The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1898-09-01

SStNlS6. IlS uCU tiot
prohibition meant unbridled license
unless special officers were paid to en-
force it, and this would result in increas-
ed taxation. Mr.. Featherstone defend
ed himself from the charge of being o
raw recruit. The bulk of his time for
the last IA years had been spent in
fighting ''f0 God, for home and na-
tive land, but if the people were look
ing for a man who has never done any
thing wrong, they must look elsewhere.
The other speakers were Messrs.
Tompkins, Cooper, Bradham, Bellin-
ger, Mower, Derham, Epton, Brown,
Mayfeld, Rice McMahan. Garris. Ev-
ans, Sansell, Sigh, Gray and Thomas.
LEXINGTON MEETING.
The crowd was q small one but mani
tested great interest in the speeches,
particularly those relating to education
and the dispensary. Mr.. Whitman
struck some Titanic blows for his edu-
cational idea. He thought it would be
good thing if an earthquake would
come along and shake some of these col
leges so deep that they never would be
resurrected. Governor Ellerbe wanted
reelection on his merits, and not be-
cause of the custom of giving second
term. He insisted that the dispensary
had been profitable, according to the re-
port of the board of control. This
year the dispensary would pay
from Sl50,OO to 100000 to the
State for the school fund. The
governor received hearty applause.
Col. Tillman interested the crowd with
| his discussion of township government.
He was no champion of drunkenness,
but he was German enough in his in
stincts to abhor and oppose all sump-
tuary laws and claimed the right to get
! drunk if he pleased. He claimed that
Clemson College overlooked the i'm
mense pole boat trade in fertilizers,
the interior guans factories and the
twenty-six cotton seed oil mills that
sold nineteen-twentieths Of the am
monia used in guano and the wagon
trade amounting in all to thousands OF
tons of fertilizers that escaped the tax.
Col. Schumpert made good impress
sion. He urged the people to vote for
the men of their choice. and not to
allow themselves to be dictated to.
Col. Watson talked education from the
| Jump and received earnest attention.
He pleaded for school house in reach
of.everybody, SO that the State would
be filed with an honest, industrious
population. Mr. Featherstone at first
ran against the grain Of some OF his
hearers, who interjected frequent anti.
prohibition remarks. He had advocated
prohibition all over the State because
he believed it was right. When a man
voted for whiskey he became party TO
its sale, and the only way for him to
clear his skirts is to do everything
in his power against it, and
then his skirts would be clear.
Mr.. Archer declared that the people
were not prepared to pay another mill
to enforce prohibition. He walked up
the Lexingtonians on the educational
question. His platform was less taxes,
| fewer Offices, less money for the State
colleges and more for the common
schools. Gen. Gray said the people
were suffering from inequality rates,
in soJ.e cases prohibltory. Mr.. Stan
sell thought all his opponents were
good men. but they came from the
wrong section, inasmuch as his section
was not represented on the commission.
Mai. Evans declared that he wanted
election not because he was political
coat, tail swinger or combination can
didate, but because Fl his ability and
business qualifications. No man
should impugn his honesty or business
sagacity without challenge. and the
| blackguard should not speak to him
! afterwards. DR.. Sigh was proud of
the support that he knew his neighbors
had always given bim. They knew he
was competent. Everybody was in
terested in the railroads, and
only fair and broad minded men
should be elected on the board.
Commissioner Thomas declared that
sented both his public aud private life,
but he had the six calling for more
time. They had tried to make the
people believe that he was tool of the
railroads. If this could be proved he
would deserve political death, but as
they had not proved it they were con-
victed of slander. The othor speakers
were: Cooper, Tompkins, Bradham,
Mower, Belllnger, Watts, Floyd,
Blythe, Brown, McMahan, Rice, May
field and Garris.
COLUMBIA MEETING.
Owing to the heavy fall of rain there
were only about three hundred persons
present, including few ladies. Splen-
did order was preserved and all the
candidates were listened to attentively.
There was applause as Gov. Ellerbe
began. He said that be had become q
candidate for governor the first time
because be thought it was duty he
owed to the people to respond to their
call. In that canvass he had urged
that the people do away with strife ard
come together for the good of the state.
AS the exponent of that movement the
people had honored him as few people
had been honored His majority was
the largest ever given governor in
South Carolina. He had pledged him
self to he fair and just. He had been
between the devil and the deep blue
sea. He was not infalible, but he had
tried to keep his promises. Any man
in his position would have made mis-
takes. Col. George Tillman came next
,,,;5 ,baarinp Ha woo runninu on q