Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE COUNTY CAMPAIGN. CANDIDATES MAKE THEIR FIRST SPEECHES AT PRIVATEER. Mr. E. W. Dabbs is the Lone Prohi? bitionist in the Running-All Oth? ers Favor Some Son of Dispensary System, But a Majority Support State Dispensary Reformed By Raysor-Manning Bill. From the Daily Item August 1. The county campaign opened yes? terday at Privateer with the largest crowd present that has attended a political meeting in that township eince the campaign of 1892, when factional lines were strictly drawn and when each faction had a full ticket in the field. The attendance yesterday was as large if not larger than at the 1892 meeting. The in? terest seems to be as great as it was fourteen years ago, but, happy to say, there is none of the bitterness and rancor that then existed and in the present campaign there is no indica? tion that ill-~will and enmity between friends and neighbors will be arous? ed. The crowd gave ail of the Speak? ers an attentive hearing and appear? ed to be seeking informations on the questions of issue? Mr. S. A. Harvin presided and in? troduced the candidates. They Need Not Worry. County Treasurer Lee, who is a candidate for re-election and has no opposition, thanked the people for their support in previous elections, Terviewed his official record and gave ?briefly a statement of the financial condition of the county, which is now more satisfactory than ? it has ever been since the war. Col. T. V. Walsh, candidate for re? election as probate judge, sent a let? ter expressing his regret that his health prevented his attendance. \ ' Jr Candidates for Auditor. A letter from Auditor J. D. Wilder, ~who is a candidate for re-election, Tras read ic which he stated that of? ficial duties prevented his attendance at the meeting. Mr. Robert Muldrow, of Mayesville, candidate for auditor, announced his candidacy in the briefest manner, and stated his qualifications for discharg? ing the duties of the office efficiently. Debt-Paying Record. Supervisor W. H. Seale, who is a candidate for re-election, thanked the people of Privateer for the generous support they had heretofore given liim, and said that if they thought his record entitled' him to their approv? al and confidence he would appre? ciate their votes in the approaching primary. In referring to his record in office he said everyone knew what had been done under his direc? tion in the matter of road improve? ment but the betterment in the finan? cial condition of the county iuring bis term was known to but few. The county had been in debt for years before his predecessor, Mr. Dorn, was elected and when he succeeded lir. Do/n he found a total outstand? ing debt of $35,139.17, in which was included the bonded debt of $15,000. s This debt has been paid off and ail . that the county now owes is one note to the sinking fund for $8,400, and there are funds in his hands amount? ing to $6,863 to pay this note at ma? turity, leaving due only $1,537, while the county treasurer has money in hand to pay current expenses, besides the funds on hand for the erection of the new court house. He could have spent more money on road work, but thought it better business to get the county out of debt When he went in the county had trouble to borrow j money on 6 per cent, now thanks to his policy of paying off the debts, its credit was so high that the county has money offered at 4 to 4 1-2 per cent. Wants a Road Tax. Mr. M. H. Plow den, also a candi? date for supervisor, said he had no political record, but was proud of his record as a man, and as he had lived in this county all of his life, except a year or two, when business engage? ments took him to other states tem? porarily, the people knew him and could judge whether he was qualified TO fill the office. If elected he would discharge the duties of the office j faithfully and honestly. He favored good roads, and the reads are now neglected, though he did not charge his opponent with neglect of duty, for he knew the chain gang was in? adequate for the work to be done. He favored a tax on property for road improvement. Road work should be let out by contract and the work done under the direction of the su? pervisor. The Educators. Mr. Charles Pi nek ney, candidate for County Superintenddent of Edu? cation asked for support only on the grounds of his competency and if elected he pledge! himself to d<> his duty impartially and efficiently. Mr. J. Edwin Rembert, who* seeks election t'> the same office-, thanked the people cf Privateer for the sup? port given him years ag-- v he was a successful aspirant for thc same office. He spoke ot* the neces- . sity of education and compared thc practical value to the public at large .nm lia i .?IHIIWIII .i m im ?inn ? ni of schools and colleges, sayir not one child out of ten ever ed college. He wants to see class high school in each distr