Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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VOL. XLII.NO. 101 NEWBERRY, S. C.. FRIDAY AUGUST 18, 1905. TWICE AWE.$.0YA SENSATIONAL MEETING , AT YOUNG'S GROY] SENATOR BLEASE'S SPEECI CREATES COMMOTION. Rev. P. H. E. Derrick Charges Bleas With Insulting the Ministry The Lie Passed. About seven hundred people gatih ered at Young's Grove, two mile from Prosperity, Tuesday to lisfen t the discussion of the dispensary ques tion. The meeting was quiet in. th morning, the audience giving close at tention to the speaking. However, when Mr. Blease startec 'co speak in the afternoon the' meeting took a sensational turn. In th course of his speech, Mr. Blease too: -ccasion to denounce some of the pro hibitionists as hypocrites, and h spoke of the churc>h as being full o rascals. Some in the crowd remon strated and a commotion followed. A detailed report of tihe meetins is given below. The first speaker introduced b! Chairman Goggans was Hon. Arthur Kibler. He said the sale of liquor by th state is injurious to the citizens, an counties all over',The state are on th verge of ridding themselves of th curse. The dispensary does noti any way lessen the sale of liquor. bu on the other %and, the advocates c the dispensary are trying to mak the institution popular in variou ways. Mr. Kibler read statistics o the sale of liquor in the dispensarie of the county. There was over $62, ooo worth of liquoi- sold in 1903 an this not including the beer dispensary Speaking of the school fund, he sai tihat of the $26,195.09 that the school got not one-cwelfth of that amoun came from the dispensary; and tha without this little money the school would have run with only 8 or i days short term. They say if yo vote out the dispensary we will hav to raise $io,ooo to run 'he county Who is paying this money now? I is not the man worth thousands c dollars, but the poor white man an the negro who drink liquor. Ther are men in this county who cannc resist the tempcation of whiskey wh wish the prohibitionists God spee in this movement. They want to sto the curse and want the people of th state to help them. Cut off the mone received from the dispensary, and pt the extra tax on the people if it nee be, and let thne rich man pay the ta as well as the poor soul who drink The dispensary people fought th Brice a 1 and added the half mill tca to .re the people so as not to vot Out the dispensary, but the countic are not minding that, as over a doze counties in the state are soon to has elections on the question. He referred to tihe Spartanburg it vestigation in passing, the short meca: ure in bottles, buying of officer buying :he Spartanburg Journal 1 fight for the maintenance of the di pensary. the changing of labels c bottles of whiskey. and other ci graceful acts as practiceJ in Sparta1 burg coun:y. Didn't deny tha t prohibition do~ not prohibit fully, but will cut don~ sales considerably. He referred1 prohibition in Maine and in Kans; and also in counties in ti'e state, ar said that after Newberry county ha had prohvibition four years and the it turned out that prohibition w; worse than the dispensary, he w willing to .join the people to vo anything in. Mr. Kibler closed his speech wvi a plea to the people to rid the coun of this curse and that the judgment God rests on the people of South Ca olina at the ballot box. He receiv< the attention of the audience throug out, and was liberally applauded Dr. Geo. B. Cromer was the next speaker. He started in his usual good natured manner tell ing a joke about the beer dispensary situated so as to catch people "comin E and a 'gwin' " who come to town on the trains. Mr. Cromer said he was not out for any personal gain, but that he had been invited to speak here and he accepted the invitation as a pri vate citizen. He referred to the open - letter which he wrote to Senator S Tillman and said the next day after ) the article appeared in the papers, - some fellow wrote to him asking ihim a to run for governor. "I am no candi - date," he said, "and I wouldn't have any office in the state on a silver wait er." (Cheers.) "I don't care if you are for me or not. I'd rather be a private citizen than anything else. C When the movement was started - against the dispensary -it was to boost no prospective candidate or for any - body's personal gain. But it was to - test the question whether the people . wanted the dispensary or not. He said he did not want to make a temperance speech, but none 'but the widows and orphans know the ef feet of wine. In 1892, he said, the people voted for prohibition. In Newberry county prohibition won by 4 to 1. But we didn't get it, but we got The e dispensary instead. Seventy-nine I free-holders-and 34 of these were t negroes-overrode and wiped out the t wishes of 1,003 voters of the county e and this is why we have a dispensary S in the town of Newberry. f Dr. Cromer said he saw enough of s the dispensary in the mayor's court - in Newberry; and the dispensary is rotten to the core. "There was never such -a state of afairs in the history of South iCarolina, as revealed by the s investigating committee at Spartan t burg." t The speaker referred to the "Social s Club" in Newberry, saying that he 0 didn't know what they did up there, u but knew how people talked about it. e He said, "If anyone will get anyone to give me the evidence I will wipe it t out"-the gambling features. f Speaking about the revenue fea I tures, Mr. Cromer said that some peo e pie thought he wanted to get rid of t the dispensary and then have 'bar 3 rooms in order that the town would d get all the revenue, but he said the P town gets more revenue from the dis e pensary than it did from the bar y rooms wvhen he was first mayor of t Nevwberry. d It seems that the whole thing isa K question of money. Here are some .