The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, June 07, 1900, Image 7
PROHIBITION ADDRESS.
Conference Address to the Voters of
South Carolina,
The Prohibitionists of South Oarjlina.
in appealing to the Democratic
voters to join them in suppressing the
liquor trarfii in this State, deem it pro- |
per and right that they should clearly j
and unequivocally state their position i
with reference to the business conducted
;:i the name of the commonwealth.
which thereby makes all its
citizens responsible in a measure for
^t-he continuance of this traffic, which
^~we neiieve to oe a imm- u(,ni.i.n ... .
inanity and a means of degradation to ;
the people.
in the tirst piace we have chosen to
make this tontest at the Democratic
primary a.tse we are members of
this political organization, which i :a
virtual control of all the affairs of the
State.
We have the right to raise this iss"? J
within the party lines because the machinery
of the State government h s
been used to eontruct and operate t
system of liquor selling. which has for
its chief object the constant increar..
of the consumption of liquors oy t. < ,
citizens of the State, mainly with the
view of making money out of the bus iness
in which the State is engaged. We
would violate conscience and prove re- j
creant to duty as good citizens if we '
did no: protest against this inquitous
method of obtaining money through
the sensual indulgence and debauchery |
of our citizenship, ar.-l we are making 1
this protest in a fair, manly and con- ;
sistent way, appealing to the higher ,
instincts of humanity, and pleading for
the social, domestic, moral, religious i
and political elevation of our whole I
people. By banishing the evils now
fastened upon the State in consequence i
of the system under which the sale of
liquor is conducted, we would protect
cur young manhood, bring relief to ]
wronged and suffering women and
children, and inaugurate an era which
would eventually rid our homes of the .
* - . I
blight following the use or liquor .1
beverage. The Slate is now encouraging
this use 01" liquor on the part of it < 1
citizens when it should by every mea ts
discourage that which wastes the re- j
sources, paralyzes the energies and
destroys the manliness of those who
should he the shield and protection of
our homes. TV? State is engaged for
profit in a haziness that strips the
home of comforts with as much certainty
as a cyclone mows clown the j
mighty forest: a business that opens
the gates cf pe"diticn to lost souls: .11
business that the genius of hell has
never fashioned a more complete method
of recruiting its ranks; a business. I
that has borne from time immemorial i
the badge of disgrace in civilized and
Christian communities, and that is now
exalted in the sovereign and enlight- j
ened commonweaun oi auum
'to the dignity of government service
and government protection, so that our
youth are taught by the example of the ,
government itself that the manufa - :
tore and sale of liquor is an honorable |
and desirable occupation. Whence cam^
t/iis usurper of governmental authori- |
tv? Did the citizens of the State de-,
cree its introduction as "the best solu- j
tion of the liquor question?"
Eight years ago the Prohibitionists
of South Carolina asked the privilege j
of testing public opinion as to whether j
licensed saloons should be prohibited j
within its borders. This request was j
made of the managers of the Demo- J
cratic election machinery, who ccn- j
sented that a separate and unofficial
box might be placed at each poll where
every voter could cast a ballt for or
against Prohibition. The opponent- of
the license system were without efficient
organization, but the voters voluntarily
went to the polls and rolled
up a decided majority against the saloons.
Political exigencies did not
favor a prohibitory law. and although
a majority of the House of Representatives
passed such a law. enough members
were Cafterward found Cto reject
the law which they had Caided in
framing and a substitute was Cdiscovered
in the Cpresent dispensary
system. "Ye ashed for bread and
were given a stone; ye asked for a fish
and were ghen a serpent."
Prohibitionists were then placed in
an awkward position and many of
them knew not what to do. The saloon
had been abolished, and this was
one of the objects for which they had
struggled ir. the past, yet liquor selling
was not stopped. On the contrary.
the State had been made to engage
in the business under the pretence
of controlling the traffic and giving to
consumers a commodity that was
"chemically pfre," at a price that
would no: admit of profit. This was
coupled with the declaration that the I
svstem thus inaugurated without the
consent of the people was "a step to- [
wards prohibition." and many acqui- i
esced in the legislation with the belief I
that the State would really undertake '
to minimize the consumption of liquor. !
It was a law upon the statute books,
and many of the law-abiding and
peace-loving citizens, though honestly
oppo^d to liquor selling in any
shape, threw the weight of their influence
in favor o: le execution of the
law.