said thar when he was electee years ago he found the county in debt, the schools runnin four months in some district: when he retired from offie debt had been paid and by me special levies the schools wer< open from six to nine monti: many districts had a surplus bank at the end of the school If elected this year he would pi the duties of the office as he 1 the past. Mr. S. D. Cain, who is a can for re-election, said that two ago he had no opposition an that i? was the highest nono: had been paid him. He had tried to discharge the duties of the and he felt that the record an present efficiency .of the sc throughout the county proved th had given efficient and intel supervision of the educational s; of the "county. That he had beer to do so was due, he believed, t practical experience as a teache: had given his best efforts to the and had spent one more day week in his office than the lav quired. The first year he had in his office three days each instead .of one as required, bi found that he could not visit schools and give them the supe ion they needed if he had so r office days. He is running on record and his merits and asks re-election on these terms or nc all. Senatorial Timbers. Mr. J. H. Clifton, who has se two terms in the House of Re sentatives, and now seeks prc tion to the upper house, was first of the senatorial candidate: speak. He made a strong and quent speech and as the time I was not enforced he spoke at len He favors, as do all other men, g roads, good public schools and ? cation in general, but he is stroi opposed to a compulsory educai law. Parents have a right to whetnei their children shall att school or remain at home, and sides a compulsory education, will, if enforced, honestly, drive negroes into the schools. If it is enforced honestly and intended o for the whites, it will be a fraud ? a lie and should not be put on < statute books. On the liquor quest he stood unequivocally in favor the dispensary system honestly c< ducted and rigidly enforced. He b a high respect for sincere prohi tionists, but thought their judgm< at fault. They are not even logi< in their claims. In one breath th assert that prohibition can be -e forced,, while in the next they s the dispensary law cannot be. T dispensary honestly administer curtails the use of liquor and mi imizes its evils, but at the same tir provides a legal source of supply f tho^e who will have liquor legally they can but have it they will. I gave a pithy outline of the Rayso Manning bill and showed how would prevent graft and corruptio He discussed the Brice law, exposit its defects and pointing out how tl law restricted the vote to the qualifie electors and th-^efore prevented a expression by a majority of the vote: who participate in the Democrat primary. He said he was willing fe the people io say whether we shoul have a dispensary in a county, an had voted for the bill as amended t 'evy a tax in Brice law counties fo the enforcement of the law. He gav his reasons for opposing the count dispensary system and favoring th State dispensary, saying that th county dispensary system would b a cumbersome and costly and unsat isfactory experiment that wouh create opportunities for graft in ev ery county.- If it is hard to watel one purchasing board in Columbia how much more difficult it will be tc watch one in every county? His chiei objection to the county dispensary however, was that it would be a stet; toward high license and Individua] management of the liquor business. He was frequently interrupted by Mr. E. F. Miller, who asked him a num? ber of questions relative to the Brice law. Mr. A. K. Sanders, the other sena? torial candidate, said that he had been elected to represent Sumter county in the legislature for six years and had given of his best efforts to serve the people honestly and intel? ligently. His legislative experience thus gained, would be of value to him in the Senat.- if the people see rit to elect him to that office. He .-;.>.:.] f0r good schools and had always voted to give the Stat*- colleges w liberal support. On the liquor question he stood . for temperan.-.. and sobriety. He wished whiskey was blotted from the face of the earth and the redp for making it lost, but there is no us? talking about prohibition. It b beautiful theory but it cannot be en? forced, hej? never been enforced any wb.er . -ind in Kansas, the Stale-that prohibitionists are always tacking about, he saw saloons on every corner in tho cities he visited in ' that State a year or two ago. P j bitionists will have to be raisec j fore a prohibitorv law is praetic j and when that condition exists ' j will be no need of such a law j dispensary law, either. He thc j the dispensary law wrong in pr i pie for he believed the State st not engage in business. He thinks so, bu': was willing to see experiment tried. The State dis sary has been weighed in the