The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-08-09

'ocH anu heckS get cut OH the fanl
is not mine.
They say that | should not appear
ut the meetings and if did shoul,
discuss national question; there j.
no dispute upon national questions
Suppose | had not come what woul,
have been the accusations; that Bel
IIllman cares no longer for the on,
galluS and wool hat fellows; he Ia.
gotten his fat office and goes ubou,
his business. They would huv,
charged me with having gotten tn,
swell head and growing too big fol
my brcecheS. Then when | do com,
into the campaign in obedience I,
the order of the executive commit
tee they turn around and say he is
meddling in Il fight that he has no
concern in. The people OF South
Carolina have enough of intelligence
to vote ON the question without him.
| 1t is nothing new. IT. is the same
old cry OF 30 and ~ when had
$" many people on my back. 1t did
not matter what | said or did, it, was
| ! would be damned if | did, and be
| damned if / did not.
| The first thing l want to point out
here and direct your attention to
is matter which | think is abSolutc-
| ~ wrong. 1t is that your Democratic
executive committee has given the
| candidates IL hole to hide in; has
in which you shall decide whether
! you want prohibition or not, instead
Of having the men line up and discuss
| the question and not elect men who
will honeyfuggle to the interest Of
the public without discussion along
| the line whether you want prohibit
| ton or not. In '92 it was not whcth-
rr you wanted prohibition or whclh-
cr you elected Tillman governor. The
| only issue today is whether the dis
pcnsary law will stay or prohibition
| take its place. Then we will have
| free whiSkey. (Yells for IIoyD.
| You had better quit that hollcr-
ing, now, if you get up that old game
You will get pretty hot. | say this
business is greatly in favor Of the
| candidates and gives them this op-
portunity to dodge the issue, and
will say that you will be fools if you
don't make every candidate for the
| legislature in this county come out
and say if he is not going to vote for
the dispensary. If the ma ajority have
this right to vote for it you have
the right to have our servants to
vote for it. You have 10 right to let
them bring these boxes among you
Il.
If they don't like it let them lump
it.
The question which concerns YOU
my friends, is one of vital impor-
tancc. 1t is one which involves the
future welfare and integrity OF our
children and grandchildren. 1t is
question of vital Importance and
therefore is not to be lightly dis
cuSScd and whiSlicd aside.
Another phase Of the question as
far as L ann concerned why | am in
this fight, making this issue, is be
| cause l have been attacked person.
| ally, and when men undertake. to
slap me in the face, call in question
my actions as governor, and when
| | get cowardly enough to keep silent
it will be time TO send me back to
| Trenton to stay.
| ] don't want to mention Hoyt's
name in any other than in u most
friendly way, and just way. / did not
| come here to interfere as among men.
| did not come here to say for you
| TO vote for or against him. 1 am here
| to discuss the issue between prohi-
bition and the dispcnsary and l don't
propose to treat Iloyt unfairly. lie
| is high toned gentleman, but 1 warn
you now the more you holler that
way the less you will like it before
you get through.
| Col. 1Ioyt declared in Il speech thnt
the dispcnSary law is bastard law
and the question is how the diSpen-
| Sary has come into South Carolina
| am here now to tell you, and it is
entirely proper for me to discuss it
from the stump, but the pulpit has
taken it up and sermons are being
preached Sunday after Sunday on i,
and saying we asked for an egg ant
they gave MS a scorpion, we asked
for bread and they gave us a stone
What were the facts in '92, afte
years resulting in county after coun
) ty going dry, and turning and goin,
: wet until special boxes were provi
ded on one side to let those vote 70
it or against it? The issue was no
against prohibition but it was agains
Tillmanism and antiism or Sheppard
ism. In those boxes were 6o,o0,
votes, $4,000 Of these were for pro
hibition. There were 1000 votes
and there were $4,000 not voting or
it. Prohibition never did have Il ma
iority. The Legislature came to III:
to get me to help them down on the
winning side, they had said whatever
was voted in these bovcs we viii
stand by. Prohibition had faileG
but they wanted to save the twenty
| y
Well, at that time | had just be1o
elected governor. In '92 $4,000 ma
jority, but in spite Of that fact, they
said, and YOU can hear it said now
that it was Il great political machine
to further my own ambitions. In tn,
name Of common Scncc what more
machinery did want than your votes
| had the biggest machinery organ
lied in this State or any other State
An overwhelming ma iority Of you
votes, and when they say | advanced
the dispcnsary to create a machine
why, how contemplate it sounds t.
Il man who loves the truth.
When the issue had passed, prohi
bition failed, mainly and trul,
through my efforts who had beer
elected there and the rcformcrs with
and without regard to who favored
prohibition and wanted to put tn,
people in better condition, prohibi
tion having failed and believing from
my observation it was an impossible
ity. However, in view of the obiect
lesson given from n state that ha(