An armed constabulary was furnished
with guns to shoot down citizens
violated the liquor law. if in the
ju^ment of the constables it was
necessary to enforce theii authority,
and thus began a long reign of violence
and turbulence in the land, for
the law breakers were as ready and
anxious to shoot as the men "clothed
with a little brief authority." who
acted upon the theory that their own
lives were in constant peril, and their
eurest defence was to take quick and
deadly aim. The" bloody catalogue
need not to be dwelt upon, for it is the
most shameful record in the history of
the State, with the single exception of
the reign.of the carpet-bagger and the
scalawag. Meanwhile the law was
contested at every step, and the courts
were invoked to compass its destruction,
wiih the result that the main
features of the system were sustained
by the courts, and the statute was unimpeded
in its progress towards pro*
hibition. Dispensers neglicted to observe
some of the most salutary features
of the law and themselves became
violators where they were expected
to become guardians; minors
and drunkards have found it easy
enough to procure liquor wun or witnout
the conivance of the dispenser;
"chemically pure" has become a byword
and to mean the vilest of the
vile; the agents of the State have defrauded
and defalcated in large numbers,
and few have been made to feel
the penalties for their misdemeanors;
the State board of control has more
than once become an exhibition of exceeding
offence in the nostrils of the
good people of the commonwealth, so
that time and again it was necessary
to make changes and bring about reformations;
scandafs almost without
number have tracked its patnway;
charges of dishonesty have been constant,
and the public was made familiar
with rebates and the sample
room; in a word, the entire system
has been permeated with suspicion,
distrust and causes of offence in striking
contrast with the honorable record
of South Carolina glorious past.
Has the system proven "a step towards
prohibition? Not in the sense
that originated this phrase, but in another
and truer sense the demand for
actual and honest prohibition of the
liquor traffic has been largely increased
by the failures and shortcomings of
tne dispensary system, which has been
"weighed in the balances and found
wanting." That is the indictment we
bring against it to-day, and to the Democratic
voters we turn for a verdict.
In its stead we would offer them still
further restriction of the liquor traffic,
destroying the profit and beverage
features of t>.e present system, and
limiting the sale of alcoholic liquors
to strictly necessary purposes, such as
medicinal, mechanical and sacramental
uses. This substitution would take
away the odium of the State's being
engaged in a business that is prostitu
ting the youth of the country, wasting
the resources^ of the poorer classe*.
bringing disgrace and degradation
upon families, impoverishing the
homes of our citizens, and withholding
bread from the women and children
who are cursed with the blight of
the drink demon. Prohibition offers
an opportunity to work for the elevation
of the entire people, the better instruction
and training of the young,
the creation of incentives to Industry,
and th? moral a vanecce(u,kae mfar
and the moral advancement of the
State to keep pace with its material
prosperity.
The benefits of a prohibitory lav,'
will not be fully realized in a year or
even in five years, for the longer such
a law is in existence with reasonable
chances of enforcement tne greater
will be the benefits derived from its
presence as a permanent policy of the
State. A generation that shall grow
up without any knowledge of liquor
saloons, whether operated by individuals
or the State, will be a population
noted for its sobriety, which will be
the rule and not the exception among
the young men. Once firmly rooted
and grounde in the minds of the people.
a prohibitory measure will come
to be regarded as a necessity. More
than a generation has passed since
this law was enacted in Maine, and
for a long time there was a vigorous
fight against its continuance, but at
this time both political parties are
pledged to its maintenance as the settle!
policy of the State. The cry of
repeal has been frequently raised, and
not many years ago one of the politi
"nnool n Slant- in its
c<ii parucs iiiauv i c^vm m
platform, with the result that not more
than a half dozen members were elected
to the House of Representatives,
which has over <ve hunderd in its
membership, and the fight for repeal
was an ignominious failure.
Gen. Neal Dow. who was the apostle
of Prohibition, a man of upright character
and irreproachable veracity, in
his testimony before a Canadian com- J
mission on the liquor traffic, declared
that there was np State in the Union I
where more linucr was consumed in !
proportion to population than in j
Maine, prior to the passage of the
prohibitory law. it was then one of;
the poorest States, and under prohibition
it has become one of the most
prosperous, largely the result of savings
by the people from the discontinuance
of the liquor traffic. He said
it was quite within the mark to say
that not one;twentieth as much liquor i
is sold clandestinely in that State as i
was sold by the saloons before this,
law was passed. Portland, its chief
city where Gen. Dow lived and died,
had seven distilleries and two breweries.
while many cargoes of rum werebrought
every year from the West Indies,
and now liquor is sold there on a
very small scale, the quantity not a
" ?- ? ? ?wac in the
hunuretn pari m ?uai iv olden
time. His estimate was that
there is a saving of $24,000,000 annually,
which goes to increase the prosperity
of the masses, and he declared
that it is far within the truth to say
that $1,000,000 would pay for all the
liquor smuggled into Maine and sold
in violation of the law. This is the
testimony of a man who spent the
best vears of his life even down to ex-1
treme "old age in advocating a clause
that he ksyew was beneficial in a moral,
religious, industrial and financial
scene. A whole generation has grown
up there without being witnesses ;o
the effects of liquor, and there are
grown men and women who have
never seen a drunk man. Is not such
a state of affairs worth striving for,
even though the attainment of such a
result involves sacrifice, toil and endurance
cn the part of its advocates?