anees and found wanting. It has a failure. He could not endorse dispensary ar.d would not do so. was on a legislative committee year to inspect the State dispen and he then saw things that vinced him that graft and corrup existed. The next year when could have been elected on the pensary board, by saying the w he had declined and he had s thanked God he had done so. believes in county dispensaries. S ter county can buy all the liquo wants and run its own dispens . The State dispensary is nothing ! a distributing point and is not n< I ed. The counties can run their pensaries honestly and successf .and make more than the dispens 'is now making-perhaps as much $50,000 a year. He next took subject of education and deda that he favored better public scho j In concluding he said that Sun I county in forty years had but Senator from the country and wi he was not one to draw the town ? country line he thought the farr should be given a representative cas'onally. He read a list of the s ators who served last year show twenty-six to be lawyers and o: four farmers. He said there were many lawyers rn the Seuate n( many of them corporation I a wy who represent the corporations a not the people. A great many of th< rode on free passes despite the 1 forbidding members of the legis ture to do so. Seven Represenfutives. The candidates for the House Representatives next had their- tu at the bat. Mr. MariDn Dorn stood on his rc ord as a public official. The peoj knew how he had discharged his du when counts* supervisor. He favc good roads, good schools and liber pensions for the old soldiers. He b ilieved the dispensary the best sol 'tion of the liquor evil. He is perso a "ly a prohibitionist, but knows a pr hibitory law cannot be enforce While supporting the dispensary sy tern he does not stand for graft. Tl system should be purified and hones ly conducted. If there have bee thieves in the State dispensary the should be punished. Mr. W. G. Stubbs favors goo schools which are not an issue, as a good citizens think alike on the mai ter of education as they do on goo roads and pensions for the old so diers. He believes in the dispensar as the best method yet found fe dealing with the liquor evil and h stands foi* the dispensary reforme and purfied and honestly conducto under , the provisions of the Raysor Manning 'Dill or a similar law. He i opposed to local option or higl license or anything that will lea< back to the old saloon system whos evils and temptations to younr mei he knew from observation and ex perience. He concluded by saying tha his solemn conviction is that everj man who voted against the dispensa ry and for local option or high license voted against his own and the public interest and welfatie. "Hr. Herbert A Moses favors gooc public schools and the support of the State colleges. He believes that taxes are now as high as they will ever be in the State, and that in a few years they would be materially lower bj reason ot the increase in the valua? tion of property and the growth in the weal:h of the State. He is in fa? vor of the dispensary. The corrup? tion that has existed has been due to the purchasing machinery, by which three men were made the purchasers of liquor and other supplies in secret and were accountable to no one. Purchases should be made in public and from the lowest responsible bid? der and there would be no graft. He favored the reforms proposed by the Raysor-Manning bill. He discussed the solvency af the dispensary and vxpressed his belief that it could pay every dollar it owed if properly man? aged. Dr. Geo. W. Dick believes in good scho..Ls a ad education in general as it was the hope of the future. He champions tia- cause of the State mi? litia, and favors its liberal support, because it has been a bulwark of safe? ty ia. tlie past and will be in the fu? ture. He favors th.' dispensary and discussed the provisions of Raysor Manning bill ia. a- much detail as ai> time permitted. Ho sai l that v':h the Raysor-Manning hill c-nact .. i ta.; a. provision for the systematic . ..f the dispensaries, both >-fate ?':.! county; on the plan follow? ed by ta.- Federal government in liv- case of national hanks, corruption j would be prevented: He knew that hones! men .. a' ; h.