Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-01-14
FEATHERSTONE ON THE DEAL.

FEATHERSTONE ON THE DEAL.
Former Prohibition Candidate Expresses
Forcible Views.
Upon the appearance Of the Colum-
bia State last Wednesday with Editor
Gonzales's signed editorials exposing
the duplicity of Governor Ellerbe, The
News. and Courier telegraphed MIR.
C. C. Featherstone, at Laurens, fer a
statement. Mr.. Featherstone replied
as follows:
~ beg leave to say: The primary
system requires that those seeking
Office should 60 before the people and
discuss the issues of the day, the object
being that the people should see and
hear the candidates, listen to the dis.
cussion of the various questions and
then retire and make up their verdict.
"The people have a right to expect
that the candidates should express
their true convictions upon the stump !;
that they should be dealt with honest
ly, openly and aboveboard. One of
The great arguments advanced in favor
of the primary system was that under
it the deals of politicians would be
shut off and the scheming politician
would he relegated to the rear; that
the candidates would be voted for on
account of the views which they enter.
tanned upon the public questions of the
day and not because of their personal
popularity or their scheming ability.
believing such to be the case the
Prohibitionists, like the true and loyal
Democrats that they are, willing to
trust the great masses of the people
and believing that fair treatment and
open dealing would be accorded to
them, put forward their candidate.
That such candidate accorded to others
the same treatment that he expected,
no man in South Carolina will deny !;
that b. went over the state aud fought
as hard as he knew how upon tine Pro-
bibitiou platform, hewing to the line
let the chips fall where they would,
will also not be questioned. That
Governor Ellerbe, Colonel Watson, Mr..
Archer and Mr.. Whitman espoused
the cause of the dispensary ; that COL
onel Tillman and Colonel Schumpert
fought for local option, and that the
writer fought for prohibition, the rec,
ord shows. The record also shows
that when the fight narrowed down
between Governor Ellerbe and the
prohibition candidate, Governor Eller-
be was, as his friends thought, still
standing by the guns he had used dur
ing the campaign honestly, advocating
the dispensary. twill also he rernem
bered that when the prohibition can
didate was defeated he called upon
his friends in the state to rally 10 the
support of the incoming administration
because he had made the fight upon
principle, he had fought openly and
honestly, and he thought the verdict
of the people meant that they prefer
red the dispensary to prohibition.
"Now lis charged that between the
first aud second primaries deal was
made between the supposed champion
of the dispensary and the leading advo,
cate of local option, which deal caused
the defeat of the Prohibition candidate,
for it is evident that Prohibition was
defeated by the alleged deal.
"What l have to say Of the alleged
deal is this: 1t was unfair treatment
to the Prohibition cause. 1t was un-
fair to the constituency of the cham
pion of the dispensary.
"He had no right 10 60 over the
state and champion their cause and
then, upon the eve of battle, in order
to catch the vote of the opposition
without notice, cover his flag. Nor
does the writer believe that the advo-
cates-the honest advocates-of the
dispensary wanted to win the fight in
any such manner. The great masses
of the people are honest; they enjoy
and will crow over an honest victory I;
but they will condemn a victory that
was obtained by doubtful methods. In
the next place, if such a deal was
made, good faith required, even though
it was Matched in politics, that it should
be carried out and the goods delivered.
If the campaign had convinced the
champion of the dispensary that he
was wrong and that local option was
the best solution of the question, then
he ought to have said so in time, so
that his friends in the dispensary ranks
could know where he stood and voted
accordingly. If he had honestly
changed bis views and had so stated
publicly, they would have admired his
honesty, for it must be remembered
that consistency frequently demands a
change. But fair, open and honest
dealing the people demand and will
have: Personally, the writer has made
no complaint and he has none to make,
for the record shows that he ate his
crow with the best feeling possible
but he does think that if the charge be
true-and it must be borne in mind
that everything he has said is based
upon that assumption-the Democratic
electors have not had fair treatment,
such treatment as the honest Demo
Gratis of South Carolina believe in."