Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-08-24
Wednesday, August "a, 1898.


5000 for the purpose of establishing
school for the benefit of the Catawba
Indians. He said he was in favor of
higher education but with $4,000 for
the Citadel, 10000 for Winthrop and
$4,000 for Clahin, he thought we
might be little topheavy along this
line. He had no fight against Clemson
college, because the first fight he had
made in the house was against propo-
sition to reduce the privilege tax from
25 cents ton to l cent ton. He
recognized that the farmers had to pay
this privilege tax at last ; but he did
not want to injure Clemson, and he
knew that if we abolished the privi-
lege tax we would have to 90 down
into our pockets. Mr.. Epps said his
neighbors knew that he was no whis-
ky man but just now he did not see
how the dispensary law was to be i'm
proved upon. If the voters believed
he was competent to represent them,
and they desired him to go back to
Columbia, he would be glad to serve
them. If however, the voters in their
wisdom saw fit not to send him back;
but preferred to send some one else in
bis stead, he would bow in submission
to their verdict.
Mr.. H. E. Johnson, candidate for
the house of representatives, was the
next speaker. He did not like the
idea of having his time cut to Is min
utes, as he could not say what he
wanted to say in that time. If an at
tempt should be made to limit him the
next day to Is minutes, he would
either refuse to speak at all, or wait
until the others were through, 80 he
would have all the time he wanted.
He said that the public school system
in this county was not anything like
what it ought to be; but the people
themselves were responsible for it.
They should demand better schools,
and until they do demand better
schools, they are not likely to get them.
Mr.. johnson described the average
schoolhouse as ramshackle affair, and
said that while it could not reasonably
be expected that the country school
facilities should be as good as those
furnished by graded schools, still they
can be made much better than they
are. The people are too easily salts
fed in this matter. Mr. Johnson de-
MED that the higher state institutions
of learning furnished the teachers for
the common schools. But few grad
yates of the South Carolina college,
Clemson or the Citadel had ever taught
school in this section. Most of the
school teachers were from Furman,
Woford and Erskine. But he was not
fighting the higher state institutions;
he was arguing in favor of better COM
mon schools. However, there are too
many higher educational institutions.
When cotton comes up it is thinned
out to stand in order that it might
have room to grow, and the same
should be done in the case of these
colleges. He believes that Winthrop
should be supported most literally.
There is, nothing good to be said in
favor of liquor. We are not respon-
sible for the fact that liquor is here;
but since it is here, we must do with
it the best that we can. Prohibition is
impractieable. Not only that, it is
prohibited by the constitution. The
dispensary is far preferable to high
license or low license or to any system
that will put liquor in the drugstores.
He wanted the dispensary law so
amended as to provide for the removal
of a dispensary upon vote of a
majority of the people interested.
Under the present arrangement, with
the state board of control vested with
the power of removal, no dispensary
will be removed so long as it continues
to make money. He corrected an i'm
preston that he had lost a great deal
of time in Columbia. He was only
there one session. He took sick on
Sunday, the general assembly adjourn
ed the following Wednesday, and that
was all the time he had lost. In conclu-
sion, he said that if the voters consid-
cred him to be as competent as the
others, and if they thought he was
trying to do his duty, he hoped to be
remembered on the 30th.
Mr.. C. G. Parish, candidate for
county auditor, was the next speaker.
Mr.. Parish was in community with
which he had been familiar since boy
hood, and his speech took reminis-
cent turn. He referred to Old Centre
church and many other landmarks of