- foina! to manage , the dispen sa iv. as there were hun- j dreds of such mea ia Sumter county j alone. The graft had attended j purchase of liquor, and this would absolutely prevented by the Ray: Manning bili. He thought it foils put $400 men in charge of a $3,0 OOO business, and good men could had if they were paid a salary proportion to the .importance of office. He was unalterably oppo to high license, for it was a s backward toward the old saloon : tem, which is just what many of anti-dispensaryites are after, told a few of his jokes, some of th invented for the occasion, and the crowd in a good humor. Mr. J. K. McElveen stands fl footed with both feet. He belie in the State not only controlling ; sale of liquor but in manufactur: it as well, so that it could guaran pure liquor, and stop the graft tl has followed the purchasing of liqt from outside people. It would a keep all the money spent for liqi at home. He was a plain worki farmer and, of course, favored go roads. He had been workikng his life 'and had had very limited c j portunities to get an education, cc sequently he could appreciate t lack of education better than m< men, and he wanted better scho< and more of them. He was oppos to a prohibition law, because it wou not prohibit, but would fill the cou try with blind tigers and law brea ers who would get liquor to drin law or no law. He was opposed high license because it meant nothii better than the old saloon under a other name. Straightout Prohibition. Mr. E. W. Dabb-s, who seeks r election, is the only out and out pr hibitionist and anti-dispensary ca: didate for the House in the fiel and he made a capital and intense eainest speech in advocacy of a. pr hibitory law, and called upon the pei p?e to enforce it. Before he took r. the liquor question he said that 1 favored good roads and good school While not opposed to higher educi tion by the State, he was satisfie that the college system of the Sta1 was top heavy- He is opposed t the 25 cents perrton privilege tax o fertilizers that goes to Clemson Co: lege. He wants it reduced to 5 cen? a ton, which will pay the ,cost of ir spection. Clemson should come t the legislature like other colleges an ask for what it needs to maintain ii The farmers are taxed to support 1 and it is not a farmer's college. H believes in the equalization of taxa tion, but does not know how it cai be accomplished except by raisin; the moral tone of the people. Comp troller General A. W. Jones prepare? a good bill, which the last legislatur< defeated. It provided for a levy o the amount of money needed to rui the county and State, and the rat< could then be fixed by the returns He favors pensions to needy old sol? diers and widows, but would not vote a cent to bummers and people whc do not stand in need of assistance He is opposed to the State and counts going into business and is opposed tc the State being in the liquor business in any shape or form, and is a flat? footed prohibitionist. If he should be called upon to serve on the pur? chasing committee under the Raysor Manning bill he would positively de? cline to serve and would go to the supreme court if necessary to estab? lish his right to decline such service. He closed with a strong appeal to the people to come out of the wilder? ness of liquor and go up and possess the promised land of temperance and decency under a prohibitory law, respected and enforced by a moral and sober people who recognize and perform their duty as their brother's keeper. Xo Double Pay. Mr. T. B. Fraser, who has served in the House for the past six years, reviewed his record briefly. He had performed his duty as he saw it and had been absent but two days in the six years and then from sickness. He stood for the support of the schools and colleges, the improvement of the public roads and pensions for the needs' old soldiers. He explained his attitude toward Clemson college. He was opposed to class legislation of all kinds, but when there is class taxa? tion class legislation is the only rem eds'- Clemson colloge is largely sup? ported by class taxation-the fertili? zer tax paid by farmers. It is not a farmers' college and there were few students taking the agricultural course. He had favored and voted for the bill to establish 'scholarships j at Clemson for agricultural students j and the result had been the great in- j crease in the number of students tak- J ing that course. He favored free tai- j tion for students taking that course Because of his? position on these mat? ters hr- had been counted an enemy j >.i" Clemson. On this account when he had been appointed a member ot j the board of visitors he had hesi- j ? i I tated lo accept. H" had ao-ept?"'.. : however; and had voted to '.'.m" I mend the establishment of co-opera- i tive farms in six counties: He ex o?ame i how these farms are to be i established and conducted under the j direction of Clemson College for the ? instruction, of the farmers of the j State. H.