The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-01-18

the second primary; He had called at
my Office when | was out, and had sent
me messages asking me to visit him; SO
I went ono day to his Office at the State
house.
After an exchange of civilities be
asked my opinion of the clause in the
STATE constitution permitting the issue
of licenses for the sale Of liquor, say
ing that according to that clause all
liquors sold under high license weuld
have to be bought from the State dis
pensary. l analyzed the section aad
showed that it could bear DO such iR-
terpretation. He persisted in his
claim, however, and I realized that he
was trying to find loophole by which
to escape the redemption of his pledge.
This realization angered me so much
that l could hardly trust myself to
speak. l paced fuming up and down
the executive chamber, and finally
told him that | was in no mood to be
dallied with in that fashion: that if be
intended to bunco me, as several news
papers had predicted he would do, be
might rest assured that would publish
the pledge and show up the whole affair.
Then l started out but as l had my
hand on the doorknob he called ne
back and offered to leave the interpreta.
tion Of the clause to any lawyer would
select T proposed Chief Justice Nc
Iver. but he objected. [ then suggested
Mr. R. W. Shand and Gen. Leroy F:
Youmans, and he chose MIR. Shand and
said h. would submit the question to
him Weeks afterward I questioned
Mr.. Shaud, and he told me that the
Governor had not said a word to him
about it,
The main issue then came up, after
some talk, and Gov. Ellerbe bare
facedly denied that he had made any
agreement whatever. q had his let
ter in my pocket at the time.) He
attempted to unload the whole respon-
sibility on Weston and Neal, saying
he had told them when he wrote the
letter that he had not changed his
views, was still for the dispensary and
would make no agreement. Assuming
an air of virtuous indignation he said
he would send for them and make them
set him right. (He never did, l was
so disguised that I again started to
leave, saying / would expose the whole
| affair and let him settle it with Neal and
Westson as he could; but again he beg
ged me to come back, and then leaving
| his seat and coming to my side, in front
of the west window at his rig ght hand,
he said: Don't get mad; lets talk the
thing over quietly and seeif We can't
com promise it. And then he proposed
do precisely what he had promised and
what had expected-to urge the
Legislature to pass an act permitting
each county to choose by ballot be-
tween prohibition, high license and
the dispensary. It was a lightning
change on his part that almost took my
breath away.
He went on to cay that this was no
new thing on his part; that he had
held those views before he had writ
ten the letter to Weston and had told
". D. Evans, of them. Then he added:
"But I don't see how I can put through
an administration measure carrying
out the plan" I answered that that
did not matter; that did not like this
administration measure" idea anyhow,
and that I thought in this case it might
do as much harm as good. All | ex-
pected was that he would do what ne
had promised to do andleave the conse,
quences with the Legislature. He said
again that he would make these recon-
mendations, and I went away satisfied.
| did not see Gov. Ellerbe again un-
til last Saturday afternoon. On FRI
day Mr.. Weston informed me that the
Governor had read him that part OF
his message relating to the ileuer
question. and that it seemed to hlm
throughout al argument for the re-
teption of the dispensary system, al
though it did made a brief and bare
suggestion as to letting the people Of
the counties, settle the question for
themselves. He did not like it, he
said. I told him that if the message
! did not come up to promise | would
show up Ellerbe ruthlessly. The next
day, Saturday, Mr.. Weston gave me
proof of the liquor section Of the mes
sage, with an invitation from the
Governor to call on him at the nan
sion at 5 o'clock that afternoon. !
read the proof and was greatly incensed
at what l found in it. My disincllna-
ton to see the Governor vas strong, az
| was afraid could not control ny tenn
per afterthi revelation Of his duplislty;
! but I did not wish to bring Col. Neal
and Mr.. Weston into the natter-es
must do if exposed Ellerbe i finally
| determined to keep the appointment:
At 5 o'clock 1 went to the executive
mansion and found the Governor con-
versing with visitor. When the latter
left 7 told him I had read his liquor
recommendations and was greatly sur,
prised and disappointed; that he had
not said what he had pledged hiane!f
to say; that he had defeated his half
way endorsement Of local option by
other recommendations Of the strongest
character. He asked me to specify. l
pointed out this paragraph for one: 1T
(the dispensary) must be hrraly and
permanently established or eoaplstsly
- .rov v;+b " This 7 said. clearly
meant the establishment Of the diSpen-
sary on its present basis or it's ellrnlna-
tion from the whole State-it was ad-
verse to partial elimination under the
influence Of local option. Then l show
ed that the context Of his recommenoa-
tion as to local option limited the choice
to prohibition and the dispensary only,
wholly ignoring high license as an. al
+ernotiva This 7 said was not what