Christian men and women can well
afford to make the sacrifice and bear
the toil, because it is in the direct line
of obedience to their Master.
The contest we are entering upon is
not child's play. The Prohibition Democrats
of South Carolina are not responsible
that the issue has to be
made on the political hustings. There
is no choice left to us except to abandon
the field, wherein we would prove
recreant to the most solemn obligations
that rest upon a Christian ; oople,
charged with the moral and religious
elevation of those around us.
To relinquish the field means the continuation
of the liquor traffic under
the aegis of our beloved South Carolina.
and perpetuates a system that is
undermining the public weal and distroying
the probity of our publir men.
: a system that sanctions with the
I troad seal of the State an annulment
: of the divine injunction, "Woe unto
I h.'rn that gives his neighbor drink. *
' - ? 1 Mr- HpiinL-f.il alsn ''
I"" ' au?l maivrsi iiliu uiui>i?u ...?.
Everv day. and etery hour tlirongh the
I uay. th? State of South Carolina is
j vending that which destroys the souls
j of men. and the servants of Cod cauj
not remain indifferent or unconcerned
I while this iaw is contained 111 the
| statute nocks. "Rigiitao uicss cvaiteth
a rat'.cn, but sin is a reproach to
any people," and the hideous enormity
of this sin of drunkenness fostered by
the State must not longer stain the
proud escutcheon of our common
mother. We must protest against
anomalous perversion of governmental
power by which every citizen of the
j Slate is marie 'responsible for a traffic
that is abominable in the eves of God
The means of our protest is through
the political agency with which tre
are in part entrusted as citizens of
South Carolina tyid we come now to
make an appeal to our fellow-citizens
that they will join us in restoring the
j old commonwealth to a right relation,
whereby the liquor traffic will be put
i under ban, so that our rulers and lawj
makers will be spared the necessity
I of legislating to increase the sin of
drunkenness within our borders. To
j do this effectually we are compelled to
j make this issue at the Democratic
| primary, and hence to have represenj
tatives of our principles who will contend
for them before the people, and
"seek to obtain control of the executive
and legislative departments of the
State government." This is no unworthy
aim pr object, and wo proclaim
these purposes, which are not
; ilia in a corner. 10 our punucui assuciates.
demanding the right to make
the issue at the primary polls, and insisting
that fairness and justice requires
?ije recognition of our representatives
inside the party lines, where
every other issue is settled for the
: maintenance of good government in
this State. We deny that any class of
I Democrats have peculiar and special
' privileges accorded to them under the
i constitution and laws of the party, and
[ we will maintain our right to be heard
! on the hustings and to cast a free, *m|
trammeled ballot at the polls.
i
The right of dogs to run at large In
j the country without being shot, provided
they are doing no harm, is disi
cussed in an interesting opinion by the
Mississippi Supreme Court i:i the ease
of Hodges vs. Causey. Causey shot
and killed Hodges's dog. a decrliound,
as she was running through corn rows
in Causey's lield in Sunflower County.
For this, Hodges sued Causey. Iu detense.
Causey said that his place was
posted, that he had twice warned
Hodges to keep his dogs off his
(Causey's) place, and that he shot the
1 vein. w:is rimninir thronirh
the corn rows to prevent her from
damaging growing eottou which was
tu the same field. The jury decided in
favor of Causey. The Supreme Court,
m ordering a new trial, quoted with
npproval law to the effect that "one*
is never justified in going to excessive
lengths in the defense of himself or
his property from assault or injury";
that "the method of defence must bear
it certain relation to the character or
: leriousness of the threatened injury,"
mil that "tlie faet that a dog is tres?
? ? ?* ??: < .. ?.:
passing iiih's iu;i jumiij iii> wiiiuuu
:>r malicious destruction." Tim court
pointed out that the corn through
which the dog was running was fully
matured fit was in November), and
that at the time she was shot she had
done no damage to the cotton. The
court said the jury should have been
tllowed to say whether, in view of all
the circumstances, the killing was reasonable.
rir
V a J
Getting at the Facts.