- took up the charge that j all members of the Dispensary In? vestigating committee, except Senator Cole L. Elease had taken double pay. He told why he had not contradicted it when made. The committee had agreed to pay no attention to at? tacks made upon it or its members while the investigation was in pro? gress as the attacks were made for the purpose of drawing them off from the investigation. He had not only not accepted double pay for work done as a member of the Dispensary Investigating Committee, even though performing double work on many days and nights, but he had declined to receive pay for for work done as a member of the committee on bi-en nial sessions although pay had been provided for by the legislature by a special act. The records are there to prove this assertion, f?e prem? ised his discussion of the liquor ques? tion by saying that he knew that there were just as good and sincere men who believed in the dispensary law and favored it as the best means of dealing with the liquor problem, as there are opposed to it. Many of these men he knows to be good men and they have his entire re? spect and confidence. He does not hold with the talk that sincere Chris? tian men cannot support the dispen? sary. He said the people of the State are divided into six parties cn the liquor question. Those who stand for the dispensary as it is are more bit? terly opposed to the others who would purify and reform it than they are to prohibitionis~s and are ready at any time to join forces with them or any "*her faction to defeat the dis pens?ry reformers. He is not in favor of prohibition because he recognizes that it cannot be enforced except where it. has the united moral sup? port of a people and /this a prohibi? tion law cannot have dn the present conditions in this state. He has been informed that in Greenville, Pickens, Oconee and Lancaster counties prohi bition has been made effective and the peaple are pleased with the condition now existing. He is a local optionist, but wants no dispensary-at all, still between a State and county dis? pensary he prefers a county dispen? sary because the county dispensary will be run by home people who will I I be kept straight by their home en i vironment, besides if it is a question of money, the county dispensary wSU pay larger profits. He then went into an explanation of the injustice the present law works in some counties by the method of dividing the profits. Horry county which raises only $6, 000 by the 3 mill schcol t ax receives $4,200 from the dispensary fund while Sumter which raises $15,000 by the 3 mill t ax received only $2,400, On the other hand if the State dis? pensary proves to be bankrupt and a tax has to be levied to pay its debts Sumter would have to pay ' nearly three time as much for this purpose as Horry. As to the solvency of the State dispensary he read two reports made by the dispensary officials which when compared showed a loss of $48,000 since last December. Ee has nothing io say against Commis? sioner Tatum as he believes he is ao honest man. He is opposed to the us? of whiskey profits to support the schools. He is also opposed to the State dispensary because of the power it could wield in the State if the great financial interests represented-men? tioning the whiskey houses who handle the $3,000,000 business each year, the Carolina Glass Co., with its quarter of a million business and the Richland Distilling Co. with its immense capital-were organized Such a power ought not to be per' mitted to exist in the State and he would not support it. He then told about the quality of liquor sold by the dispensary. Dr. Burney has said that some liquors defy chemical analysis and you could not tell x: from xxxx. The meeting was concluded with the speeches of the four candidates for magistrate in the Fourth Judicial district. They are Messrs. M. F. Christmas, H. H. Wells, T. H. Osteel* and J. F. Ingram All of them made good t alks and told why they sought the office. A world of truth in a few words: "Xearly all other cough cures are constipating, especially those contain? ing opiates. Kennedy's Laxative Honey and Tar moves the bowels. Contains no opiates." You can get it at all druggists. THE PEOPLE'S BANK. We make an earnest effort to accommodate all classes. Our aim is to make this in every respect the People's Eank ; a bank where all may feel a: home ; a place where those of moderate means may expect the same treatment as those more favorably situated. Deposits June 30th, 1905, ------ $110,000 Deposits June 30th, 1906, ... ... - $510,000 A word to the wise is sufficient. HY Do you stand over a hot wood stove during these? warm summer days 4 , when you can be comfortable while you cook by using a BLUE FLAME OIL STOVE We have them at all prices. I Get our prices on ? KWH ni The Durant Hardware Co. When Buying' a Fence The weight per rod and size of wire must be taken into consideration ; also the CONSTRUC tion of the PENCE. ?A Heavy wires and the best galvanizing- are* always used on the AMERICAN, and the quan? tity already in service on farms is good evi- - dence of its merit. The HINGE JOINT on the American allows for CONTRACTION and EXPANSION, to with- 4 stand sudden and severe pressure from contact S with animals, without bendings stays, the fence springing back to place the instant pressure is removed. The most secure, lasting fence is the AMER- \ ICAN. Sold by ~ i MINA HARDWARE CO.