Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-08-23

meaht tue uebtrucItOn OF the Otner.
The mass meeting held at York
Vile ON the 9th of this month, under
the leadership of the author of the
Brice bill, discussed and abused me q
great deal more than they discussed
the dispensary or prohibition, and
each and every speaker who opened
his mouth in it paid his respects to
me in the harshest and most insult.
ing manner. Since it will not be
denied that the anti dispensary forccs
are an incongruous. and in many re-
spects antagonistic aggregation, min
listers of the gospel, doctors of di-
vinity, advocates of high license, the
old ~ar room system in it's essence,
blind tigers who want free liquor for
the money they can make out of it.,
and yet with this army in, motley
LED by men with all manner of opin-
ions, and marshalling its forces for
my destruction, you, my dear doc
tor, tell me that l must remain quiet,
continue the same "calm, judicial,
sane attitude assumed in the IIig-
gins letter" and not let the people
know what is going on.
stated in that letter if the legis-
lature did not apply the remedy for
the existing evils in the dispensary
management that / would help kill
the dispensary. More mature
thought and better understanding
of the purpose of the anti-dispensary
leaders led me to give notice that if
the legislature did not apply the
remedy l would appeal to the peo-
pie to elect Legislature that would.
Is there anything wrong in that ?
Anything immoral, or rnstatesman-
like? If 1 had remained steadfast
in that position would not all the
influences that are possible be brought
to bear to keep the Legislature from
doing anything, especially doing
things suggest2 If the Legislature
now in Office could be thus infu-
enc ed, cajoled, coerced to resist re-
formation under the specious plea
that it was at my dictation, that
had quietly fallen in ranks to help
kill the dispensary without first ap-
pealing from the Legislature to the
people, do you OF see that l would
have tied my own hands and surren-
dered at discretion to my worst ene-
mics
had TO deal with one "driftwood
Legislature" once and l appealed to
the people to reform it, which they
did most effectually by retiring most
of those who had proven false to
their professions and pledges to pri.
vate life. The present legislature
was not elected on the dispensary
issue and is very conservative body
of men and with so much political
electricity in the atmosphere and so
much laundering against the dispen-
y it may well pause ere it takes
, ~ action. The disclosures at Spar
tanburg will undoubtedly cause it to
do something, but whether it will do
anything effectual or not remains to
be seen.
l wish to say here and now, as
though in parenthesis, the result of
this fight, as far as | am personally
concerned, gives me no uneasiness
whatever. The office of Senator
does not belong to me, but it belongs
to the people and they will have the
right next year to choose my success
sor and will bow to their will,
whatever it may be, without mur-
mur. / do not believe that the fall
of the dispensary necessarily means
my fall. do not see what assooia-
tion there is or could possibly be be-
tween the dispensary question and
the position which l have taken upon
it and my fitness for the high office
which hold. If my health con-
tinues good | shall ask the people to
continue me in the place, not be-
cause am the father of the dispen-