The herald and news. (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, July 31, 1908, Image 1
;f TOLXLT NO, <il NEWBERRY. S. O., FRIDAY. JULY 31. 1908 TWICE A WEEK. SI.50 A YEAR
|Candidates Fo
|| Offices A
ifflEIR YIEWS ON THE
j VARIOUS LIVE ISSUES
BhE MEETING AT WILLIAMS
STORE ON TUESDAY.
Meeting at Longshore on Wednesday
$ ?Meeting Well Attended and
Speeches Givon Close Attention.
(By Jno. K Aull.)
1? The comity campaign meeting at
$|Srilliams Store on Tuesday was attended
by about one hundred and fifty
or two hundred people, includ {
ing a number of ladies. While the
Growd was not large, it included more
the voters of the township,
fact, with the meetings arranged
they are in Newberry county, more
fj^jfhan half of the voters of the county
have * heard the candidates be/
fore the primary.
||$|-Thc crowd ill Willi ams Store on
^Tuesday gave the candidates close
'y'jjpnd respectl.ul attention. Tt was
|s?vidtnl that they were thinking, and
Pat thoy wanted to select the best
L incn for I lie various offices. There
yras no applause.
} i No. 7 township includes three preif'Jincts
? Saluda, Chappells, and
yaughanville. Each of these precincts
was well represented.
. The speaking was in the grove
t across the road from (lie, residcnco
of Mr. James B. Johnson. Tuesday
was ideal for a meeting of this kind.
An excellent barbecue dinner was
; served. The 'cue was furnished by
^ Mr. J. A\ . Sanders, and was cooked
by Mr. James Dunbar, with the assistance
ol Mr. J. W. Davenport, and
it was very thoroughly enjoyed by
everybody who partook of it?and
> everybody present partook.
^ Considerable space rs given to this
|: meet ins in Ibis issue of The Herald
, and News, because it is desired to
give the views and the positions of
the various candidar.es as accurately
and as fully as possible. Messrs. I<\
1 W. Higgins, Arthur Kiblcr and Os.
' Wells, candidates for the lower house
' of the general assembly, were not
present, Mr. Higgins not being able
to be present on account of the ill^
ncss of his aunt, and Mr. ICibler being
confined to his home in ^TewheiVv by !
sickness. Messrs. Higgins and Wells I
were at the meeting at Longshore on!
Wednesday, and synopses of their
addresses are given in the report of
the Longshore meeting.
The speeches of (he candidates for
superintendent of education arc not
, given as fully in this report as the
addresses of the other candidates,
L lack of space forbidding. T( is the
ft purpose of The Herald and News to
B report the speeches of these gentleBmen
at a subsequent meeting more
B fully in I he next issue, giving more
I space to (hem and culling down the
\ space given to the candidates for Hie
other ollices?taking it turn about, as
| if were.
The candidates for the senate are
given a great deal of space in this issue.
Mr. Aull having raised a constitutional
question which he contends
idisqualifies Mr. Johnstone from holding
a seal in the general assembly, and
il being desired to stale the positions
these gentlemen on this matter,
el other mailers, as fully as possiIn
fact, what I he I wo candidates
Bid about Mr. Johnstone's position
Bn member of the hoard of trustees
ra Olcinson and as chairman of the
ard, is reported practically verbaBn.
And, then, the office is one of
Be most important within the gift
B the people, and it is well lliat the
Hople should be fully advised ns lo
B views of the candidates for this
Hice.
B\s stated, in my report in the next !
ue it is my purpose to cut down j
ir space and give more space to !
H' candidates for the oilier olTlces.
|5 The Meeting in Detail.
Tn (lie absence of County Chairnan
Fred. 11. Dominick, who had exI
r County
ddress Voters
pccted to bo present, Mr. B. 13. Leitzsey,
secretary of the county Democratic
executive committee, presided.
Mr. Leitzsey slated that Mr. Dominick
was detained in Columbia by
business, and that he had been asked
to take charge of the meeting, lie
bespoke tor each of the candidates
earnest and respectful attention.
The candidates for the State senate
were first on the program, and
Chairman Leitzsey introduced Mr.
Alan Johnstone, who now represents
Newberry county in the lower house
of the general assembly, and who is
seeking a seat in the upper house.
Mr. Alan Jolmstone.
Mi-. Johnstone said he was * sorry
to be compelled to tell tlie people that
his physical condition was not equal
to t lie occasion, lie said he had spent
Sunday in lied with a high fever,
with a summer cold. His throat was
very sore, he said, and he asked pardon
if he talked in a rambling way.
