Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-06-22
THE STATE CAMPAIGN.
Progress of the Biennial Quarrel For the
Offices.

Progress of the Biennial Quarrel For the
| Offices.
The first campaign meeting, last
week, was held at Orangeburg on
Thursday, the second at st. Georges,
Dorchester county, on Friday, and the
third at Charleston on Saturday.
The attendance at each of these
meetings was very small, and there
were few developments which seem
to give promise of very decided
increase of interest as the campaign
grows older.
In order to get rid of the very heavy
expense connected with state cam
paigns-an expense which for several
years past has been dead loss to the
newspapers with but little chance of
returns-The News and Courier, State
and Register have renewed the asso-
citation arrangement of two years ago
and are printing identical reports. At
present the reports are being made for
the different papers by Mr.. ]. Wilson
Gibbs, of the Columbia State.
At the Orangeburg meeting there
were no sensational developments ;
but at Dochester, Colonel Watson
made things pretty hot with blister
ing attack on Governor Ellerbe. Col
onel Watson was not all diplomatic
in his language. He seemed to have
lost his temper entirely, and in what
he said he was decidedly personal. His
remarks are summarized as follows:
wATsoN's ExCoRIATIoN.
Colonel Watson said it was an un-
precedented thing that there were
seven candidates for the Office of gov
ernor. Ellerbe has been backed by a
United States senator and a governor
and got the largest vote ever given to
a candidate for governor. Why, then,
was he opposed?
Colonel Watson then proceeded to
attack, in the plainest words, Governor
Ellerbe's record. The reason for the
opposition to him was patent. Before
he bad been in Office year he was
heartily despised. Ellerbe's friends
were ashamed of him and his enemies
were disgusted with him. He has
been untrue to his friends and unfair
to his enemies. He has sought by
patronage to buy his enemies and has
never remembered his friends. But
for his connection with the reform fac
ton he never would have been heard
of.
He was elected with promise that
he would remove the metropolitan po-
lice from Charleston. He delayed its
removal for one master, removed it
for another and received the just con-
tempt of those who elected him.
l believe it was trade when he ap-
pointed Epton as comptroller general.
The legislature rebuked him. In all
his appointments it is believed he has
traded from first to last. If he had
been content to be w. H. Ellerbe and
had not condescended to political
trickstering, we would not be here to-
day to oppose him.
Colonel Watson eloquently commen-
ded the gallant officers at the head of
South Carolina's volunteer troops; but,
said he, to help himself Governos Ell
lerbe ignored all the colonels, the Con-
federate veterans and sons of veterans
in his appointments. He appointed
only one officer from his own fac
ton to a high Office, and that man
could not drill squad. I do not know
but one man in my county who will
vote for him, and that one says it is
because Ellerbe is going to pardon
man sentenced to be hanged. Gentle
men, you may 60 all over the state
and you will find a concensus OF opin-
ion that he is an utter failure.
ELLERBE's REPLY.
"Now we are going to hear it," was
the remark as the governor came for
ward. He said he had been slandered
and misrepresented and he challenged
his opponents to prove one charge
made against his administration. He
welcomed criticism that was honest.
He had always advocated the dispen-
sary as the best solution of the liquor
problem. When Colonel Tillman said
the dispensary had not made any profit
he misrepresented the facts.
This elected a remark from Uncle
George, who said that he had great
respect for Governor Ellerbe person
ally, but when he in his message to the
legislature said the educational system
was without headship, without order
and full of reduplication, and followed
that with the statement that its i'm
provement was not practicable, then
he showed lack of backbone.
Governor Ellerbe combatted this and
called upon Colonel Tillman to prove
his statement that some men got their
fertilizer without paying for the tags.
Colonel Tillman III show it beyond
a reasonable doubt from the facts, if
you'll let me speak.
Governor Ellerbe replied that he
had no time to spare but if the proof