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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 1906)
THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL. PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNING OCTOBER 14, I that Caused RlOTS.RAIDvSA'Nn Offioal5candalj: O OUTH CAROLINA'S famous lesson .A in liquor legislation is believed by the majority of people in that State to be founding out its concluding chapter. The State Dispensary law, one of the most remarkable experiments in the way of public control of a commodity in popular de mand ever attempted, will, it is thought, be Ibelf repealed by the incoming Legislature. At the recent primary elections in that fttate the voters of the dominant party de nlared in favor of the candidates antagonistic jfD the present system of liquor control. For thirteen years the State Dispensary mw of South Carolina has run its troubled bourse. Riots, raids and official scandals have tlustered upon the pages of its history; viola tions of the law have been frequent, and more tar less open; graft has been charged in this ypsarter and that. The dominating influence nf one man alone United States Senator 49. R. Tillman has kept the law upon the books this' long. In the recent primary campaign the ap peals of Mr. Tillman were disregarded, and to sentiment adverse to the dispensary gained ascendency. The fate of the dispensary rests With the new Legislature the State officials to be elected are against it. Even should it be banished from South Carolina, its unsavory pdor will linger long within the confines of the Palmetto State. At SENATOR TILLMAN ts retarded aa the father of South Carolina' dispensary ayatcm. Whether its seemingly Impending overthrow win have any effect upon the political fortunes of this plctur hsque and rugged statesman cannot be predicted, nor is sucn prediction necessary. Despite the fact that the Democratic voters of the tats apparently decided against him on this issue, hs undoubtedly baa a firm hold on their affections. He Was not the issue In the campaign of last summer; If fee arrayed himself on the losing side in the advocation at a system in which he believed, he did no mors than Cher leaders have done. No one haa ever impugned Senator Tillman's hon Snty. Impetuous, headstrong, flsry and uncontrollable Iks may be, but suspicion of graft does not attach to Mm. That It has been charged to the system hs fathered ft not laid at his door. Hoon after Mr Tillman ma. slants Amimuip of owth Carolina In 1MW ho was confronted with ths old. perplexing problem of the sals of Intoxicating liquors. SkUll that time he had been a farmer, unprepossessing trance, rugged In manner and without schooling Ajk-etatesinanshlp. Bs bad led a revolt of the farmers of the state existing political conditions and the so-called resented a continuation of the traditions of South-ante-bellum dsys, snd took office determined to a record for reform. At the outset of his administration. Tillman found party In peril of being swamped between ths oppoa- torces of high license and prohibition. Advocates of latter had greatly Increased In numbers, and in Of the counties, like Harlborcush. the aala at . u I, ., - I . i m that time ths city of Athens, Ga., was expert- packages, buying and selling through a municipal lion. It was suggested that such a nlan ha mm. and adapted to the entire State of South Caro- DISPLACED ALL SA LOONS The Idea found favor, and ths dispensary plan was It was decided to close all existing saloons and. State dispensaries one or more In each So the Dispensary law was formulated. Its provl- wer to be carried out by a State Board of Control, number was afterward reduced to three. This board was to purchase ail liquors and have tm tasted. A commissioner, appointed by it, was to aa executive officer and distribute supplies to the In every county, at such places where the sale of mmr waa i uwaa riv ihn t.rm r.i aa, a , - It was Intended to make only a fair nroSt from the M4 Into the State school fund, the remainder helns is ad between the county and town s-overnmenta Mrs the local dispensaries were located. r eleven months of one year reported under this astern and takeu as a specimen period the total r ftipti from sslss amounted to t3.tfl.M0 22, and the cost ft supplies was U.SK.2U.7K Of the net profits, ths Mprunt accruing to the Mate on behalf of the school fund was riT,012.18. snd the amount divided among the Win ties and towns was txK.lss 28 The entire net earnings of that year were IUW.MN.7s. BfSii over the preceding year of fla2,M.K. Among wwuiiiK items 01 cw, ocsiats supplies, were uvaer eSWtels tU . Hs,gl.t4; freight and express charges. an u m and unhepplness followed In the wske of the JBjnasasry law aimusi troru munching Thousands LWLWma the restrictions thrown about the sale of liquor. They had been esousaomed to walklna Into a bar- las and buying what and when they pleased; ths new t things was regarded ss an encroachment upon I ttber ty. T the Dispensary law every perron wtshlns Wag Obliged to purc hase It In package form from jmraro n had to present to nis iocm aispensor I or pmiieu uppiiiuiiun, Kivms g'w oeei ot Information fn reply to questions that, perhaps, Lai as Isssertinent. And at that tbe dlsosnser refuse to sail to him. If ha desired. I this created dssjaCtsfsotlnn Many person be- taeWfeir mm u m iKjtm mm i i mmmmmmmmm VffftSM sSSSxU'luBM I I Ttr: Mam ssssBSBSSBSBBSBBSSBsssasnssBBM mm 4yW---Jffl 1 ,.....u......ir TypiccfJ Dispensary wSoufCsraJzJd. lleved that the Stats had no right to enter business; others, not Indulging In ethical premises, concluded that they had as much right to sell liquor ss ths Stats, law or no law. In any event, they knew that there was . money In It Consequently, hundreds of speakeasies were opened all over South Carolina. It haa been asserted