On this spot two years ago he had
made few promises, but he had made
some, lie said. The few he had made
were broad and comprehensive. One
was that if elected he would stand
for good government*, wherever it led.
He had promised that he would give
(lie best service lie was capable of.
He had promised that he would sustain
the higher institutions of learning,
as lie would be a friend of the
common schools?sustain the higher
institutions with Ihe necessary and
proper appropriations. Ho had
promised that he woula stand for as
low rate ot taxation as was consistent
with a proper administration of
government, lie had been faithful to
every promise, he said, and he wished
he had an hour to explain everything
lie did, and why. lie had nothing to
conceal from mortal man, and especially
the people of Newberry oounty,
among whom lie was born and reared.
Mr. Johnstone said that the destruction
of the State dispensary was
one of the achievements of the legislature
of which he was a member. He
would let that matter- pass, knowing
its disappointing history, and that
the country breathed freer at its destruction.
He spoke of the consternation that
prevailed when the United Slates
courts decided that Ihe State had no
labor contract law. Deeply feeling
the condition which (lie agricultural
people had been brought lo, he addressed
his best thought lo a solution
ol. that question, and after studying
the decision ho saw one remaining
principle upoq which a structure
could bn built which he believed
would stand the test of the
courts. He assembled I lie agricultural
people in the legislature and laid it
before them, and they said it would
answer the purpose and that they believed
il would be the best I hey could
do. He told I hem there were two
able lawyers in the legislature with
whom he was acquainted, whose
counsel he believed i! would be wise
10 secure, and Ihe idea was gone over
with these two lawveis, and they
said they believed the bill would
stand the test of thr courts, and the
wonder was Ihev had not thought of
11 sooner. That law was on the books
today, and lie believed il would stand
fhc, lest.
Mr. Johnstone then took up tlio
road question, saying that he had endeavored
as best lie could to get a
road law passed which would answer 1
I lie general purposes of (lie county.!
He h^'1 devised a method which pro- t
vided tlial Ihe supervisor and com-!
missioners should Ifiy olT Ihe county'
again in road districts?not the road j
districts which we have, numbering j
about f>00, but in larger districts, :
suit bale lo the belter working of the
roads. He had left that power in
their hands because they were the
best judges of how large or how
small Ihv districts should be, knowing
the necessities of the various scelions
of the county. "I enacted into
law and got il through," lie said, "a
lit lie regulation providing for a onemill
tax by county or townships; iP. \
the county would not enter into it the
township could enter into it." This
was intended only as a beginning, to
see how the people were pleased with
the plan, and it' they were pleased the
amount could be continued and increased
from year to year. Ilis mind
and heart were fully fixed and determined
upon the purpose of fixing
better road regulations, to securing
betler roads.
Mr. Johnstone then look up lie appropriations
for State institutions of
learning, saying there were two
standpoints from which the citizen
should view these appropriations.
One standpoint, was the public good,
and another standpoint was personal
interest and how much ho contributed
to that measure. Assuming that there
had been an extra appropriation of
$100,01)0 for that purpose?which
there was not, ho said?but assuming
for the sake of argument and for the
purposes of illustration that such an
appropriation had been given; how
did that come home to the citizenship?
If property wore assessed at
its true, real, sale value, the man who
paid taxes on $1,000 worth of property
would pay 17 cents of thai money.
Hut when it was considered that
property was assessed at only about
one-third its actual value, it would be
seen that that amount would be reduced
in less than six cents. Consider
next, he said, not only the standpoint
of personal benefit, but of the public
good. Why did he say personal
benefit? ''You are a part and parcel
of the public," he said, "and
whatever benefits the public benefits
you. ' lie spoke of advancement
along educational lines throughout
the country. "Are we going to shut
the doors of our higher institutions
to our young men, and fall down before
the country and before the
world?" He said that he had told
the people two years ago that if they
commissioned him he would stand in
the proper way by thoso institutions
with the proper and necessary appropriations.
$.10,000 had been given to
the Citadel for repairs. It had been
given to a city, to build up its institution,
which had furnished fo the
country great and heroic men, many
of whom now slept in the lap of Virginia.
That city and that county paid
one-tenth of the taxes of the State.
Since 18-iS that institution had not
been given a dollar to improve its
property, or for repairs. He went
with the legislature to Charleston to
see whether the appropriation was
necessary or not. lie saw as plainly
as the .human intellect could show
that the property was being actually
injured by withholding it any longer.
