The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-16
THE SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY.

THEs Afbk "A II 4 fhkOi41NA I'M VI AZ
In a total of approximately $1,000 votes
cast in the recent primary election in
South Carolina for Governor a Prohibi-
ZIONIST. Mr.. Featherstone, came within
1000 votes of winning. This showing
doubtless came somewhat in the nature
of surprise to the people Of South Caro-
lima, and especially so 90 the politicians.
What does it mean? Have the prohibit
tionists become really a powerful force in
the state, with a good prospect of win
ming elections in the near future?
Mr.. Featherstone had an uphill fight to
make He was not in a position to make
campaign promises He had no patron
age to dispense. He had no machine or
ganization 10 boost him along, and so far
as is known no campaign fund. On the
other hand his opponent, Gov. Eherbe,
had the powerful dispensary institution
behind him, and for the perpetuation of
which he stood The political machine
was with him. His friends were in state
and county offices, and many people look
ed upon him as a sure winner. The moral
effect of this. latter consideration amounts
TO great deal. Lots Of persons like
always to be on the side of the winner,
and lots of others win refrain from voting
when there is a Sure thing" in the field
for whom they would not care to vote.
Against these conditions the Prohibition
candidate secured nearly half of the votes
cast. Was it really a Prohibition victory?
In the primary of Aug. 80 there were
seven candidates for Governor. Gov. Ell
lerbe was the only one of the lot who
without qualification supported and de-
Tended the dispensary, and Mr.. Feather
stone was the only one who occupied a
similar position with regard to Prohibition.
AT that election, of the 5000 votes cast,
Gov Elerbe received 1910 votes and Mr..
Featherstone 10, 800. With other candidates
in the field representing the local option
and other ideas with regard to control of
liquors. it is reasonable to suppose that
the vote in the first primary represented
the strength of the dispensary and the
Prohibition factions. When, however, the
contest narrowed down to the two leading
candidates, each of which represented
what many persons consciendousiy be-
lieve to be erroneous plans of liquor con-
troll, to such persons it became a matter
of choosing the lesser of two evils, and
the personal consideration had a good deal
20 do with the choice. It is worthy of no
tice, also, that the combined votes of
Ellerbe and Featherstone in the first pri-
mary was but a little more than two-ffths
of the total vote cast, indicating that
nearly three-fifths of the voters We're
opposed either to ultra dspensary or ultra
prohibition. A minority of the actual vot-
ers, therefore, selected the candidates to
make the second race, and all that was
left the majority to do was to say which
of the two selected by the minority should
have the office.
In certain parts of the state, and espe-
cially in some of the cities, Gov. Ellerbe
was not at all popular. The action of
the Governor in the matter of the Char
lesion metropolitan police was not forgot
ten, and several of the more populous
towns and cities combined with Charleston
in an effort to administer a rebuke to
him. Furthermore, the cities did not
KNOW at Whit tlllle II tulSHl bLll tliS
Governor to apply the metropolitan police
act to them, and thus deprive them OF
the right to select their own guardians
of peace and property.
Probably the chief cause Of Mr.. Feather
stones surprising vote, however was the
deep-seated dislike of the dispensary sys-
TEN. Many South Caroinians think that
almost any change in the world would be
an improvement upon that and they
would be willing to vote for almost any.
thing that would upset the dispensary. Or
the other hand there are others who dis.
like Prohibition more than they do the dis
pensary system. And there were enough
of the latter the other day to keep the
Prohibidonist out of office. The vote re-
ceived by the more liberal candidates il
the former primary was not evenly divided
between the dispensary man and the Pro
hibitionist; the latter received the large
| percentage of it. In the first instanc,
| Enerbe led his opponent by nearly 500
| votes, while in the last his lead was Gu
! down TO about 2,OO0
In view of the facts, therefore, 1t look
more like Featherstone's big vote was
rebuke to the dispensary and in a measur
to the Governor personally, than a victor,
for the Prohibitionists.