The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-08-31
The Campaign Meeting.

The last of the county campaign meetings
was held Saturday 10 the Court House and
the campaign brought to close, saving
the most important event OF the whole mat
ter-rbe primary election TO be he'd 90
Tuesday. The fate of the Candidates
Cow rests in the bands OF the people aod 'h=ir
election or defeat is in the court OF last resort.
The meeting vas we'll attended by repre-
sentative body of citizens that nearly hlled
the Court House to its capacity. All OF the
candidates for Congress-, the Senate, House of
Representatives, aod county Offices, were
present and made speeches, except Col I.
Wslsa and Mr. q. L. Scarborough, caod-
dates for Probate Judge and Treasurer, re-
spectively, who, having DO opposition, merely
had their candidacy announced by the chair.
man
The audience gave all the speakers careful
and considerate atteotion, aud liberal applause
vas accorded any telling point or happy and
appropriate anecdote.
The meeting was called to order al ii
o'clock By Mr. a. G.. Osteen, President of
the Sumter CLUB, who presided over the
meeting
The 6rst speaker wss Hon. Altamont
Moses He referred to his services IN the
House of Representatives aud Senate briefly
and asserted that DO charge CT incompetency or
neglect of duty bad ever been brought
against him He devoted The greater portion
Of hi5 time to making clear and concise e1-
planation of his position on the Lee County
matter ard full statement of the reasons for
his vote 10 favor of the passage Of the Oil
esta bishiug the county. His opposition TO
,be establishment Of Lee County was mat
ter of record and was we'll known 10 his con-
stituep,s, and consequently be was not liable
10 oe charged with selfish motives for bis
vote He bad voted SO be believed his duty and
| his oath of Office required, and. having per-
formed what he considered 10 be bis duty as
an honest man and a true representative OF
the who people, although to do so was TO
go counter to bis personal preferences, be bad
no a, oogies to make nor excuses to ctfer.
| he bai always striveu to do his duty honest
ly and independently, leaving all things,
lave right and justice, out Of the cons dera-
tioa and be would DO, be dictated 20 nor have
his vote controlled by any man or Get Of men
among bis constituents or by any one section
of the territory be was chosen TO represent.
In the present circumstau ces and condition
ne favored the dispensary system as the best
solution of the liquor problem and believed
that it had materially decreased drunken aeas
already. he favored tie e!eninati of the
Objectionable features of the system and
would work to briDg this about.
Referring 10 the use of whisaey sam pies
while member of the Legislative committee
on the dispensary, be said tia. be had used
wbi:key sent to the Board of Control by the
wholesale liquor dealers as samples aud for
| distribution as advertisements Of their goods.
and be did not consider that be had heen
guilty of wrong or improper action. The
| liquor was sot intended to Influence the con-
mit;ee 10 any way, ioasa och as the committee
bad no power 10 purch Sc liquor of the
| Wholesale dealers or otherwise benefit them,
being simply ommittee to Investigate tine
management Of the dispeusary and make
report TO the L gislatuTe.
In conclusion be referred specifically 10
several bills that be had introduced dur$ag
bis legislative career that that bad beer of
great benefit to the people at large and had
saved thousands of dollars annnaIlY 10 the
taxpayers One law alone-tbe Public
PriotiDg aw-saved $4,000 annually. He
asked re election for second term beca ase
be was qualified by experience to serve The
people of Sumter County and his record vas
proof Of his ability to do So
Mr.. Manning said that he bad been inform
ed that many rumors were ahoat that were
calculated to ipjure bis candidacy that be
had entered into combinations he charac-
terized them all as false; be was makiay a
clean race and would Co nothing that be
would have 10 regret. He was ad that Mr.
Moses had modified the tone Of his remarks
and that be did Dot claim all that be lad
done at Shiloh and Providence, where he lad
to be called down
He said that Nj Moses deserved credit sor
the passage of the printing bill, which had
saved money to the State, spd while be did
not desire to blow his own horn, felt it " as
right to give some attention to what he lad
himself accomplished that when be was
member Of the legislature be bad introduced
bills which had saved hundreds of dollars TO
th county each year; these bills had caused
an.agonism, but be had served his county s
interests 10 having them passed. "a The
State Board Of Equalization BE he'd saved to
Sua ter County $1,000 year
He said hat at Providence Mr. hoses had
admitted that be had accepted liquor from
toe dispeDsary as gift. He did rot charge
that Nr Moss bad accepted it as brite, but
tina! it was wrong and improper for him to
receive il, and if Mr. Moses did not see ii II AT
way, so much the worse for him that in the
capacity of a ruolic officer, charged with the
Investigation OF the disperaars, be erred 10
accepting gift of liquor from the parties
be was toiu7esiigaie; Dat 'tbe path OF safety
"ss the pa of honor. :"
He SAID ,hs, MIR. Moses had endeavcred TO
explain biz position ou Lee County. Itis not
satisfactory expaoatlon He stated that
Nr. Moses was opposed to Lee County, bat
said be would be guided by 'he report CT ihs
committee to which the bill was refsrTe3.
That committees report in the Seoate was
uyaroyd6ls, but Notwithstanding toe fact that
be bad said be would be guided by that
report and the showing made, be moved 10
make it a SPECIAL ordr and spoke and voted
for it, He said at Shiloh that ffdavits " le
produced showing how many bad vot for
the oew county Can it oe possible that Mr..
Moses would let such evidence override the
sworn statement of the ma nsgers Of election
| We all know what sffida-it bnsiress in
such matters amounts to- Ii was, 10 say
hthe least, woeful lack Of DISCRIMINATION,
d,ocLrnn,un, anA d.sc Nr Noaos