Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-05-29

right to make, and any honest man
would have invited and answered dis
passionately and frankly. There was
no occasion for such an outburst OF
coarse ribaldry and unseemly passion.
The controversy stands today where
it was left off at Union nearly three
years ago, except that the suspicion OF
crookedness in regard to the rebates
has been intensified by remark which
Governor Evans, his friend and CO.
laborer in the dispensary business, is
charged with having made TO Mr..
Nixon, late chief dispenser, to the ef-
feet that "Bep Tillman had lined his
pockets with rebates" And further,
by recent intimations and suggestions
on the same line from some of Gov
ernor Tillman's closest, and as is gen.
orally supposed, most confidential, per
sonal and political friends. Now the
simple and only question as to this
branch of the dispensary management,
Involving hundreds of thousands OF
dollars to the taxpayers, is, were the
rebates of 7 cents per gallon collected
from the Mill Creek Dislillery and
other whisky dealers, and if not, why
not?
Governor Tillman cannot sidetrack
this momentous issue by TRADES OF
abuse against newspapers, and any
and everybody who chooses to exercise
their rights as free and unterrifed citi-
zens.
1t is the duty and business of news
papers to inform the public of current
events, and it is the business and duty
of liberty loving citizens to hold every
public official to the strictest account
ability for his official acts. The news
papers have never, and can never,
impair the official integrity of any
honest official. The official himself
may becloud and besmirch his own
reputation by evasion, irritability and
passion under legitimate criticism and
enquiry.
The stencil from the dispensary scan
dals has reached the acute stage, and
its founders and promoters owe it to
themselves and to the people of the
state generally, to probe it to the bot.
tom, let out the foul effluvia or "hush. "
That is what Governor Tillman has re-
Gently advised the United States SEN
ate to do.
Legislative committees are very good
things in their way, when they are in
earnest but when men have said "the
horse was 16 feet high," they will
scarcely turn round, eat their words
and admit the horse was only 10 hands
high. If the whisky dealers who have
sold whisky to the state could be
brought into court and forced to testify
some regulations would be much bet
ter or worse off.
1t is about time the people in the
state were taking matters in their own
hands. Stop listening to twaddle and
nonsense, aud have general overhaul
ing of their affairs. Prejudice and
passion and resentments may be very
handy weapons for charlatans and
demagogues to boost themselves into
Office, but they are getting to be very
expensive luxuries. Taxes which were
promised a few years ago to be reduced
have been increased, and are likely to
be still further increased if a halt is
not called, and the taxpayers have to
pay the piper while the demagogues
dance.
Public Offices were promised to be
reduced, but they have increased in
numbers and the taxpayers have to
pay the salaries while the increased
otficeholders dance. This, / say, is
getting to be pretty expensive lux
ury, especially when considered in the
light of the falling off in revenue from
the phosphate royalty and other
sources which helped to meet public
expenditures.
1t was promised that the dispensary
would pay half million year into
the state treasury, and ought to have
done so under honest, proper manage
ment. What pitiful showing has
been made M. C. BUTLER.