Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-08-01

was greeted with liberal applause.
He began his speech by referring to
The fact that the audience had been
sitting on those hard benches for FIVE
mortal hours he was sure that the
people were hot, tired and hungry,
and, therefore, he did not propose to
detain them; long. Besides, he added,
the grounds had heen promised to the
baseball boys, and he supposed that
there were many who were impatient
for the commencement of the game.
Colonel Hoyt had referred to the three
little smooth bores that were firing
upon his front and the big Columbiad
that operated against his rear. That
means me, and it is not fair. I have
all along wanted to speak first; but
they have protested thatif did SO the
the crowds would leave and there
would be nobody to listen to them.
They keep me until the last to hold
the crowd instead of letting me 60 in
front where l want 10 be and where l
belong. Cheers Who ever heard
of Ben TiIIman shooting a man in the
back when he had chance to shoot
him in the face? That is not my way.
do dearly love scrimmage. Laugh
teri am never so happy as when l
have opposition, and I am unable to
thrive without it. My friend, Colonel
Hoyt, is alone responsible for my tax
ing part in this campaign. He and
his allies have been trying to place me
in false position, by claiming that
they carried the state in 1892 for pro.
hibi,ion by TO- 900 majority, and that
established the dispensary in defiance
of the expressed will of the people.
That is not so. A majority of the peo.
pie never voted for prohibition. There
were about 35, 900 votes for prohibition
and about $4,000 against it, while fully
thirty odd Thousand failed to vote at
all. No; prohibition never did get q
majority of the votes. But still they
claim THE senator was very sar-,,
castle. that they asked for bread
and gave them stone that they
asked for a fish aud ! gave them a
serpent. Now, I never done that; but
I'll tell you what they are doing.
They are spanking my baby. What
kind of father would stand up and
let another fellow spank his baby right
before his eyes? The dispensary is
my baby, and if let them spank it,
what kind of father will / be? But
I did not enact the dispensary law.
You did it. You did it through your
representatives in the legislature. 1
persuaded 'em. I'll tell you why did
1t. I knew that you could not enforce
prohibition, that you would make
mess of it, and persuaded the legisla-
tors to pass this law to keep you from
degrading yourselves to the level Of
hypocrites and liars to get whisky.
But what is at the bottom of this fight
they are making against the dispen-
sary? It resolves itself into the same
old fight of certain class in this state
which, though in minority, believes
it has right 10 govern the majority.
And they call the dispepsary a
great political machine, installed by
myself for the purpose of keeping
myself in power. Why l never .
needed any machine. 1 have the
whole people of the state at my back.
Had l not been elected by $4,000 ma
jority and did I not have legislature
that was almost sworn on Bible TO
do whatever / told it to do? But it
is not so with these ministers who are
now bounding me over the state. They
are trying to build up political ma.
chine, with Colonel Hoyt at their head,
and I am only trying to keep you from
making jackasses of yourselves. 1fit
suits you York people to be of the
goody-goody, self.righteous kind,
have no objection. I have never tried
to force dispensary upon you, though
it would be better for you if you had
one, for all of you know that you have
as many blind tigers as has any coun-
ty in the state. l have never been in
favor of putting the dispensary on any
county that did not want it. Nobody
ever charged me with not enforcing
the dispensary law. l gave the tigers
to understand that / was boss. and l
made Charleston as dry as a powder
horn. And they talk about my apollo
gizing for saying that the preachers
are in alliance with the blind tigers;
1 have never turned tail in my life, and
I am not going to do so now. But
why are they trying to raise 80 much
disturbance at this late day? 1 made
this same charge three years ago at
Tirzah. 1t was a mere statement of
opinion, and I made it because L be-
lieved it to be true and believe it
still. 1 respect the preachers and have
always shared their respect. One of
the high dignataries of the church has
so far forgotten himself as to call me
a liar. l am high dignitary too-a
dignitary of this state-and if l have
learned anything in the senate, 1t is
how to preserve my dignity. 1 do not
mind such abuse. He is welcome to
it. If I have not told any lie, I'll
swear to God, he cannot make me out
one. If be wants to use that kind of
language let him do it. Ill stand it,
although I have mighty bitter tongue,
and if should turn it loose there are
very few people in the state who
could beat me saying hard things.
[Laughter.] But if they defeat the dis
pensary by this kind of methods, you
will see them when they do it, won't
you, boys? know that if had been
a politician and coward, l would
have not mixed up lin this fight. could
have talked about the Democratic
platform and other things, leaving the
dispensary TO take care of itself and it
wnnld have been all right: but what