The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-01-18
ELLERBE'S DUPuC|TY.
BREAKS A WRITTEN PLEDGE MADE
TO THREE GENTLEMEN.
Editorial IN Columbia State.

my signature. 1t deals with my acts
as Il citizen as we'll as IN editor, and
cannot well be written except from the
personal standpoint.
In the summer of 1897 a plan for the
settlement 0f the liquor issue in South
Carolina was suggested to me by a
friend. to whom it had been communl-
Gated by a prominent citizen, who must
for the present remain unknown. Ear
nest consideration convinced me that
it was not only the best solution of this
vexing issue. but the only one which
was attaiuable. 1t provided for local
option by counties; Il choice by ballot
OF the people Of each county between
the dispensary, prohibition and high
license systems, the elections to be
held in all counties on the same day. a
day distinct from the Democratic prl-
mary. or genera. election day, and the
settlement reached to be of force for Il
term of two or four years.
This plan submitted to several men
in politics, among them MIR. Frank II.
Weston and Col. w. A. Neal. The
former at once accepted the plan as
practicable and desirable. Col. Neal
had been a warm advocate of the dis
pensary, but he expressed a willing
ness 10 make concessions in the promo
ton of peace among the people, and,
although at first preferiiug a settle
ment Of their own devising, he pres
emily came to approve this local option
measure. We discussed the matter
several times in the summer and early
fall of 1897, and Messrs. Neal and Wes-
ton undertook to dUf what they could
to influence Governor FL erbe 10 favor
this solution. About that time first
proposed the plan editorially.
1t was in the latter part Of October,
| think, that conference WAS held be.
tween Senator McLaulil-whO had
Just returned from Mount Airy, N. e.,
where he had been recuperating after
his physical breakdown during the
campaign-GovernOr Ellerbr, Col. Neal,
Mr.. Weston and myself, having for its
object the adoption of some common
policy in regard to the liquor question
which should be urged in the Govern
or's message. Various plans were dis
cussed, the local OpilOn one, however,
meeting with more favor than any 9TH
er. All of us, except Governor Ellerbe
were substantially agreed upon it, and
after had explained it fully the Gov
ertlOr said that it struck him more f;l-
vOrably than amy solution he had
heard, and asked me to write out for
him in detail my views for carrying out
the proposal, as he wished to study the
matter carefully. With that the coll
ference broke up.
Not long afterward-about Fair week
I think-SenatOr Tillman came to Co
lumbia and visited Governor Ellerbe.
He had hardly left the city when the
Governor, about 10 O'clock at night.
telephOned the reporters, SunmOlitlg
them to the Executive mansion, and
there gave out an interview in which
he committed himself absolutely To the
maintenance OF the dispensary system.
| believed ut the time that lilln.an, by
some secret hold he had on the Execu-
tive, had forced him to do this. Not
until after the interview had been
given out did any E us-McLaurin,
Neal. Weston or myself-suspect that
he had had such a purpose. We were
taken by surprise at this abrupt ending
of our project to take the question out
of politics and settle it denOcratically
according to the principle cf local self
government.
of course, this ended our hope of in
fluencing Governor Ellerbe to take the
leadership in the matter by prnposing
in his forthcoming annual message u
fair and rational adjustment of the one
issue which remained to divide our
people. Being much Disappointed at
the outcome, rather avoided Govern
or Ellerbe after that.
A day or two before the Legislative
session closed, however, | received a
message from the Governor asking me
to call at the Executive mansion that
night. did so, and we had two
hours talk. Governor Ellerbe was OBJ;
viously much distressed and alarmed
at the several defeats he had sustained
in the Legislature, and sought to i'll
duce me to pledge him the States sup
port for denomination. | tOl.l him that
his dispensary views stood in the way;
that | would not and could not support
any man committed to the maintenance
of that dishonest, tyrannical and
abomilmble system. He pleaded pit
eousl for support, which made the in
terview extremely unpleasant to me;
but held out, and left him between
10 and II O'Clock apparently almost
broken down.
When was about to start early last
May for Tampa, with view OF taking
part in the Cuban campaign, | left III
that the State was not to
commit itself to any candidate in the
primary campaign soon tO begin. For
it was impossible to tell III advance
who would be the competitors, aud
what pledges they might make. amt |
feared lest the paper should be cOIn-
mitted in my absence to Il man or Il
policy Inconsistent with it's record and
my convictions. My belief that the
war would be IL short one, to be ended
in three months, caused me to antici-
pate IL return to Columbia before the
primary election.
Returning from Cuba, reached Key
West on the night after the first pri-
mary, and ON my way to Tampa ON the
AIascotte two days later read in II
jacksonville paper the figures of hat
election. 1t was the first information
] had that Mr.. FeatherStOne had been
a candidate. My disposition at that
time WIS to support him i'll the second
primary, as preferred prohibition to
the tlispcnSary.
arrived in Columbia on theevenins
of September 5, kut, finding myself i'll
almost total Ignorance of what had
happened in South Carolina and the
world since about the middle Of june,
and being somewhat "dlucd' by Il re-
turn to civilization, | did not ut once
resume my editorial work. intclIdingt to
study up IL week or two bcfOreattcmpt-
ing it.
On September Z. however the Spar
tanburg Herald made an attack on the
system and called on me 10
iniIl in The fight, and that night ! wrote