Wife (after the honeymoon)'?Why
did you deceive me about your income?
Husband?I didn't, my dear.
Wife?Yes. you did. You told me
you were getting $."0 aweek when you
asked me to starry you.
Husband ?You evidently misunderstood
me. 1 said my position was
worth $.">()?and so it is?but for some
reason best known to the boss he gives
ine only Chicago News. 1
THE CAMPAIGN.
Candidates Asked to File Their Pledges
at Once.
In a short while the campaigners
will take the held and the biennial
tour of the political orators will be on
in full bl&it. The reorganization 01
the Democratic party has now been
completed, and the State chairman,
Wilie Jones, is making all arrangements
preliminary to the starting c?
the campaign company on the road.
The new county chairman and committee
have all been chosen, the new
State committee has remodeled the
rules and fixed the assessments upon
candidates, and it is '"up to" the candidates
themselves. Col. Jones has
asked that all candidates be urged to
send to him at once their pledges and
the amounts sufficient to pay their assessments.
The new rules require
that the pledges must be on file and
the assessments paid before midnight
of June 14. in order to secure recognition
as a candidate in the Democratic
primary election. This rule applies
also to candidates for Congress and
solicitor, who must deal direct with
the State chairman. Col. Jones will
be at the opening meeting at Orangeburg.
but he wishes to have every
j candidate declared as such prior to the
, day preceding this meeting. One candidate.
Mr. Cole L. Blease, who is in
the race for lieutenant governor, has
already complied with the require*
ments.
THE NEW RULES.
Here are the new rules as adopted
by the State executive committee at
! ltd mn/i)ln<r W C/1 n 4*1 V n 1 ?h t ! COOieS
will soon be sent the county executive
committees:
The following rules shall govern the
membership of the different subordinate
Democratic clubs of this State,
the qualification of voters at the primary
elections held by the party, the
conduct of the primary elections to bo
held on the last Tuesday (the 28th day>
of August. A. D. 1900. and the second
primary held two weeks later, if one
be necessary."
Rule 1. The qualification for membership
in any subordinate club of the
Democratic party of this State, or for
voting at^a Democratic primary, shall
be as follows, viz: The applicant for j
membership or voter shall be 211
years of age. or shall become so before
the succeeding general election and be
I a white Democrat, or a negro who
j voted for Gon. Hampton in 187fi. and
j who has voted the Democratic ticket
i continuously since: Provided, That no
white man shall be excluded
from participation in the Democratic
primary wfto shall take the pledge required
by the rules of the Democratic
party.
The managers at each box at the primary
election shall require every voter :
in a Democratic primary election to
pledge himself to abide the result of
the primary, and to support the nominees
of the party, and to take the following
oath and pledge, viz: "I do solemnly
swear that I am duly qualified
to vote at this election according to
the rules of the Democratic party, and
' Viot-o nnt vntprl hpfrtrp ?t this
election, and pledge myself to support
the nominees of this primary."
Rule 2. Every negro applying for
membership in a Democratic club, or
offering to vote in a Democratic primary
election, must produce a written
statement of ten reputable men who
shall swear that they know of their
own knowledge that the applicant or
voter voted for Gen. Hampton in
1876, and has voted the Democratic
ticket continuously sinco. The said
statement shall be placed in the ballot
box by the managers, and returned
with the poll lists to the county chairman.
The managers of election shall
keep a separate list of the names of all
negro voters, and return it with the
poll list to the county chairman.
No person shall be permitted to vote
unless he has been enrolled on a club
list at least five days before the said
primary election.
The club lists shall be inspected by
and certified to by the president aud
secretary and turned over to the man.
agers to be used as the registry lists.
Rule 3. Each county executive committee
of the Democratic party in this
State shall meet on or before the first
Monday in August of each election
year, and shall appoint t hree man.
agere for eaoh primary election provided
f*>r under the Democratic constitution.
in accordance with the acts
of the general assembly of this State
regulating primary elections, the constitution
of the Democratic party of
this State, and the rules herein set
forth. The namee of such managers
may be published by the chairman of
each county executive committee in 1
one or more county papers at least two I
weeks before the election. <
Rule 4. Each voter in said primary ,
shall vote two ballots, on which shall
be printed the names of the candidates ]
for each of the offices to be filled, to- ,
gether with the name of the office, the
voter striking out the names of those
for whom he does not wish to vote. No '
tickets shall be considered legal except
those furnished by the State or conn- '
ty executive committees, said tickets I
containing the names of each candi- <
date for each office. The uckets to be )
voted shall be in the following forms, ,
one for?