He had voted to give it, and if
the people voted against him for that,
lie would always know they had voted
against an innocent man.
The same condition, he said, applied
to I he South Carolina college.
Voice: Tell us something about the
road question.
Mr. Johnstone: I have told you
about the road question.
Mr. Johnstone then took up the
matter of his position as a trustee of
Clemson college, saying that he was
sorry he did not have an hour to talk
to the people about that matter.
"That position does not pay me a
cent in a monetary way," he said.
"It never has paid me a cent. I
don't expect a cent. T don't expect
any pay except the satisfaction of
Knowing that 1 am accomplishing
some good for the people who are engaged
in the same occupation that T
am engaged in, and for the working
poo|rle throughout the entire Stale.
That question as to whether it bo a
State position or not was settled by
the Constitutional convention, and
for twenty years Senator Tillman has
occupied that position on that board,
and he has been twice governor, and
United States senator. And that
question has been regarded by the legal
mind of the Slate as absolutely
and entirely settled. That question
came before the last legislature
afresh, as things sometimes bob up
anew. 1 regarded it as little more
than a piece of pleasantry between
two Oconee gentlemen. But the legal j
minds of thai body?.fiut it possessed !
legal minds?deeided that there was!
nothing in the question, and the reso-J
ing words of the resolution were)
stricken out by almost a unanimous
vote. 1 wish I had tLine to analyze
that question in all its details, because
I know that you gentlemen want to
act conscientiously in regard to that
question, and 1 claim the same for
myself. Mr. Clemson gave to the
State of South Carolina one hundred
and eighty odd thousand dollars, as
I recall it best, upon condition thati
he was to name seven of the trustees,
who were to fill vacancies that
occurred by death or resignation.
Suppose every one of those men were
to resign. The legislature might meet
and sit in session forty years, and it
could not replace one singlo one of
them. Why? Because they derive
their source and power and they originate!
in I lie will itself. Bat let us |
look at tlie justice and equity of the <
question. How under the snn could 1
(lie Slate of South Carolina say by i
legislative enactment that if you ]
give us this properly we will allow '
you this privilege, and then turn i
around and destroy tin1 right of eit- ;
izenship of those seven men? Let i
me ask you another thing, in common j
sense and in common business judg- i
ment. \\ hy would I desire In bold
a position contrary to law thai pays ;
me nothing ami works my brain and ?
my body sometimes day and night. (
\\ hy would I waul to hold llial if it
was not the desire to accomplish i
some good? j
"Now, my friends, I never invited i
myself into a race in my life. I was in- i
vited into (he legislative race by tho ;
citizenship of this county. I was jnvit- (
ed into this race 1 am in now by your i
ballots, and by your ballots alone." )
Air. Johnstone said that lie proposed
Id criticize no man's conduct s
but his own. Thai conduct (lie peo- ^
pie had a right to, and lie had noth- s
ing to conceal from I hem. If any
woman, child, or decrepid man, who
was unable to come to him, wauled to
know his position on any question, j
lie would be glad lo go lo them and |
tell them everything he had done,
and everything he had proposed to
do. He concluded by saying lie was |
born and reared among tho people oi
Newberry. "When you hear I his
and that." he said, "ask yourselves,
Does that sound like I he man you j
know?" lie said that he had not
been a hungry ollice seeker in those 1
;>8 years he had lived among the people
of Newberry.
Mr. E. H. Aull.
Mr. E. H. Aull, who represents
Newberry county in (lie lower house
of the general assembly, and who is :
a candidate for I lie Stale senate, was '
next introduced by Chairman Leitz- 1
sev. 1
Mr. Aull began by saying Dial he
was born and reared in Newberry
county, and that the people of New- '
berry county knew his record and
what his life had been. "I have nuv- '
or been a hungry ollice seeker," he ,
said, "any more than my fYiond, Mr. 1
-Johnstone, has boon. Certainly my '
people have never sought ollice at !
your hands." J
Mr. Aull said he appreciated I he |
vote the people of llie county had (
given him as a candidate for the
house of representatives, and that
he had endeavored lo servo I hem
faithfully and well. How well it was
for t hem lo determine. I
In discussing the constitutional
question which he had raised in the. j
campaign in reference lo the position ]
held bv Mr. Johnstone as trustee of .
t'lemson college, and as chairman of j
the board of trustees of Clemsou,
which position, it is claimed by Mr.