- figures as to taxes: e Greenwood-Prohibition 3 1-2 millh K .Marlboro-Prohibition 6 1-2 mills e jXewbery-Dispensary 2 1-2 mills s Lrnion-Dispensary 7 1-2 mills n In 1892 the taxable property in C Newberry was $4,83o.37o then the tay wvas 2 1-2 mills. In 1904 the taxable t- property was $5.678,o00 and tihe tay - was three mills. s"Then let the dispensary go, the o people paid more taxes last year that ;- n 1902. and we are in no better fix as ni to public roads, etc., than we w~er< -bef-.re." Dr. Cromer said he believe< - the curse of Gud rests on thC dispen sary. HeI appealed to the audience or s the highest grounds and said it was n wrong to attempt to corrupt th< o morals of a county by fastening th< LS dispensary upon the schools; an< d God will make us pay for it. "I d the people want prohibition. if the' n come out as I believe thley are going s to do, I believe we can enforce pro s hibition.'' With prohibition in New te berry. 9 out of 10 of the people wh< can get whiskey in Newberry now ih can't get it. :y Closing Mr. Cromer said, "Keel >f your home pure first of all; thei r- your schools. Don't poison the foun d tains your boys and girls are drink~ I ing from, and go down in you at pockets to get money to send them t< |school." Dr. Cromer delivered his speecn ii a clear and forcible manner and w2 listened to attentively. Mr. Goggans then read a lette from Rev. J. A. Sligh explaining was impossible for him to be pre ent on account of his heal:h. The meeting then adjourned fc dinner, which was prepared by Messi Mills and Nichols. A. C. Jones was the first speaker after dinne He reviewed the Ihistory of tempel ance and prohibition in the state an coun-ty since 1890. The prohibitionist have always made it a moral questio without the introduction of politic He told of the state going prohib tion in 1892 by a majority of ove io,ooo and they got the dispensar instead. Mr. Jones heartily endorses th Brice bill and is willing to leave tih question to the people of the count From the standpoint of morals ther is no question as to which side right, for the dispensary is the mo: inquitous thing in the history < men. Mr. Jones said that no goo man can afford to have anything to d with whiskey. The dispensary que, tion seemed to be a matter of mone with the dispensary force and thie cr comes what are the schools going t do without the money gotten from th dispensary. 'The graded schools Newberry got $411 from the dispe sary last year. and they had aboi that mudh left in the treasury- whic could have taken the place of t1 dispensary money. Most of Mr. Jones' speech wz about the history of the dispensar: giving some very interesting matt< which the majority of the people di not know. , We regret, however, the in order'to do Mr. Jones justice, mot than we have space allotted f< would be required, and therefore n further synopsis will be given. Senator Blease Mr. Blease said that there is bande together in this state one of the mo: damnable conspiracies to beat Til man and the dispensary. And are yc to damn the dispensary law becau. you say there are rotten men in ii givernment? "Social clubs are in d rect violation of the law on accoui of the gambling feature, but still the will have their charter after the d pensary is voted out." He referred to the fact that Nev berry had the best schools she h: ever had, axid the money that mao them so came from tihe dispensar "Are you going to vote it all awa and in addition have the 1-2 mill t; added?'' Last year Newberry g< from the dispensary $13,504.18, b sides several thousands from the sta dispensary. If you vote out the di pensary, you vote out all this mone and will have to raise $7,ooo which v~ must have to run the county. TI levy- will be 5 1-2 mills next y'ear if goes out. Mr. Blease said prdh'i'bition cou never be enforced. Said in the cou: try negroes would be sneaking abo in the corn iGelds selling whiskey. at in towns we would have social clul: drug stores with bar rooms in ba< doors and illicit wioiskey selling general. Mr. Blease read some cli pings from some newspapers sho ing the state of affairs in prohibitic towns and colleges. He referred Some anti-dlispensary newspapers I"sweet-scented." but "The State oug to be called hell-fire." "Are you going to vote out the di Spensary because you say it is rotte> Wh~ry not destroy tihe Church. If y turn ougt every rascal in the churc Syou would not have a quorum ne Sunday." Here Mr. Jones protested sayii Sthe Church ought~not to be slandere SAfter a little, Mr. Blease resum speaking, saying that there was ne er a minister who ever refused blo, rmoney, as i't is called, to help build Continued on fifth page. " SENATOR TILLMAN TO DR. CROIEB it - DENIES THAT HE APPEALED TO FACTIONALISM. -s While The People Are Fighting Dis pensary Leaders Are Fighting Him-Other Monuments r. Cited. d The State. :s Follovvn. is the reply of Senator n B. R. Tillman to the "open letter" s. of Dr. Geo. B. Cromer, former presi i dent of Newberry college and now r mayor of Newberry: y Hon. Geo. B. Cromer. My Dear Sir: As your "open let e ter" appeared in the Sunday News e and Courier and in today's Columbia . State, I presume you expect an an e swer through the same medium. s I desire in the beginning to ex ;t press my appreciation of your kind f ly and complimentary allusions to d myself. o I value them more highly 'because ;- in the past you have not been my y political friend. y I have read your letter carefully o and have endeavored to judge your e arguments and weigh the points you it present as "sanely" as may be. It is i not always possible for men to agree it even though both are actuated by the h highest and purest motives, and it is te therefore natural that you should misjudge me in some things and dis Ls agree with me in others. y, Now about the appeal to factional r ism: I deny absolutely that I have d made such an appeal or intend to t make such an appeal, and in justifi e cation of truthfulness of this state >r ment let me remind you of what I o said at Edgefield. To quote: "I do not wish to revive factionaligm and I am sorry to be compelled to have the d appearance of doing so. I am aware st that many of the strongest support I- ers of the dispensary now are men u who were and are yet pro'bab';" Con ;e servativ.s while some of its most cs bitter antagonists are former Re i- formers. It therefore cannot be it charged that I am endeavoring to y draw the old lines which rent the i- state in twain." Again: "I want this matter settled entirely apart v- from my personal and political for ts tunes. It is a much greater question le for the people of South Carolina as y. to how they shall wisely and best by govern the sale of liquor than as to Lx whether I or some one else repre >t sents them in the senate. I know e- there are many men who will vote te for me regardless of their former s- political affiliations and of their pres y, ent attitude on this question, and it e is probable that there will be many w who will be aggrieved at my activity it in dealing with the question.* When a public man is viciously Id attacked with slander and abuse and n- there is every indication of a pur LI pose to press that attack in tdhe next id democratic primary with a view to 's his overthrow, it seems to me it is :k perfectly legitimate for him to give ini notice to his friends and his enemies P- alike of what is going on and let all v- hands understand that he is prepared W to fight. This is all I have done to and so far from expecting to make a as plea -to tihe Reformers, as you charge hit to be my purpose "'by implication," I have expressly said that the old s- lines could not be settled and I. want 1? the issue settled entirely apart from >u my personal and political fortunes. h. When I wrote my letter to Mr. xt Higgins I merely alluded to The "true inwardness of this movement," which 'g I then realized was being engineered d by my inveterate political enemies. ed You seemed to be grieved because T- I have s.hifted my position from the od "sane and judicial attitude of the a -Higgins letter" and now take the lground that the movement is political and a covert attack upon me. Your assertion is too sweeping, my dear doctor. The "movement" against the dispensary among the people arises from the dissatisfaction with the management and strong belief in cor ruption which exists; but .while the people are fighting the dispensary either to purify or to destroy it the leaders are fighting me. You may not be. In fact I know you are not and probably there are many others who have no such feelinig or pur pose, but look at the numerous evi dences of the political purpose and significance of the movement in the minds of the leaders. One of these who attended the prohibition confer ence in Columbia declared it to be the intention to "tilt the state up on edge and spill out not only the dis pensary but the entire existing politi cal status." The Darlington News declared that the "dispensary was so intimately interwoven with Senator Tillman's political fortunes that the destruction of the one meant the de struction of the other." The mass meeting held at Yorkville on the 7th of this month under the leadership of the author of the Brice bill discussed a'nd abused me a great deal more than tihey discussed the dispensary or prohibition and each and every speaker who opened his mouth in it paid his respects to me in the harshest and most insulting man ner. Since it will not be denied that the anti-dispensary forces are an in congruous and in many respects an tagonistic aggregation, ministers of the gospel, doctors of divinity, advo cates of higfh, license, the old barroom system in its essence, blind tigers who want free liquor for the money they can make out of it, and yet with all this army in motley led by men with all manner of opinions, and marshal ing its forces for my destruction, you, my dear doctor, tell me that I must remain quiet, continue the same "calm, judicial, sane attitude assumed in the H'iggins letter" and not let the people know what is going on. I stated in that letter if the legisla ture did not, apply the remedy for the existing evils in the dispensary management that I would help kill the dispensary. More mature thought and a better understanding of the purpose of the anti-dispensary leaders led me to give notice-that if the leg islature did not apply the remedy I would appeal to the people to elect a legislature -that would. Is ther'e anything wrong in that? Anything immoral, or unstateman like? If I had remained steadfast in that position would not all the in fluences that are -possible be brought to bear to keep the legislature from doing anything, especially doing things I suggest? If the legislature now in office could be tihus influenced, cajoled, coerced to resist reformation unde; the specious plea that it was at my dictation, that I had quietly, fallen in ranks to help kill the dis pensary without first appealing from the legislature to the people, do you not see that I would have tied my' own hands and surrendered at dis cretion to my worst enemies? I had to deal with one "driftwood leislature" once and I appealed to the people to reform it, which they did most effectually by retiring most of those who had proven false to their professions and pledges to pri vate life. The present legislature was not elected on the dispensary issue and is a very conservative body of men and with so much political electricity in the atmosphere and so much thundering against The dispen sary it may well pause ere it takes any action. The disclosures at Spar tanburg will undoubtedly. cause it to do something, but whether it will do anything effectual or not remains to be seen. I wish to say here and now, as J Though in parenthesis, the result of this fight as far as I am personally4 concerned gives me no uneasiness whatever. 'Ihe office of senator does