that, while there were ten legal dispensaries In the city of Charleston, there were at least 200 speakeasies, or "blind tigers." Thereupon, the army of constables became busy. They ware endeavoring to do their duty, perhaps; but. as a rule, they wars not highly cultured nor espe cially gentle. Hald after raid ensued. For a time such official In trusions were confined to places suspected so being speakeasies. They were not conducted according to the TJ?eJoofy&Mt!iczftf)e Depot foDarlibQton-ncnyKWed s men ties of an afternoon tea, henoa it is of UtUs prise to note that several killings ensued. It waa when the activity of the constables extended to the search of dwellings that Indignant resentment rose to whlta heat, .and bloodshed was charged to the working of ths Dispensary law. Rioting took the place of protest. At Darlington, a prosperous city in ths Pee-Dee section, came the first trouble. Several places there were raided late In March. ISM. by a fores under Chief State Constants Oalllard. and. while there waa no open resistance, the onlooking crowd was sullen and threatening. Boon after this, ths report became current that sev eral private houses were to he searched for supplies of liquor. That was mors than the men of the town could tend, and they began to gather, armed with shotguns, rifles and revolvers. No trouble occurred that day, however; but on the following morning twelve State constables, armed with rifles, reached the town. v The appearance of these officers aroused intense in dignation, and calls sent to the surrounding country brought In scores of sympathisers with tbe people of Darlington. Help for the Discouraged, ' Motherless Girl TO AID motherless girls,. Mrs. M. M. Van Cott, the well-known "vangelist, hat. form ed an organization which aha hopes to see flourishing all oror tbe ' country in a few years. It is called the Motherless Girls' Chris tian Association. At present headquarter are at CatekilL N. Y., but "Mother Van," as she is affectionately known from New England to the Pacific, expects to visit a number of other citiea and establish branches where she thinks the greatest need exists. By Mrs. M. M. Van Cott I AM FREQUENTLY asked ths object of the Mother less Otrls' Christian Association, and yst I think Its object Is set forth In Its name. To comfort, care for and win the discouraged motherless girls, especially in our large cities, and through loving counsel strive to prevent them from going to the bad that Is our object. Most of them are good girls now or when they start out to face the world and we hope to help them to continue In the path of uprightness by entertain ing and guiding them; to keep them from the street and save them for God. home and religious mother hood. The officers of the association at present are: Presi dent, Mrs. M M Van Cott; vice president. Miss Anna Ds Or oat; recording secretary, Mrs. W. P. Bates; treas urer, Mrs. H. Fredenburgh. I cannot Impress upon ths public too strongly our purpose, and so I venture to repeat: We desire to Gather together the motherless girls, and In tender ive Instruct, warn, guide, encourage and entertain thom, while we "mother" them for Ood. home and womanly purity. Does there live man or woman In whose breast thsrs Is not found tondsrest pity and true sympathy for a motherless girl? Many a girl, tenderly reared and unfitted by nature or training to bo left to right the battle of life alone, hears all too early the rustls of ths wings of ths aagsi of death, as It takes away her best earthly friend, couneelor and guide, her mother. She turns away from ths parent's grave, desolate, heart-crushed and undone. The sight of the vacant chair in the cheerless boms smites her soul; sbs misses ths gsntle footfall of one that cometh not; at bedtime there Is no mother's em brace, no loving good-night klas. Then dawns a nsw snd. too oftsn, a troubled Ufa She must go out Into the world, from which She has been so tenderly shielded, to earn her own living. Do you knew whet that meansT If you do. you undsr- tand ths need for sympathy and help. The child Is ofttlmes totally Inexperienced, knows nothing of life, Its temptations and pitfalls. Heavy hearted, she seeks a situation. Perhaps shs is sweetly beautiful In her sorrow more's the pity for her. Then the cheap boarding house becomes her home. She earns just money enough to keen a shelter above her and provide her with distasteful food. Poor one. with none to oounssl or guide! weeks and months go by with a growing. Intensi fied longing of soul for a kindly word or smlls of lovs. Ss Is a good girl at heart, brought up religiously, and doubtless attends church. But even at church none notloss her, even to offer a hymn book. Her slothes now beats to teak m bit ssahhr ir- touches the depths of her womanly spirit. She sees no chance to replenish them. What now? Discouraged beyond measure, again and again shs wishes she could die. Now comes Satan In human form, going about seek ing to devour. She believes his words of love. 8oon she Is happily sngaged to be married, and her spirit Is joyous In Its hope. He Invites her out to some place of amusement, then to supper. See her eye sparkls; she supposes shs Is loved. Wine is called for. she hesitates but her lntendod drinks his glass, tells hsr It Is simple, mild wins, and she Is beguiled to drink It, for ehe loves him and has not the least doubt of his love. ' From such a dream of happiness she too often awakes to a horrible reality. Unless Ood, In pity, sends a Florence Crittenden rescue saint to the undons one at whom the world will now point the finger of scorn, some mother's child will sink deeper and still deeper, till frl merry to her poor ehvracked body the potter's field opens its arms and ahe finds a nameless grave. NOKgtnen. it is to save sucn ss tnese. in a wore or loving prevention, that