Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-08-01
.D|SPENSARY PRO and CON.
Concluded from first page.)

piJ' luC lcPlJ 10 colIalh''u III euiS
weeks issue of the Advocate. 1t
reads as follows:
Trenton, S. c., July 23, 1900.
Rev. j. O. Wilson, Columbia, S. G.
Dear Sir: | have your letter OF
July 22d, asking if my speech at
Bcnncttsvillc was correctly reported
do not rccollcct tho exact words
| used at Benncttsvillc, but they arc
in effect true rs quoted and mas.
much as the District Conference of
the Methodist church, under the
leadership Of Bishop Duncan, has
taken the matter up, and the Bishop
is reported to have "nailcd" my
,ttcrancc cas- lic," while the re.
port of the committee on temper
ancc denounced any insinuation
that the effort of the Christian min
listers and other citizens to rid the
State Of this gigantic evil is a sought
or voluntary combination with the
saloon element as a base slandcr that
is itself an attempt to strengthen the
power Of this most damnabe in
iquity," will take the occasion
offered by your inquiry to make an
announcement over my own sigma
turc of what said and meant at
Bcnncttsvillc. OF course the report
gave only the barcst outlines.
have no quarrel with the minis
tcrs of any church or denomination
and have no purpose to give offcnsc
to any OF them. | have always
borne testimony to the high charac-
ter and purity Of purpose character
ling the ministry, but | believe they
nrc wrong in fighting the dispcnsary
law rs they do, and l claim the
right to say so, acknowledging at the
same time their right to freedom Of
speech and freedom of political ac-
ton on this and every other subject.
| mentioned the attitude Of the min
listers incidentally rs an illustration
OF the anamalous political situation
The ministers attack the dispensary
because it does not go far enough,
and the high license people and the
blind tigers, whom designated as
the cold ar-kecpcrs," attack the
dispcnsary because it goes too far
They are thus found fighting side by
side in the campaign. There is only
one candidate in the field for Cover
nor opposed to the dispcnsary,
Col lIoyt, and all Of those elements
are allied in his support, and the
proof is that Charleston, in the last
gubcrnat atorial election, voted for Mr..
Fcathcrstonc and prohibition when
1T is notorious that the whiskey cc-
mcnt in that city is predominant,
and that the dispcnsary law is not
enforced, mainly by reason of the
lax morals by the grand Jurors who
have failed to discharge their duty
under their oaths. Col. IIoyt last
winter in his paper, The Noun
tainccr, urged coalition between the
high license people and the prohibi-
tIoniSts in the General Assembly in
order to repeal the dispcnsary law.
Col. lIoyt seeks the Governors office,
and Of course wants votes. am op-
posed to his election solely on these
grounds, an d called attention to the
elements supporting him. There
may be no open "alliancc," and tech
nically ! may have been in error in
asserting it, but think it pcrrnissi-
bic to declare all the supporters Of
any one candidate "allies" and if the
Methodist ministers who have ac-
cuScd me Of ISLANDER" will show
that they do not intend to work to
the same end as the bar Keepers for
the overthrow Of the dispcnsary, |
will then consider the propricty Of an
apology. Until such proof is given
| shall stand by my guns. If the
Methodist Bishop chooses to call me a
liar, and the church temperance com
mittcc feels constrained to dcnounce
my opinion Of existing conditions as
ISLANDER" the people of South Caro-
lima will Judge between us. Ii they can
stand it can. long ago learned
EVIL is wrought from want OF thought,
As well aS want Of heart"
When good men find themselves
IN bad company, they usually pause
to consider how they got there, and
whether they are not in fault to
some extent.
There IS no conccalmcnt about it
and the editor Of The State, who is
the spokesman Of the license clc-
mcnt, has announced his position
clearly and openly. The denial by
the preachers that the combination
is sought" cuts no figure. 1t exists,
and that - All asserted, and to my
mind ii is "mholy" and must make
every good man feel uncomfortable
# the diSpcnsary is ovcrthrown