The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-02-23
given chance to express their views.
but thought 1t wrong to entail tho cost
Of an electi0n in an Off YaAr

Mr.. Stevenson, of Chesterfield, said
that he was In favor Of submitting the
question to the people, but diff rcd
with Mr.. Blease In that he thought it
should be done at once. The gentle
man from New berry shed his tears and
almost his blood in 1892 and wasted his
strength in 1894 ovor this question, but
now just at the time when vote Is to
be taken he ia opposed to letting tho
people, vote upon it. The prohibit
tiOnsts are az class an honorable
people but they resort to strange me-
thods. Apropos OF this Is the recent
gymnastic performances OF tho late
prohibition candidate for governor.
The people Of his county wanted no
such prohibition. He had not voted
for the prohibition candidate, and was
glad that he had not. The bed rock
proposition Of Democracy Is that there
shall be no government without the
consent OF the governed.
The gentleman from Kershaw, MIR.
| Winkler, doesn't want the people to
got whack at this question at all.
| Tho speaker said that he did want the
people to express themselves, but not
on the high license question. This
bill does not provide for q high
license bill for this reason. You
can't have two systems of selling
| liquor side by side, because they would
entail unfair competition. His posi-
tion was dispensary or nothing. He
had never been hide bound in his views
| on the liquor question, and was not q
prohibitionist. He had the highest
| respect for those ministers OF the
gospel who in sincerity preached the
doctrine of prohibition, but he differed
with them in regard to paying "blood
money for education" He referred to
Mr.. McCullough's argument in regard
TO letting the lecch suck the Ood,
and then obtaining part OF the same
blood from the leech for sustenance.
The State Of South Carolina is COM
pellel to have some blood let by the
leech OF liquor.
Mr.. Simkins "Go ahead, you are
talking sense"
Mr.. Stevenson resuming: "Would
it not be better for the State instead of
putting this money in the pockets OF
blood sucking whiskey dealers, to turn
it over to the State for the maintenance
Of the schools ?" Is that blood money?
Is 1t not better to take strong, healthy
blood from healthy artery and
dtfuse it into the mLoverisheda arteries
than to let the weak keep getting
weaker
The people of Chesterfield do not
want prohibition. 1t voted for high
license in 1890. With the present law
enforced, the offenders Of the law
being sent to the chaingang, he had no
fear Of the issue. His county was
satisfied. But some were not and 1t
WAS not right to keep other counties
from saying what they want. " Do
you want TO take the question OF liquor
out Of the politics of State ?" he asked.
DO you want the elections OF Cover
nor and United States Senators freed
from this question ?" The men who
| are backing the dispensary do not want
| this question submitted to the people.
Let it 20 to the people now and keep
1T out OF State elections hereafter. He
the epaction OF Mr.. Livingstone iron
clad prohibition bill last year, bill
which was prohibition in re, light
dawncd upon him and he saw that
somebody wanted to bo Governor OF
South Carolina.
If you want to make q law which the
people will support, then make good
law. The bill which he would support
was that Of Mr.. Robinson, which would
let the people say @hat they wanted
In regard to the State board Of control
he said that there had been many
rumors which had gone abroad, which
were unfounded, but some were given
color by the actions of some who per.
sisted In forcing themselves upon the
public notice. The present admins
tration is the best the dispensary has
ever had. The gentleman who is now
commissioner has had more to contend
with than any other executive, and
has made the dispensary more success
| full. He has had the original package
houses to compete with. Against the
management OF the State dispensary
he had nothing to say.
The constitution nullifies its own &C.
tion in disfranchising the negro on &C.
count of ignorance, by adding to the
taxation for the purpose OF educating
the negro 80 that he could vote. The
people do not want any more taxation,
and he submitted that Mr.. Robinson's
proposition would relieve the State OF
the enormous expense Of running the
State dispensary.
The profits of the dispensary are
about $l50,000 not annually. The ex.
peuse, outside Of the cost of liquor, ia
over $170,000. Over 100000 Is spent
for rebottling the whiskey.
The people demand two things, that
tho burden Of taxation be raised and
that the offensive .constabulary be re-
duced. If this traffic is put under the
the profits to be kept there, each tax
paying citizen will be vigilant for the
enforcement of the law.
With the suspicion which surrounds
the State board Of control on account
Of it's unlimited power to spend money,
and on account of the political power
exerted by 1t as seen on the floor OF
House recently when one Of the Nom
bcrs had to be removed from the floor
by the resolution OF tho gentleman
from Chester, Mr.. Means, with sus-
picion surrounding the board Of control
and with pickering and dissension In
the board, the people will soon demand
some change in the law.
Mr.. Winkler, OF Kershaw, said that
like the others, he would not conine
himself closely to the subject for this
discussion. He disclamcd any en-
dorscment of Mr.. Blease's bringing fac.
tionalism into the debate. All partisan