstate comnmer-ce ho null i
ieos every section of tho law i ntendled
to prohibit the Illicit, trafile. This la~w
scomns to be the be-to noir of our (1is
tingulihed United States Judges,
B~rawlIey, Simonton and Goff, but so
far we have reversed them and I feel
satisfiedi we will continue to do so.
The case before Judlge Simonton was
brought by a citizen of Charleston
nahnmed Do~nald, who claimed that
wh'skey had heen ordered by him
from without our Stato for his per
sonal use and had been sclaied by the
constableb and conliscated by the 'State
to his damage $6,000. A fter able
arguments the Judge declared that the
Dispensary law no where declares that
the use and consumption of alcoholic
liquors in themselves ar-e Injurious to
the morals, goed health, and safety of
the State or of her peopple. Alcoholic
liquor Is declared to b)e con traband
and against the mor-als, good health
and safety of the State only when it Is
not i'nported by the Dispenser oi' Is
not in his hands. He winds up by
saying:i "If all aloholic liquors wne.e
of th SCruggs for111 of bookkeeping is,
as near pErf 'et as you can mako It.
During th 0past year we bavo discov
ored tfhree doi tcation.s t" ng Courty
DispetOrs. Tijoy havo been reported
to the Attounoy General, and ho had
ontoitd suit upon the ho.ndst nI cowi
mened iinal mli'i'Cfss aainst tiue
Dblnsers. It, is blu, jut Lo s'ato that
these tien 'catl-ms ccourred ( ur ing the
Yea' pre1viu0s to the inaugllfuratllli of
thb erug k ystem of b-kkesg
L ap-ehe1n Cd no' ith-.r Irouble on t.h
lino.
I wold recmillmeil t.hlnt the County
Superv isors be take n IT th10 (C ou nty
oar1d of Control as under the new
Constitution he is ineligible, and he.
'1des tie, d utles of his of1lb0 are incon
sistent With thOse of the 1 )ispen
and if he attenlds to them properly he
will havo but little time to devoto to
the busiIess. I desire to linipreHs upon
you the adviability (A divorcing the
Disapen.ary from any o!diier oflie or
State ill: ti Lit ion. So th-' no res'ponsi
bility for its mnana ' ut-n ruces
nMy not h0 divlid. but Ist. eIn Ltil '
upol th sholIder..of Ofli'r aimointledl
to look after in exclusively.
In conclusion, per11init mit to uv Lltt
I feol a peculiar anxioty and interest
in the siccess of this intituiOin by
reason of my connection witii the enact
mont of thi lIa while a mem'iiibir of
your honorable bodty, and without any
hositation or apparont egotisi on my
part 1 (10 not believo that any future
Govornor will feel towitrds the law and
guard it as scrupul)husly as iy prole
cessor and mllysolf. For these reashonil
I havo ondeavored to talk to you plain
ly and point out what I sincerely bo
hovo necossary to perpel0uto a law so
w ise and salutary.
AWFUL TRAGEY AT BLACKSBURG.
AStranriiiA' A oi*.no o melii '..n-.
A Wman in th C) .
The mur-der of Chas. T. WVillhims, at
stranger in the towin. has created in
tense excitement. in -11d ia rouid IBIlacks
buirg. 'Phe foul veed was commitled
inl one of tho pri nc ipal streets, ail for
ai .illo the alfTtir wis wrapped in
mystery, 1u1t the Coroner's jn 'y render
emi atverdiet Whicb cleared up It
iystery, ah follows: That Clas. '1'.
W illillms clie to his do' ettl by a I~istol
ball shot from It pistol in the ha1tids Of
M. R. LUeese, and that one In ltIckie
is accessory."
On Thu rsdzay i it.rht two citizenis ro
turning to their hoarding i houe stu1)1 bl
0(d over tle o dead bodly of .1 1nan. Iln
Vestigat-ion showed it to h Chas. '.1'.
Williams, (f Tunnel liill, Gia. Aln
alarm wits raised and on searching his
body thre notes were fouind rom ANiis.
A nderson, a milliner. Nl rs. A uderion
hias b8en tWicO lllr'ried to 11r Ilrit
husband,~ll I hainig beenC iIivorced, aind
then remarried abotiL eight 1nonthlIs
ago. P'rom these notes it was found
t hat Williams had been seit here by \Itr
Anderson in the capacity of a peace
maker, and( while acting in this ca
pacity was rmurdered.
There is no direct proof as Io who
cominitted the imrder, hut MIairion IH.
l eesu and Dian iel I .uekic are mor
thaln suispected. I "Vosie is one of tile
richest men1 ill ,own anI has a wife in
Greenvilhe County, with whoml he ha1s
never lived. Luckie is a brother of
Mrs. Anderson. Both have left for
parts unknown.
