Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-02-09

, THE Washington correspondent or the
Greenville News quotes Senator TIL
man as follows: Il have been very
much mortified by the unseemly
and outrageous ISLANDERS that have been
put forth almost without exception oy
the newspapers Of South Carolina and
outside against our own state. Every
where 20 I meet such remarks as
these 'Tillman, see, YOU have had
220 murders in South Carolina this
last. yeas,. more than any other state In
the union OF course I"have seen the
report Of the attorney general, the
basis for this statement. and. the COM
ments of our own editors on it. Every
person killed in the state was "mur-
dered," according to these writers.
What is the result? We are being ad-
vertised as emi-barbarians without
any regard for law, and that red
handed murder stalks abroad without
punishment. Some of our newspa-
pers are clamoring for means to bring
immigrants to South Carolina. What
Is the use Of organizing bureau OF
commerce and immigration at Colum-
bia and sending literature praising our
climate and soil and urging people to
come among us, when those who should
know better and should do better are
exercising ingenuity to cause strangers
to shun the state as they would lep-
rosy? We need immigrants If we can
get those Of certain sort, and we need
a better enforcement Of the law but we
are no better and no worse than our
neighbors of the southern states. and
we are just as good as any of our fel-
low citizens Of the north. and am dis
gusted,, to see the states reputation
thus dragged in the mire. One thing
Is very certain, that lawlessness has
not been driven from the land, but the
states good name has been befouled
by it's own citizens"
We are at loss to understand just
what Senator Tillman means by all
this If the attorney general were to
blame, we might abolish that office;
but evidently he only did his duty In
making the report and the responsible
ity lies with the people who furnished
him with the, material: AS to what
might be the cause of the increasing
lawlessness in South Carolina there Is
a difference Of opinion. At least diff
ferent views are. expressed. But there
are those who think that the dema-
gogic political methods that have been
in vogue during the past ten or twelve
years and the fact that the state Is
now regularly in the whisky business
may have something to do with the
matter: OF course. there are those
who think that the whisky business Is
as good and as legitimate as any 9TH
er; but there are those Of us who think
it responsible for more destitution, mis-
cry and crime than any other business
on earth. Many of those. who think
this way, also think that 1t Is impos-
sible that a private liquor dealer
should come to any good end or serve
any good purpose, and they are una
BILE to see how the state could hope
for any better. Among the newspaper
men of the state as among other cit1-
zens there are some who think as much
of the honor and welfare Of South Car
olina as it is possible for Senator Till
man to think. These include thou
sands who have never held or sought
to hold office. and in fact have asked
or expected nothing at the hands Of
their fellow citizens either in the way
of emoluments, preferment or ap-
plause. But very few of these are able
to understand how anything is to be
accomplished by Misrepresentation or
actual conditions either by words or
silence. There are some who would
rather have a clear conscience than
immigrants or anything else. So far
as THE ENQUIRER is concerned, we
have to say that while we are sorry it
is a fact, nevertheless, fact it is that
the law is not observed as we'll In
South Carolina as it is in North Caro-
lima or Georgia We punish poor and
friendless murderers over in this state
sometimes: but more influential GRIM
inals are generally permitted to do
pretty much as they please. Until the
state gets on a higher plane of moral
ity by going out of the whisky busi-
ness, and until the courts commence
melting out justice without fear or
favor, we may expect the attorney gen.
eral to continue making just such re-
ports as he made for last year, unless,
perchance, the general assembly sees
proper to pass an act to close his
mouth.
RUSSIA AND JAPAN.