The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-10-24
DR.. Pope Gets Peppery.

DR.. Sampson Pope, who is running as
DR.. Pops's candidate for Governor, as q
protest against "rings'' and "ring" meth
ods, is in the city. He will be here until
after the election and has established
headquarters at the Grand Central Hotel.
He says that he is confident Of success
aud thinks that he Is continually gaining
votes.
Yesterday upon his arrival in the city
he was seen and asked If there was
anything new in his campaign, and ne
replied:
isI have recently read the dispensary
Act of 1893 closely. Section 2 Of the Act
reads as follows: The Governor, the At
torney General and the Comptroller
General shall, ex offioio, constitute a
State board Of control to carry out the
provisions OF this Act Section 3 gives
the Governor authority to appoint at The
expiration Of the term Of the present COM
missioner (see the connection between
the Acts Of 1892 and 1889 and every two
yeas thereafter commissioner. etc.;
the appointment to be approved by the
commissioner the right to purchase all
supplies, etc., subject to such rules and
regulations as made by the State board of
control; makes him subject to removal
by the State board of control, and makes
him State officer. All rules and reg
ulations governing said commissioner in
the performance Of any of the duties Of
his Office shall be prescribed by the! State
board of control, etc. fail to find in
reading said Act, any duty devolving
specifically upon the the Governor, more
than any other law carries with it. The
Governor is member ex ofhcio of sew
eral boards-the penitentiary, the asy-
lum, etc. His duties as such are simply
those of any other member Of them. The
majority controls and what is done is
executed by the proper officers and not
by the Governor. The superintendent
of the penitentiary carries them out for
that institution, the uperlntendent of the
asylum for that institution and by parity
of reasoning, Mr.. Traxler, should do so
for the dispensary.
siIf the law had intended that the Gov
ernor alone should manage the dispen-
sary Il would have said so, but it does
not say so, for it puts two others and the
board with him, all of them ex oficio
members. 1t means that a majority of
the board shall govern shall say just
what Mr.. Traxler shall do. The Govern
or has usurped power that don't belong
to him. He admitted during the canvass
that he did so when he said he did not
consult the other members about reopen
ing the dispensary.
sHe has no more right to issue orders
with regard to the dispensary than he has
with regard to the penitentiary and the
asylum; he Is but simple member OF
ali those boards, and has only the author
ity that any other member has. The
board, suspect, has not had meeting
until last week in many months. ALI
that has been done of his own motion
then is illegal, unlawful, and usurpa-
ton of power that does not belong to him.
South Carolina has never had but one
lawful dictator, John Rutledge, and the
power was given him during the revolu-
tionary war when the State was overrun
by an enemy, and when it was impossi-
BILE from the very nature Of things to call
the Legislature together. Governor
Tillman has as much right, and 1t is as
much his duty, to issue a proclamation
or an order, carrying out the provisions
of any other law, rs he has to the dispen-
ssHas he done it9 Then why does he
single out this law to be enforced at this
time? Is it to destroy the peace and har-
mony of our people for political sect Is
it an attempt to bring back those Re-
formers who have left the fold because
of rings? He has sworn to execute the
laws in mercy, not in terrorizing, vim
dictive manner, calculated to frenzy the
men and trighten the women and chill
dren. Let it be remembered that when
the dispensary was closed many of the
constabulary-went home, under instruc-
tons, it was said, 10 open Illicit barrooms
for the purpose Of proving that prohibi-
tion did not prohibit. When the Su-
preme Court decided the Act Of 1892 un-
constitutional, was it not as much the
Governors duty to issue proclamation
to prevent the sale Of whiskey, as it is
now to carry out the dispensaryP Then
then, and now usurps authority that does
not belong to him ?"
DR.. Pope may have something more
to say on this line lator on.-Columbia
State.