our association has been formed. We purposs to have a home of rest for tired ones, open the year round, where they may find loving moth erly spirits to ohoer, counsel and watchfully guide them. Many In our stores, factories and mills are not slok, but utterly tired out and discouraged. As soon as funds are at our disposal we shall buy a home and Invite the good girls, who dsslre to re main good, to come In relays of ten or twenty, as Ood shall glvs to us the means. They will spend. a week, ten days or two weeks, as each cass may nsed. We purpose to give them perfect rest of body, with a neat room, good wholesome food, and last, but not least, motherly love and Christian counsel as to ths valus of pure womanliness and refined womanly dig nity. We shall teach each one that as a woman shs. Tn ruling herself, can In her lot rule the world. , In our home we hope to set an example and to train to an Industrious, purposeful life thoss who corns to us. In other words, we shall try to save and give to the world hundreds of womanly women by making tnem to see ana Know mat lite is not only worth liv ing, but is a beautiful, useful gift from Such a demonstration seemed to convince the con stables that they war not In a healthy locality. On March SO fourteen of them, bearing Winchester rifles, were assembled at the railroad station, awaiting a train. Before It arrived, however, firing began. It was stated that five unermed dtlsens, who happened to gat together near the depot, were made the subject of at tack. ' In any event, ths rifle reports brought a number af dttesns to ths scene, and they took part in the scrimmage with prompt enthusiasm, '' Whan it was all over, four man war found to bo dead, several others were mortally wounded, and there were a number of cases of more or less serious Injury. The constables concluded that discretion was the ) better part of valor. They promptly took to the woods, where, for several days, they were hunted by a frenzied crowd. All, however, got away safely. News of the Darlington riot spread Ilka wildfire. Disorder, too, spread like a contagion. In Florence a mob wracked the local dispensary and N destroyed supplies valued at 115,000. Governor Tillman ordered out the State militia. Three companies In Columbia refused to respond. One of these was no other than the favorite Governor's Guard. Other military organisations throughout ths State also did not obey. It was a theatrical moment whan ths historic Gov ernor's Guard refused to proceed to Darlington. The command waa marshaled on the lawn before the Execu tive Mansion, and soldier after soldier throw his equip ment on tbe ground at Governor Tillman's feet. Peering that the State capital would soon be in the hands of a mob and that the Executive's life was In danger, friends of Mr. Tillman urged him to flee for safety. His single eye blazing with wrath and determi nation, the Governor refused. "They may kill me, but they cannot scare me," ha said. "Ths people of South Carolina put me here to attend to their business, and I will stay here and do my duty, or be carried out a corpse." Ia this perilous position, ths Governor appealed to the farmers of ths State the "wool hats" who had elected him to help him maintain sovereign authority. FARMERS RALLIED TO THE GOVERNOR By scores and hundreds they responded, all armed, and soon 800 or (00 determined men were at hand to back up bis rula Governor Tillman, however, found a sufficient num ber of troops ready to obey his orders to control the situation at Darlington. He placed tbe town under mar tial law and soon restored order. The "whisky war." as it wss called, lasted ten daya and then came to an end. That waa by no means the end of the troubles of the dispensary system, however. Other troubles have ensued from time to time. It has been charged for years that graft wss ram- 8 ant snd that the whole traffic as conducted by the tats was rotten. This finally led up to an official investigation by a committee of tbe Legislature. The investigation, con cluded only a few months ago, resulted In revslattons that, doubtless, had much to do with the recast verdict of voters against ths dispensary system. Rebates by the hundred were found, it la Stated. It was also found, according to reports of the proceedings, that public bids for supplies had been tampered with, that exorbitant prices had been psld for bottles, labels, liquor and everything else that hsd been bought, and that some of the dispensers had been shown guilty of actual theft, and yet had been retained in the employ of the State. Scandal after scandal has marked the history of the State dispensary. The people have not been satisfied, the honor of the State baa been smirched. It is declared. Should the Dispensary law be r pes led, the relief throughout South Carollns. It ia stated, will be general. Postmen Collect Debts in Austria A DEBT-COLLECTING agency which Is run as a part of ths regular nubile postal system Is the newest "improvement'' of the poet o Hoe of Aus tria, Despite the novelty of the enterprise, the plan has worked admirably, so that thousands of dollars ars col lected annually by the postmen throughout the Austrian empire. The system Is very simple. Suppose a tradesman In Vienna has an account due from a customer tn, say, such s distent town as Budapest, which he wishes to collect. Distance does not msfter In ths least. He merely sends the bill to the postofflcs In the capital, whence It Is st once transmitted to the post office at Budapest There the postman presents It to tht debtor, collects the cath. smf remits It to ths Vienna postofflcs. whenoe It Is delivered to the tradesman by poatsaan. In the event of payment being refused, which, of course, sometimes happens, the creditor Is proaajaUy ap prised of the fact, and valuable time la thus frequently saved.