The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1905-09-12
bowed and eye cast down. Presently

ue NdiFtu HAS iIdiQ lOI SlielCS
"Hogs down my way" he said.
root with their noses. They don't
shout. am alluding to the state
ment that this meeting was to be
packed with rooters for the dispen-
sarv."
He did no: wish to be accused Of
meddlng. He explained why ne had
come here to speak. He showed in
vitations signed, he said, by 500 citi-
zens OF the county. He could easily
have avoided coming, could have play
ed sick and never have been found
out. There were scores OF excuses
he could have given for keeping ST.
lence; and if he had kept silence he
could have been returned to the SEN
ate without opposition.
"But I have my opinions and I be-
lieve in them, and will not, after you
have honored me with your sufrages,
twice for governor and twice for the
senate, keep my mouth shut for all
the politicians in your county,"
Later he said that it was at Tirzah
he made his first public utterance Is
years ago. Now some of these pa
pers-that treat me so kindly-say
that since was born here it is fitting
that I should come back here to be
buried"
"But God have mercy on the
pusillanimous man, who, when he has
thought a problem out, is too craven
coward to declare his conclusion!
I have given you absolutely honest
service for every dollar you have Civ
en- me as governor and as senator.
I have stood up in Washington and
told those Yankees what I thought of
them because I thought you would
like it. And when I get too coward
ly to give you my opinion when you
ask me for it you had better send me
back to Trenton, for l shall be of no
further use to you. I, when was
younger, enjoyed public speaking.
I liked to throw rocks back at every
man who threw rocks at me. l used
to be able, boys, to touch the button
and any bell in my head would ring.
But I've been through so much! Time
is beginning to give me aches and
pains" This was TO show that he
had come here with serious purpose
to declare himself. '|Most Of the dis
pensary politicians have taken to the
bushes, you know, and are standing
on their tiptoes and saying, Great
God, what is that? Is that an anti
dispensary cyclone comingF But l
am a practical prohibitionist. During
MY s. years of life I have not drunk
58 gallons of whiskey. And, as. I
know that I am clean in this regard,
I have the courage to tell you i'll
judgment: that the dispensary is all
right, if you take it away from the
thieves that the legislature has put in
charge of it"
The question is: "Wh1ther you will
have the whiskey-which you will
drink supplied to you in legal way
or whether you must get it illegally
if you are poor, or have it shipped in
by express, if you are rich. If you
can't get liquor lawfully, assert that
you will get it unlawfully."
He gave some Of his time to scor-
ing Mr.. Brice, and the people cried
laughingly. Take Brice home! Take
him home"
III the dispensary had been con-
Quoted as I starred it in good faith
and had had the moral support and
active aid Of the large element of the
people who think it wrong to sell
whiskey, by this time, instead Of TAX
ing one step toward prohibition, we
would be ready TO carry the whole
state for it. There is no use to dis
pute the proposition that drunken
ness decreased while I was governor
I wasn't watching for thieves. for
God knows, I wasn't expecting South