The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1894-05-10
THE DARLiH TON TROUBLE,
Reviewed and Analysed by Gov.
crnOr TiAlrmsn.

o1l1oi AlllInun b pen appears LII Ch9
May number of the North Ameri-
can Review under tho caption of
"Our Whiskey Rebellion"
The q tt to II tion of tho United
States has for moro than q year
been directed to South Carolina.
This State has underworld to solve
the liquor problem, troublesome
one to all governments in q man
ner 80 novel as to DO startling. So
much has been published about
the Dispensary law in the papers
and magazines of tho Union that
its scope and purpose arc we'll
known, and explanations on those
points arc not needed in this arti-
Gle.
History bears out the assertion
that whenever restriction or pro-
hibition of the liquor traffic is at
tempted resistance, either politi-
cal Tor by force, is attempted.
When South Carolina sought So
luton of this troublesome problem,
and tried to solve it by passage of
the Dispensary law, the inevitable
conflict with the whiskey element
was expected, nor has the expecta-
tion been without fulfilment. The
general conditions can easily be
understood, for they would prevail
in any othor State were a similar
law enacted there; but tho struggle
between the whiskey and anti-whis-
key clements in South Carolina
has been intensified by conditions
peculiar to the State of South Ca
rolina and which wouldnot obtain
elsewhere. I will briefly outline
these local conditions, so that the
cause and violence Of tho whiskoy
rebellion can bo seen Mt Il glance.
Prior to 1890, under q vicious sys-
tom of party politics, the control
OF the government of the State was
in the hands of the remnants OF
the old slave-holding aristocracy
which had saddled upon the State
u condition of affairs resembling
as much as possible that provalen,
before the war cf 1961-65. a com.
plete return of those conditions
the outcome of that war had rem
dered impossible. I led a fight
inside the Democratic party, the
white mans party, to free the State
from tho rule of those old Bour-
bons, who wanted the reins ofgov-
ernment to rest entirely in the
hands of themselves and those who
would be subservient to their will
After canvass of the State from
one end to the other, meeting on
the stump two representatives of
the old order of things, l received
the nomination of the Democratic
party regularly and by an unox-
ampled majority; but the old aris-
tocratic element would not submit,
and ran al independent ticket ut
the regular election, appealing to
the negroes for votos. I was eloct-
cd by an overwhelming majority,
the creator part Of my support
coming from tho agricultural clas-
ses, which had until then boon
practically deprived of voice in
the selection Of the officers of the
State government. Tho old Bour-
bon element had control of the
press and tho banks. Among them
were the bost trained intellocts of
the State, and these all kopt war
ring upon the new order Of things.
Taking the position that naught
good could come out of Nazareth,
they opposed every act Of my
administration, which has boon for
the masses as against tho classes.
In 1892, after another hot can
vass, I was reelected Governor,
obtaining an increased majority.
Tho Bourbons began to 500 that
they could never be returned to
power by tho vote Of tho people,
and commenced casting about for
now combinations and devices by
which to regain power.
In the fall of 1892 tho Goneral
Assembly passed tho Dispynsary
Act as compromise betweon tho
WlShoa Of tho nitro ,,rn1, ;h:4; al =,