Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-08-18
THE COUNTY CAMPAIGN.

The first meeting ofthe York county
campaign, as arranged by the Demo
cratic Executive committee, was held
on Barnett's mountain, in Bethel
township, last Thursday. There were
present some 600 people, including
many ladies. Of course dinner was
abundant, and the whole occasion
was quite pleasant, both politically
and socially. The only disagreeable
feature was the terrible heat, which
was very oppressive.
In the absence of Mr.. G.. L. Riddle,
the precinct chairman, Mr.. J. S. Brice
opened the meeting. Divine blessings
were invoked by Rev. Mr.. Hewett, a
minister who is visiting in the Bethel
section from Alabama, and the Gold
Hill band dispensed some very excel,
lent music. Mr.. Brice was the first
speaker. He made capital talk in
which there was great deal of good
common sense but no partisan poll
tics.
MR.. J. 8. BRICE.
By way of introduction, Mr.. Brice
said that the late James Henley Thorn.
we'll once said that two months study
meant sermon of 20 minutes, two
weeks study sermon of 80 minutes
and no study at all an all day talk.
He had not had much opportunity to
study up speech; but would be as
brief as possible. He mentioned mum
Ter of issues that might be formulated.
and then entered into discussion o,
the liquor question. He said that
York county has all the prohibition it
can get from legislation, and that
the election of Hoyt, McSweeney, Gary
or Patterson would not materially
change the situation. He said that this
prohibition agitation had been on for
more than so years, and it would not
be settled even up to the translation Of
all the human race to heaven or hell.
| TLaughter.7 He cited quite number
of Scriptural texts to show that the
Bible teaches abstinence from strong
drink. He did not think any one
could get authority for the use of whis'
XIV as beverage from the Bible. He
thought that the legislature had done
too much with whisky and the people
too little. The issue should be placed
suuarely before the people in such a
way that they could have dispensaries
in the various counties or not as they
liked, according to the will of the ma
iority. He said that Colonel Hoyt is
a brave, true man, who would make a
good governor; but he argued that
prohibition dispensaries would not re-
move any of the objections that are
urged against the present situation.
He spoke of the disagreeable character
of the liquor business generally, and
the tendency of people who engaged
in it to slip up morally and otherwise.
He begged that nothing he had said
should go to influence dispensaryite
to vote for prohibition, or Prohibi-
ZIONIST to vote for the dispensary. In
conclusion, he spoke of the erection OF
the Catawba river bridge as a simple
matter of justice to all concerned. He
said there was no immediate hope OF
tax reduction, and he urgued the ne
cessity of education along common
school and college lines. He quoted
the advice of Ben Franklin to the ef-
feet that the best place to put your
money is in your children's brains.
MR.. J. E. BEAMGUARD,
Candidate for the house of represen-
tatives, was the next speaker. He
pleasantly referred to Bethel as the
best township in the county immedi-
ately east of Kings Mountain, and
stated how, at the instance of friends
and because of his own aspiration, he
sought the honor of representing the
county in the general assembly. He
had no fight to make on anybody, and
did not expect to be voted for except
upon MS own IneTltS duu uelucIlGS. Ile
recognized the right of the voters to
know the views of candidate on all
questions of political interest, and was
glad to state his. In his opinion, edu-
cation is the most important question
before the people. He favors the full
est possible development of the public
school system, and is in favor of the
liberal support of the higher institu-
tions economically conducted. The
whisky question is one of the most
perplexing that any civilized people
has ever attempted to solve. 1 do not
believe in the practicability of prohibi-
ton but consider the dispensary law
the best solution of the liquor ques-
ton that has been devised. The dis.
pensary provides the revenue neces-
sary for the enforcement of the law ;
but the people will never submit to
going down in their pockets for the
money with which to enforce prohibi-
ton. I am in favor of biennial ses-
sions of the legislature, which will