The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-07-11
Wednesday, July II, 1900.
Neither an Extreme" nor q /" Fanat.
ical" PrOhibttiOnist.


Last week we asked Colonel Hoyt TO define
his position on the liquor question. without
attempting to intimate his present convic
tions, The eMountaineer makes the following
statement:
FOR the information of the Abbeville Press
from the Baptist Courier of May Goth, 1856.
which was written by the then senior editor.
Colonel Hoyt: we are not an advocate OF
high license and for that matter the EDITORS
ofThe Courier can safely challenge compari-
son with their critics upon genuine deVotlon
to temperance principles so lar as tney unaer.
stand the same. But they are not at an lotn
to saw that more than once the have presumed
to doubt the wisdom OF extremists who VIII
not allow others TO think for themselves, put
lay down an inexorable rule for the guidance
of all mankind. and call itan incortroVertloie
argument"
In 1856, then, Colonel Hoyt was not an "e1-
trernist" on the subject of prohibiting the sale
of LIQUOR, but he was opposed to high license"
position OF the Colonel. Why was his prohi-
bition principles doubted in 1886, even as they
are now?
Colonel Hoyt is running ostensibly as pro-
hlbition candidate, with bis CHIEF and most
pronounced supporter an advocate Oh hign
license, being from our standpoint, the very
worst possible kind OF license.
The State may be said to be the head ana
front of the license movement In this cam.
paIgn, and yet Colonel Hoyt, who receives
the support of that paper, claims 10 Dc run
ming as a prohibtionist. If he can head The
license ticket and gel the license vote and
then turn around and head the prohibiuon-
ticket, he may be set down as an expert
politician.
We presume that Colonel Hoyt will not de.
ny that he invited the opponents OF the re-
striotions placed upon the sale Of liquor oy
the dispensary 10 join hands with the pro-
hibitionists" 1t will hardly be denied that
the LIQUOR men are responding to this call.
Colonel Hoyt, at the instance OF The State,
may reasonably count on getting the liquor
vote of this town and possibly of other towns
If, then, The State carries enough liquor
votes TO Colonel Hoyt TO elect him. will not
Colonel Hoyt be under obligations to the edi-
tor of The State? Ifunder obligations to The
state, will not that paper, of right, dictate
the policy of the Governor on the liquor ques-
ton?
If Colonel Hoyt, on dead level. should not
be an "extremist" or = fanatic" on the
question otuprohfbftton, what would he be If
under obligations to license newspaper: A
high license" newspaper, at that.
twill be remembered how that paper treat
ed Ellerbe when he refused to accede to the
terms OF the alleged bargain, trade or under
standing With that paper.
It will be remembered too, that The State
withdrew It's support from McSweeney when
the Governor had the courage to write bis own
convictions In his annual message 10 the
legislature.
II The State should succeed in electing Colo
mel Hoyt to the Office OF Governor, does any.
body believe that he would betray the conf
dence OF The State and prove himself an In
crate to the man who elected him?
No; Colonel Hoyt will not do this. II not
from principle. he could not of necessity. He
could not stand the skinnipg that would fol.
n1ow.
,If Colonel Hoyt.is elected to office by the
3snor men, he will be bound In honor to
yieS something to them, and If he yields any
z fthinH will he not to that extent cripple the
dispeut t,ry and open the floodgates for liquor'
Colony Hoyt address, which was publish
ed Immediately after his nomination, read to
this newA aper very much like 1t had been
written b: The State or else It's ideas. state.
ments and spithets had been compiled by the
Colonel ant put into more compact form.
That addi So, II seems to us, after very
cursOry reading, contained little or nothing
about the dispensary that had not been said,
perhaps, five h7ndTed times before by The
State. Our recollection OF the reading OF that
address is, that 1t contained very little az to
Colonel Hoyts prohibition principles. The
larger part Of it read more like an article
from The State than from a prohibitionist's
stanar~fnt.
~ is just to himself that Colonel Hoyt
state his position on the liquor question. The
paragraph which he quotes from the Baptist
Courier seems TO be in defense of his position
in 1886. If his position was doubted then, II
occurs TO US that he needs to explain himself
in 1900. when he is receiving more pronounced
support from license men than from anybody
else. A man can't ride two horses going in op-
posite directions. and 1t might be satisfactory
to the public to know exactly how Colonel
Hoyt proposes to dispose Of the liquor ques-
tion. To which faction does he propose TO
give his allegiance, If elected?
Colonel Hoyt's oft repeated assertion that
he does not drink liquor is worth moth.
ing. We have heard that liquor sellers
lueLubelV6S are Olt6Q tOCal dOSlaluerb, anu IL
ID a we'll known fact that some OF the best
men the world has ever known have not been
averse TO taking a little Of the fluid which
brings a man victorious over all the ills OF
life.
Colonel Hoyt owes IL to himself to announce
his principles and set at rest any doubts that
may exist in the minds of the temperance
people as 10 his liquor principles. He
can not be true to both the prohibitionists
and the license people. If he runs as a pro-
hibitionist while hand-in.glove with the
license men, one or the other party is obliged
TO be disappointed, If not deceived. ..
AS long as Colonel Hoyt is the acknowledged
preference OF the license men, does not this
fact put the real prohibitlonist upon inquiry
for a cause for this most extraord mary pro-
ceedings?
The Dictator Against Imperialism>
The Democratic party has dictator in the
Hon. W. j. Bryan. The nominating conven-
tion. or some of its members, humbly peti-
toned their boss not to require the si1teen-fo.
one plank. But, SO TO speak, the dictator
stamped his foot, and ordered the plank. The