The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-10-23
popEs wEEKnx nUpaEr.
Governor Tillman's Alleged Usurpa-
patton OfPOwer-The Way q Candi-
date Sees IL.

date Sees IL.
DIR. Sampson Pope, of Newberry,
has established headquarters in Co
iumbia, where he proposes to remain
until after the election. E[e is conf
dent of success and thinks he is steadi-
ly gaining votes. He issued the fol-
lowing manifesto last week in regard
to the dispensary:
81 have recently read the dispensary
act OF 1893 closely. Section OF the
act reads as follows: The Governor,
the Attorney General and the Comp
troller General, shall, ex officio, con-
st1tute State board of control to car
ry out the provisions of this act Sec
tion 3 gives the Governor authority to
appoint at the expiration of the term
OF the present commissioner (see the
connection between the acts of 1892
and 1889 and every two years there
pointnent to be approved by the Sen
ate. The same section gives to the
commissioner the right to purchase all
supplies, ETC., subject to such rules and
regulations rs may be 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 regulations gov
erning said commissioner in the per-
formance of any of the duties of his
office shall be prescribed by the State
board of control, etc. fail to fnd in
reading said act, any duty devolving
than any other law carries with it.
The Governor is a member ex officio of
several boards-the penitentiary, the
asylum, etc. His duties rs 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 Cover
nor. The superintendent of the peni-
tentiary carries them out for that in
stitution, the superintendent of the
asylum for that institution, and by
parity of reasoning, Mr.. Traxler should
do so for the dispensary.
eff the law had intended that the
Governor alone should manage the dis
pensary it would have said so, but it
does not say so, for it puts two others
on the board with him, all of them ex
otfcio members. 1t means that q ma
jority of the board shall govern; shall
say what Mr.. Traxler shall do. The
Governor has usurped power which
docs not belong to him. He admitted
during the canvass that he did SO
when he said that he did not consult
the other members about reopening
the dispensary.
He has no more right to issue or
ders with regard to the dispensary
than he has with regard to the peni-
tentiary and the asylum; he is but a
simple member of all those boards, and
has only the authority that any other
member has. The board, | suspect,
has not had a meeting until last week
in many months. All that has been
done of his own motion then is illegal,
unlawful and is a usurpation 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 revolution
ary war when the State was overrun
by an enemy, and when it was impos-
sible from the very nature of things to
call the Legislature together. Cover
nor Tillman has as much right, and it
is as much his duty, to issue procla-
nation or an order, carrying out the
provisions of any other law, as he has
as to the dispcnsary.
HAS he done it? Then why does
he single out this law to be enforced
at this time? is it to destroy the
peace and harmony of our people for
political effect? Is it an attempt to
bring back those Reformers who have
left the fold because of rings He
has sworn to execute the laws in mer-
cy, not in a terrorizing, vindictivc
manner, calculated to frenzy the men
and frighten the women and children.
Let it be remembered that when the
dispensary was closed many of 1 q con-
stabulary went home, under instruc-
tions, it was said, to open illicit bar
rooms for the purpose of proving that
prohibition did not prohibit. When
the Supreme Court decided the act of
1892 unconstitutional, was it not as
much the Governors duty to issue
proclamation to prevent tho sale of
whiskey, as it is now to carry out the
dispensary? Then why is it that he
failed to do anything then, and now
usurps authority that does not belong
to him ?"