'PhO ovidon1(o a1gtinst lIt se isthis
I tees is known to have heen insauely
jealous of and almost wildly inIaLtIattl
with Mrs. Arldcrson. On tile night, of
the mur l'dI' tihere ValS IL li'ty t, the
house of Marin Nic0or and on a piazzl
overlooking thet residlIec of I ees
was a Mis Iairingtoln, who tustilied
that she Saw two eleVOl IL the ie 1110
of Lh 3 shots riun fiom wh ieire the dlead
111a1 wvas found. One of the(,e parties
she positi vely iden LiliedI as itoese and
the~ other went, into thet hiouis of NI rs.
A nderson ani is su pposed to have been
Luck io, ho beIinog the briothiei of NI rs.
A udersnHl. .Its ~A0wats reipire iito haIive
booni undu111ly inti mate wit \LeNIis. An
dlerson, and, it IS said,1 furniisheid aL
hiouis an;.1 supplorted 1her, oly! IL few
doors fromn his own~i reseneu~~t'. Wil
h ams, in spite (if thea wairn Iing of MIrs.
A ndersion, cIaIled it, her0) hoiise a~bount
9:30 oin Lhe e'veining oif t he killinug, and
was shot aL short w h'le a 'er.
Th'Ie moIIStlin(tens wi' anent, prevails
inI Ilacksburg. NI i~ ~u-ring ton has
left for Chlarlot~t, 51tying thmt e was
aifridio lence110 woi lbe done1 her if
she( relmamiled herre. 'iile friends oif
oil hiave empi Iloyed co.unis.-IL u proset U i
I teese. D)etectivces hiaivi bieii etniplOy
ed, ani ar noi )w acti vely sciarebing for ((i
[Loese, who I is upposu(i to bie witli
friends near here. I t is .the universal
opjin iion thlat lhe comm)1Iitted thle mulirderi.
Thie GaiTney ILedger giv~es aL muchl
fuller statemeinL of the troubles11) which
led to tihe aLwful tragedy, in the follow
inlg version) of Its coriresponident, ILL
this tragic deedh is MIrts. M. 1l. Andor0)
'Joni, wiho is101 1vli Ii ren)wed i thi conunu
ity for her beauty. Shuis a I blIond1,
not large, but1, stately, with ehamrming
features', anId genl'IIly wVore IL sio I
tha it wold be iicllated.( to dive Vsome11
menC~ crazy'/. Sho1( camel here abou11t, twoV ,
years' agi from Georgia. She, withb
other pa:rties, it manU and1 IL wVomlan,
openedl IL millinery store inl theo I r'on
CIL~y Ilotol builing. After' a fewI
m~ont~his tile manLf .drow (lut, and1 the two
w~oimen co11IntiuedlL t~ bu1sind135 Ia short
whiile. Thien Mr is. Anderson run the
biusinelOss lIn1o un, Liill hmuary~ '95. 1I
the m1ean11ti me she boarded w ih LIIMrs.
Demnpsy, proprlietross of thbe I rn City
Hotel, anld for aIwh4Il il hd tile entro
to the blest homes0 (If I lamcksburg. Mrs.
Anderson wais aL grass.-w idow. M'o .
Ii nal ly left, thi hotel anfd renmtoed aLsu'ite
of rooms5II ii i ,e rea and1( abhove hur miil
liniary store'i. 'Thion it wais that her1
Iintimanity wIihI iteCH0 became~h s(o pro~
noulnced IasL to asO comn it. Gossip
bCeamo~l~ 50mo rii h (lit koopinlg houselS
and1( wentl , L,) boaflrd with Dr'. Ihamls)uri,
Ia hIghly lesipectedi citizenl. lier di
vorced husband caime Lt) the city' abott
.1luly a yeatr ago, ieo sought IL reconI
by the Rtev. Mrl. .11lisoni. 'Thu next
dmty after tie reO-marriage Lthe husbatid
loft, and ho hias not bioon heartld of
since. It is thought thle woman~l desir
001 to appearI~i to have aL s(ioro of livoili
hood atnd thlat she ind( '.ced her huts
band to roturn ind remarr'111'iy hoir for the
nurjnosO of having that annna-anco,
for llooso was wealthy and if h
her too freely people would bl 'ay
liablo to susoct, but if she was
ried shte could claim her husband wa
providing her with funds. WhileMrs
Anderson wias boarding at the 1ron
City Hotel and before her re--marrkag0Y.'
this man Williams called on her onj
day. After he loft IRoese quarr4lled
w ith the wo uan. Mrs. Anderson after
wards roturietd to Georgia. Soon after
nur departcrv LRoeso left and went to
AtMlanta 1unU then out west. In a few
miontlis LUooio roturned and a few Weeks
artcr Mrs. Anderson returned. She
then purchased a piece of property.
lHer home was elegantly furnished
and sie seened to have an abundance
f, wealth, carrying an account with a
Charlotto bank. On her former stay
here she was financially embarrassed
and was generally regarded as being
without. menn. Shortly after she re
turned her brotlier, Dan Luckie, came
here. le secured a position with
I'tese and lived with hissister. There
atfter lieese' visits to the Anderson do
main were quite frequent, in fact she
was generally regarded as. ROOs's mis
t ess. An.1 so inattors wont until the.
night of the tragedy.