United States Senator.
Governor.
Lieutenant governor.
Secretary of State. !
Comptroller General. j
State Treasurer. <
Adjutant and Inspector General. i
State SuDerintendent of Education. |
Attorney General.
Railroad Commissioner.
The other spaces to suit the different
counties?
For Congress. district.
For Solicitor, judicial district.
State Senator.
House of Representatives.
Sheriff.
Judge of Probate.
Clerk cf Court.
uuuiuy oujr.Tuoui.
Coroner.
(ounty Superintendent of Education.
Treasurer.
Auditor.
No vote for house of representatives
shall be counted unless it contains as
many names as the county Ls entitled
to representatives.
The oath each candidate must take
is as follows: "As a candidate for the
cff>'-e of in the Democratic
primary, to be held on the last Tuesday
in August. 1900. I hereby pledge
myself to abide the result ot such
primary and support the" nominees
thereof, and that I am not, nor will 1
'joiomc the candidate of any faction,
either privately or publicly suggested,
other than the regular Democratic
Domination."
Rule 5. The managers of election
shall open the polls at 8 a. m. and
shall close them at 4 o'clock p. m.
A fka raeiilt thh m QP_
Alter lauuiaimg uic icouib i.uv
agers shall certify the same and forward
the ballot box, poll list, and all
other papers relating to sucn election,
by one A their number or executive
committeeman to the chairman of the
respective Democratic county executive
committees within 48 hours after
the close of 'he polls.
Rule 6. The county Democratic executive
committees shall assemble at
their respective court houses on the
morning of the second day after the
election on or before 12 o'clock m., to
tabulate the returns and declare the
result of the primary, so far as the
same relates to members of the general
assembly and county officers, and
shall forward immediately to the
chairman of the State executive committee
at Columbia, S. C.. the result of
the election in their respective counties
for United States Senator, State
officers, congressmen and solicitors.
Rule 7 The nrotests and contests for
county officers shall be filed within
five days after the election with the
chairman of the county executive committee,
and said executive committee
shall hear and decide protests aud contests
as to United States Senator,
State officers, congressmen and sck
licitors, and 10 days shall be allowed
for filing the same.
Rule S. Candidates for the general
assembly and for county offices shall
file with the chairman of the county
executive committee a pledge, in writing,
to abide the result of the primary
and support the nominees thereof.
Candidates for other offices shall file
6uch pledge with the chairman of the
State executive committee: Provided,
That the pledge of such candidates
snail De niea on or Deiore me nrsi
campaign meeting of the county or
State respectively. Candidates for
congress and solicitor must file tbeir
pledges with the chairman of the State
executive committee on the same day
as State officers. No vote for any
candidate who has not complied with
this rule and has not paid his assessment
shall be counted.
Rule 9. In the primary elections
herein provided for, a majority of the
votes cast shall be necessary to nominate
candidates. A second primary,
when necessary, shall be held two
weeks after the first, as provided for
under the constitution of the party,
and shall be subject to the rules governing
the first primary. At said
second primary the two highest candidates
alone shall run for any one office,
but if there are two or more vacancies
for any particular office, then
double the number of candidates shall
run for vacancies to be filled. For instance.
in a race for sheriff, the two
highest shall run.
Rule 10. In the event or a tie oetween
two candidates in the second
primary, the county chairman, if it is
a county office and the State chairman,
if it is for United States Senator,
State officers, congressmen or solicitors,
shall order the third primary.
The question of a majority vote shall
be determined by the number of votes
cast for any particular office, and not
by the whole number of voles cast in
the primary.
Rule 11. Each county executive committee
shall furnish the managers at
each precinct two ballot boxes, one for
State officers .and the other for congressman,
solicitor and county officers.
Americas. locomotives and cars in
Egypt call forth from Lord Cromer,
the British Minister and Cousul-Cen ral
in Egypt, the following explanation:
He says that while the railway
luthorities prefer adhering to British
locomotives, as the men are acquainted
with their peculiarities, when time and
est are considered the British manufacturer
cannot compete with the
American. The latter rtffer engines,
built ou standard American plans, at
lower prices and in less time than they
nil be secured from British or European
builders, flie British manufacturers.*
tui the other hand, not being
in the liabit of building engines to
standard plans of their own, content
themselves with tendering on the designs
of the Egyptian railway authorities;
with the result that these specially
made engines cost much more
money and take much more time to
build.