The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-03-18
CHARLESTON AND THE STATE.
The UnwisdOm and ImpOIicy Of Main
taining u Yawning Gulf Between
the People,

TIC TeOpIc.
| Our respected contemporary, the Charleston
Evening Sun, takes issue with some state
ments which appeared in these columns las
week about the merchants, business men and
bankers of that city making a street demon
Stration when the State Constables tried tc
enforce the dispensary law in the case o
Chicco. We are not certain as to the exact
words, but we are perfectly certain as to the
| impression which the News and Courier made
on our mind at The time when giving an ac
count of the incident.
AS TO the tyranny OF the Tillman faction over
Charleston:
Country people living at this distance have
not had 1t explained to them wherein any
tyranny has been practIced upon the good
old city, In sending the metropolitan police.
The metropolitan police are q necessity for
that city, or else the daily press have convey.
ed q wrong impression as TO the real situation
in that town.
We leave 1t for our much respected contem.
porary To say, If 1t has not been published u
thousand times by the city papers that the
diSpensary law could not and would not he
enforced In that city by The authoritieS? We
are not now quibbllng about words We are
talking as TO facts. Let our contemporary
read the files Of the News and Courier partc-
ularly az to the advised and proclaimed resist
ance TO the law in that city.
That resistance made the metropolitan po.
lice Il necessity and the people OF the State OF
South Carolina are determined TO enforce the
law. II the good people of that city, choose
to encourage foreigners In violating the law OF
their adopted country, and II they thus force
the State to send metropolitan police they
have no one to blame but themselves. At any
rate Charleston makes an exceeding ly un IA
vorably showing before the country by run-
ming off TO the negroes In the hope OF defeat
Ing the majority Of the white people of the
State. If Charleston gentlemen prefer to
align themselves with the negroes rather than
remain true to their own Kindred and their
own race, then the country people are
put on notice. Is Charleston's fidelity to the
aofC IN Inn IN ha cly lya n a,ga
q few Italians or liQuor.selling people are not
allowed 10 trample our laws under foot?
We would say this to the Evening Sun:
All Of South Carolina Is proud OF the wealth.
the Intelligence and the respectability OF the
people OF Charleston, but for some unwise.
impolitic or suicidal policy that grand old
city has chosen 10 antagoniSe and lrrltate the
people In the country districts. She has done
this by insults through her papers In calling
the country members OF the General Assem-
bly, "Three-for-aQ Quarter Statesmen" She
has done this by vie and unwarranted abuse
Of Tillman and that portion OF the people
who are supporting him. She has defied the
laws of the State by encouraging violations
OF the LIQUOR law and has forced the State to
send metropolitan police.
We leave 1t for the Evening Sun to say
If in the past the country members OF
the General Assembly have not either been
ignored or rdiculed, while the city and other
low country delegates have been boosted and
praised TO their full value.
1t has teen said that whom the gods seek 10
destroy they first make mad, or words to that
effect. What has the country people done
that they must have the contumely and
sneers of their uppish city neighbors? BY
what right do these same uppish city neigh
bors assume 10 beat down aud .trample under
foot the laws OF their own State?
If she has not done all this, then we are not
able to understand her newspapers.
If Charleston in her wisdom and In her
greatness could recognize the country people
as part of the great Stale Of South Carolina
she would have less reason, or excuse for
turning her back on the Democratic party.
II Charleston would ouey the laws of the
State and cease TO villity and abuse the chosen
officers Of the Government, she would have
no preteXt for complaining about the alleged
tyranny, which alleged tyranny she has
forced upon herself.
We have no advice TO give to Charleston.
but we may be pardoned, If we express the
hope that she will cease to make war on the
country people and the good name OF the
State. We hope that she may feel that she
can unite with US. and be of us and among
US, entertaining and cherlshing fraternal feel
ings between the city and the country people.
Charleston as metropolitan city has
UNIQUE position, In that she Is the only city
on earth that tries to degrade the govern mem t
OF the State while making bitter and unre-
lenting war on the country people and the
laws OF the State.
Please let us have peace. Please let US be
friends. We are tired of war. The whole
State wants TO be friendly with Charleston.