Anil, disqualifies him under the Con- <
stitution of South Carolina from |
holding si seal in the general assembly,
Mr. Aull said:
"Now, my friends, I have raised a i
constitutional question in this eain-|<
paign. T would not have you think ]
for fine moment thai llial question I
was raised as a technical question. I I
am honestly and sincerely in earnest <
about that mailer, because T believe T :
am right. Mr. Johnstone talks about I
Senator Tillman. There are two pro- ;
visions of the constitution in regard i
< holding I wo oflices in lliis Stale. |
> ialor 'I illmnn floes hold the otTice ji
of life Irusloe at f'femson, and trus- i
tee by election of the legislature at |
Winlhrop. lie has held those posi- i
lion- since tho^e institutions were cs- ;
i
lablished. 1 don'I think ho has (ho <
right lo hold them. But that is not i
[ho question that is before us. I
"The first provision of the consti- J
lutiou in regard to holding two olTtecs 1
reads as follows: "Article II (Right 1
if Suffrage), See. 2, Constitution of I
18!)"): Kvery qualified elector shall ho <
eligible to any office lo be voted for,
unless disqualified by age, as pre- 1
>cribcd in this constitution. But no :
person shall hold two odices of lion- I
>r or profit at the same time: Pro- '
rided, That any person holding an- '
>ther olliee may at the same time bo '
in officer in the militia or a notary 1
public." That is the general provi- !
don in regard to holding two offoes. '
"The positions which 7MY. Tillman '
lias held do not come in the sanio eat- '
pirory and do not come under the in- '
liibil ion in the constitution against
members of the general assembly
holding any other office, because Mr.
Tillman has never been a member of
I he general assembly of this 1
Stale. Now, 1 want you to listen
lo this provision, which is contained '
n Article 111 (Legislative Department),
Sec. 2-1 of the Constitution of
1S! >.*?: "No person shaft bo eligible to J
i seat in I ho general assembly"-?the !
somite of South Carolina or the house
>f representatives?"while he holds 1
any olliee or position of profit or
trust under thi^ SI:iI?*. the United
Stales of America, or any of I hem. or 1
under any other pownr, except officers
In the militia and notaries public; 1
ind if any member shall accept or '
wereise any of the said disqualify- !
ng offices or positions he shall vacate ;
lis seat."
"The oath of office which we lakel
vlien we are sworn in as members of
lie general assembly reads: "I do
lohvnnly swear (or affirm) that 1 am (
Inly qualified, according to the eon- '
:titution of this State, to exercise the
luties of the office to which I have
>een elected (or appointed) and that j
will, to the best of my ability, dis liargc
the duties thereof, and pre- (
serve, protect, and defend the eonstiution
of this State and of the Unit- 1
d Stales."
"The ease of Mr. Johnstone is not
i parallel case lo that of Senator
Tillman. 1 claim that Mr. Johnstone, .
inder that provision of the constitu- j
ion which says I hat no member of ,
ho general assembly shall hold two .
iffices, is disqualified. ^
"Now, as 1 said, T would not have .
rou for one moment hefievo tliat I j
nil taking this position as a leehni- (
al nialti'r. What is the wisdom uu- j
lcrlyina that provision of the eoiislintion.'
N oii gentlemen know that al
very -ession of the legislature there j
re questions comite* up afiecliu-l
liese inst it ut ions id" learning. Now, ,
I claim that any man who is a lrus-1
lee and the president of the board of
Irnslees of one of these institutions,
if he is true lo the trusl which is iinl?osd
upon him when he accepts thai
position, can not legislate about thai
institution without being partial to
it, however honest and conscientious
lie may be in hi< actions. I slated on
I he stump al Ilie first meeting, as an
illustration of thai, two things thai
cainc under my observation while I
ivas in the legislature willi my opponent
for I In* senate. 1 don't rcmomlier
what I he first question was, but (
I know that dnriutr one session someHum:
came up affecting Clemson col- !
le?rc. Some member had a bill that !
ilVeded Cleinsoii and Mr. Johnstone
immediaIely arose from his seal and
<aid: "Mr. Speaker, as it seems thai
1 am the only representative of
f'lemson "ii this floor, I must do lend
lliis institution."
