The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1899-01-17

10 divide our people Being much
disappointed at the to, mo l rather
avoided Governor Ellerbe after that.
A LAY or two before tho legisla-
tive session closed, however, l re.
ceived a message from tho governor,
asking me to call at the executive
mansion that night l did 30, and
we had two hours talk Governor
Ellerbe was obviously much dis
tressed and alarmed at the several
defeats he had sustained in the leg
islature and sought to iuduce mo TO
pledge him the States support for
denomination. | told him that his
dispensary views stood in the way
that | would not and could not sup
port any man committed to tho
maintenance of that dishonest, tyran-
nical and abominable system. He
pleuded piteously for support, which
made tho interview extremely un-
plonsanS to mo; but J held ont, and
left him between 10 and II o'clock
apparently almost broken down.
When [ was about to star early
last May for Tampa with q view to
taking part in the Cuban campaign I
left instructions that the State was
not to commit itself to any candidate o
in the primary campaign soon to be
gin. For it was impossible to tell in
advance who would be tho competi.
tors and what pledges they might
make, and | feared lest the paper
should DO committed in my absence
to man or policy inconsisto ont
with its record and my convictions
My belief that tho war would be q
short one, to be ended in three
months, caused me to anticipate u
return to Columbia before tho pri-
mary election.
Returning from Cuba I reached
Key West on the night after The
first primary, and on my way to
Tampa on the Mascotte two day s
later l read in Jacksonville pupei
the figures of that election. 1t was
the first information 1 had that Mr.
Fentherstone had been candidate
My disposition at that time was tc
support hlm in the second primary
as I preferred prohibition to the dis
pensary.
I arrived in Columbia on tn,
evening of September 5, but finding
myself in almost total ignorance o
what had happened in South Caro-
lima and tho world since the middle
of June and being somewhat "dazed'
by a return to civilization, 1 did no
at once resume my editorial work
intending to stndy up n week o
two before attempting it.
On September 7, however, tn
Spartanburg Herald made al aotac
on the dispensary system and Gallo
on me to join in the fight, and tho
night I wrote al editorial, which az
peared next day in the State, givin
my "hearty assent to the propos
tions so well put by the Spartan
burg Herald" but stating that o
account Of my lack Of information {
to the campaign, the pledges OF til
candidates, their platforms an
their alliances | would be econ
PEELED, with regret, to be II bystant
er." In addition to these state
, reasons I had two others. Cd Coz
trary to my instructions an editori
mildly endorsing Governor Ellerl
> had been printed in the State du
ing my absence, and it seemed
o tic my hands, and (2) I was i
} formed that Mr.. Feathorstono hi
= pledged himself to general prol
= bition and nothing but that, ci
t cumstanco that mado me even mo
Il hopeless Of tho promotion OF II
o local option plan through him th
j. through Cover! or Ellerbe, becau
! 7 was sure Mr. Featherstono wou
; do what he said and / was net su
3. that Governor Ellerbe would.
, That afternoon, September