The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-02-05

illustrated than in the election last Fall.
VoX PopULI.
MIR. EDITOR: Although am unac.
customed to writing for the papers, or
anything of the kind, I can not refrain
from writing short article in reference
to the petition sent to our last Legisla-
ture, asking that the people of this
County be allowed to determine for
themselves whether prohibition should
be the rule in this County or not. That
is, have the people right to petition the
Legislature to pass an Act allowing a
majority of the people by ballot, to de-
termine whether spirituous liquors shall
10 the future be manufactured or sold in
Anderson County and have such pc.
titioners a right to be heard by their I'M
mediate Representatives? and if not
heard, then have they right to insist,
if necessary, for the reasons why they
have not been heard?
If understand the matter, this is the
question at issue, and it seems to me, can
be easily settled. Our Representatives
are not asked whether they are in favor
of prohibition or not, but were they in
favor of allowing the people to decide
this local question for themselves or not?
and the question can be easily answered.
1t is not necessary to fling up the prom.
ises which the candidates made in their
speeches to the people," and it seems
rather hard to do so, for it is no hidden
matter, that the leading object in such
promises is to secure the position. Then
again, was not "Prep" too hard about
that five dollar per day business? We
people of the country think, land wheth-
er it is true or rot, we firmly believe it,)
that a part of the compensation our
Representatives receive, is for ther ser.
uices, part of it for their expenses, and
a part of it for incidentals, &C., and the
latter being as important as either of the
former. There is an immense amount
of expenses, incidentals, &C." that at
taches to our Representatives, and such
things have to be paid in spot cash; and
it is certainly right that the money of
the people who send their Representatives
away from home and from business to
Columbia should square such accounts.
What do you think of this, "Prep?"
Were you not rather too hard in this
little financial matter? Then again, We
are not discussing the question as to the
wisdom or expediency of repeating the
local option law upon the whiskey SUBJ
iect, or what individual persons may
think about it, even if that individual
happens TO be Representative; but what
we want to know is have the people q
right to decide this whiskey business for
themselves or not? and if not, why !?
We are not waiting "for all the States to
enact the same statute" which some of
our Representatives seem to think a
doubtful matter, but our concern isabout
the question at issue, and if Representa-
tives can not concern themselves about
everything" nor even do anything
pertaining to the interests of their con-
stituents, then they surely ought to allow
their constituents to attend to their own
local business in their own way, any if
they fail to do this, then to what extent
do they represent the people?
Then again, Mr.. Editor, it is a sacri-
fee far too great, and hardship too
severe, for each one interested in this mat
ter 10 make pilgrimage from the remote
corners of the County to the City of
Anderson, through mud, sleet, snow and
rain, and endure the privations and suf-
feripgs of the journey, for the purpose
of hunting up our Representative and
asking him why we are not allowed to
decide this local question for ourselves
It is true that the people sometimes do
unreasonable things, but not so much so
as such a pilgrimage would be. We
would like to know how our Representa-
tives stand upon this matter, but we are
not quite that anxious-no, sir, not by
any means.
We expect to see such things in our
County papers, where all parties are
allowed fair hearing, and it is simple
justice to the people that our public
servants should inform the people upon
all matters pertaining to the peoples in
terest, and if they fail 10 do so, or evade
simple, plain questions, like the one at
issue, the people, whether in favor or op'
posed to prohibition, will not be satisfied,
and if ain not mistaken, all parties will
find out sooner or later "who struck
BILLY PATTERSON"