M. I.. leese Is a large, ilne-looking
mian about forty-three. He has made
conlsiderable money in real estate and
tradingi. iie was generally regarded
a a good eitize,,n except in this affair.
\Vhen a I'dger representative saw
him Saturday he was faultlessly attir
--d in a becominitg suit of black of the
11utaway pattern. le looked some
wit nervous and uneasy, but would
not be taken for the midnight assassin
that Iiis fellow townsmunen have pro
iounced him to be.
TJho most damaging tostimony before
1the coroner's ilqtuest, and that on
which the warrant was sworn out was
gi venhy Miss Parr ington,a d ross'manker
from11 Charlotte, bit wlo Is at p'resent
in the eiploy of D. L. Brown of Ghis
placo. The shooting occurred almost,
I not i inted iately, in front of Miss
'ri ng ton's boarding house. She
nwore in sistance as follows
" I was reading a novel when my at
tOntion was drawn by the three shots
in front of the house. I -turned down
a leaf at the place I was reading, laid
'ho book on a trunk and wont to the
w inidow. I heard voices and the shuf
1.n1g of feet on the outside, and a man
a ' hon't say a d-n word about, this.'
'Two in tien weot, into Mrs. Ander
oil's liouse. As the door oponed I could
e from the reflection of the lamp in
1.Ie hall way that they were M. R.
llese and Dan Liuekey. The figures
wer' abIout their siz.e."
THE EVIL Of FOOLISH TALKING.
L .i V; I ii urm a Pre her Abou
Itvv. .1. C. Iliden, D. D., of Rich
MIond, Va., pr'eaehod a very practical
seirion not long ago, in which he
dwelt w itfh great force upon the danger
of g.ossip tbta tends to imnpair public
coUl idelbe.
The text was lM1h first verse of the
S27h I salm: " 'xcept the Lord iildi
te house: they labor, In vain that
1hild it; except the Lord keep the
City, the watchimtan waketh but In
vain."
In discussing the last clause of his
text., Dr. iidon said that the word
" keep " meant to guar'd. "In this
connection," said the preachor. "I
havo a few words to say which may
imfpress smite people as being too seen
lar; but mly theory of a proacher's duty
is that he ought to help his people at
every point, at which he can do them
good. I do not recognize the hard
and-fast line which is drawn between
the secular Iud the sacred. If a man
if eng~ aged i ian indefensible business
six days in t 2e week, he cannot keep
Smindery holy if I sec my p~eople con
ductitng the tr business in a way that
tmutst endl in dtisaster, I feel it my duty
to sfpeak o it, andl in no uncertain
"etO of our evening paper's had an
edlitorial In yesterday's issue, calling
attetntioni to a matter' which Is of real.
im porfanee to all our people just now.
We atre livintg in harltd times. The ox
p.rts in finance tell us ; andl the recent
bonud safe jutsti lies the view, that those
hard timtes atise, not, from lack of
mooney, but, from lack of confidence.
W toit~bn conltidoec credilt Is impossi
blIe, and wit~lhout Credit business dis
solvos.
"Now, if you go about town wit~h
your head hanging dlown like a bul
rush, tred ictinug fiInancial disasters,
haying that this and that and the other
firm ar'e shaky and must soon go by the
iJoalrd, then you are helping your
neighbor01s to fall, and you may well
hook out that this does not cut short
yout' ow n rations. P aul says profound
ly, 'None of us liveth to himself, and
no moan dioeth to himself.' Your busi
noss depends largely upon the business
prtospertity of your neighbors. Your
kiing Is made here In lRichmnand and
largely out of I.tich mond p~eople. 'i'heir
success means youmr success. T[heir
failurie means short, rations for you.
"Somec people r'un ol' to New York
and pay for somte article as much as
tO same or per'haps a better artIcle
w i cost, here at home. is this wise ?
My rutle Is never to go or send out of
ltichmurond for aunything I can get on
rn' a..onalfe terms ini [ichmnond. It is
phrint, common sense, that as my living
s to come out of lRichmand people
then Itichomond people must live, and
if the money which they pay out is all
sp'ent somnuwheroe lse how can they
thrive ? Well, but the Lord is to 'keep
the city.' Yes,' but it was a wise mana
who said, 'Trust God and keep your
ptowde(r dry.' It Is not faith, but pre
sumtption in you, If you say you trust
Goid, and then fail to do your part.
Thme Dcvil tried to tempt Christ'into
this kind ,of sin, when he told Jesus to
loap dlown fr'om the pinnacle of the
!emnplo, because he could trust God to
pr'otect him. The Master refused, and
said it would be tempting the Lord
God. it is foolish and wicked presumnp
tion for you to embark your own and
your' friend's money in a -business
which you (do not know -how to con
duct. The whole land is full of bank
rupts who have failed because they
have gone beyond their means. The
p Iolitical economy that was ever put
iInto l'nglish is, " Pay as you go ; and
if ; ou can't pay don't go'"
- -Many a man has lost his reputa
tion by taling to much