"T had a bill down there l<? proride
Dial Clemson si oubl pay for the
convict s it used. They claim that
['leinson does not get any direct ap- '
propria I ion from Die Slate. 'I hat is
|rue. in a sense, but the Ad creating '
I he institution appropriated the use 1
>f thirty convicts. I don't recall exid
ly now how long the college lias
been runninc:. but at least ten years, i
nnd these convicts oiu_dil to have paid
lo the State at least .*3,000 a year,
which wonld be *30.000. When I inI
reduced ilii- bill I" require the I rusIecs
of ('lcm<on to pay to the Stale
I ie) i i t en I i a ry si\* dollars each per
month for the use of the-e convicts,
and it was referred to the committee
[>1! which Air. Johnstone and I wero
members, ho asked (ho committee to
liold i( up until ho could havo a conference
with Mr. Simpson, of tho
board, and until Mr. Simpson could
bo heard. No other member asked
that it he held up. We held it up,
i>f course, (hat being a courtesy which
would be extended to a member of
Hie commit lee. Next day Mr. Johndone
said thai lie would like to have
Ibis bill held up until (lie result of
some oilier legislation in the house
ifleeting riemson college should be
known. I protested, and (lie bill was
reported and passed, and now Clcni*?>n
pays for (hose convicts. T menlion
(lieso things (o show lhal a man,
however honest he may ho, however
conscientious he may be, is obliged to
lean towards (ho institution he represents.
Do you mean to (ell mo for
uno moment thai if Mr. Johnstone
had not been a member of lhal board
i?l iruslees that he would have asked
>r endeavored or helped or tried to
kill a bill so just as fliai ?-no? Not
:i vole was east againsl il in the
liouse.
'' A t the first meeting Mr. Johnstone
took the position that he had
m'en At iorney (ieneral N oiiumus, !) :
lore lie became ;i candidate two years
showing 111:i 1 Mr. Johnstone had
<o>ne doubts about lhal mailer Iiin><ell.
although Mr. Tillman did hold
I he position. Mr. Johnstone said thai
Mr. \ iMiiiuins look (lie position (hat
mder our eousl il ut ion, which provided
for no life tenure, lhal Mr. Johnstone
as a lite Irustce could not be
in agent, of the Stale. Then down at
Ml. J lcasant he took the position
hat, oven il he were inhibited under
he constitution from holding both
hose positions, that when he accept d
a seal in the legislature ho vacated
his seat at (Menison. Bat I his provision
says he shall not even exercise
he ollicc while he is a member of the
ieneral assembly, and (ha( if he do so
ie shall vacate his seal; and he still
xerciscs I lie ollicc of trustee a( Clcm!on
Then I told him about the de ision
ol the supreme court-?T liavei'(
lime lo read that decision?lioldng
that Clemson is a S(;ile inslituion
ami thai the board of trustees
ire agents of the Stale. Tltn declson
was rendered in l!)()/, which must
lave been six or eight mouths after
dr. Johnstone had secured 1 he; opinoii
Iroin Attorney General Voutnaus,
ivlio had in the moan lime died. Then
il \\ hitinire Mr. Johnstone took the
losilion (hat the supreme court had
lecided thai I he board as a corporate
ioard was the agent of llic Stale, adiii11
inv. as he wa> forced lt> do, llial
I he board was an aucnl .?!* the Slate,
mt claiming ll.al llic individual life
members were not agents ->l the
Slate. I lie lile inemlicrs constitute
n majority of dial board, and Mr.
fohiislone is chairman of the board.
II llic board as a unit is an ngcnl of
I lie Stale, it Would seem lo me I hat
llic individual members in their capacity
as members of the board,
would be agents of I lie Stale, and
[ erlainly the life members, who constitute
a majority <>f the hoard, would
in their capacity as a majority of I %'e
hoard lie agents of the Slate, and
porta inly the chairman of a board,
which hoard would be an agent of
the Sliiie, would be an aiicnl of the
^lale, according to the decision of the
supreme court. lint, grant for the
11<< of argument t hat he i-- not technically
inhibited from holding both
I hose positions; the wysdoin of the
provision applies with more force
lo the posilon of life member, over
whom I he legislal lire lias no control,
?as was staled lo you I his morning
Ii.v Mr. Johnstone,'- ? I han lo a position
for only a short lime. That provision
in the constitution is founded
in good reason, because, as 1 have already
sail!, il is not right lhal a member
of the boaril of I rie.ices of any
if those instil ut ions should be a member
of the legislal tiro.
"lint Mr. Johnstone admitted
flown at Mt. Pleasant that ho held
'mother position, and yet he slates
lhal he has never sought ollicc nor
wanted any; lhal il i- onlv ;it the
earnest request and enlrcnty of Che
people of Newberry coniltv thai lift
has become an office hohh r. lie holds
the po-iioii in I he I'niled States government
as cotton statistician. He ad