The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-06-14
RUMORED SENATOR TILLMAN
WILL STUMP THE STATE. FOR
PROHIBITION.

Columbia, S. c., June 12.-The
parts of the State to vote out the dis
pensary has become epidemic. Pick
ems having joined Cherokee in the dry
column and petitions looking to the
same end being in circulation now in
Anderson, Greenville, Spartanburg,
Union, Oconee, Williamsburg, Char
lesion and Newberry, and this and
other evidence of a change Of heart
on the part of variouss classes of peo-
pie against the dispensary have start
ed some interesting political talk,
which seems to outline some impor-
tant re-alignments for the coming
campaign-county as we'll as State,
senatorial and congressional
Among other entertaining phenom-
ena held out as probable is Senator
Tillman stumping the State for pro-
hibition His close personal and po-
litical friends assert with confidence
that he will certainly be found doing
stunt of this kind in case it is dem
onstrated that the State is determined
to rid itself of the dispensary. And
the prohibitionists will get numerous
other strong advocates from the dis
pensary ranks. Among other promi-
nent politicians who nave climbed
aboard the prohibition band wagon
recently are ex-Congressman Jasper
Talbert and United States Senator
John L. McLaurin, both said to have
aspirations which they hope to real
ize in the coming campaign.
The prohibitionists alone are not
strong enough to carry the State, their
voting strength being only 10000, but
there are many dispensary advocates
who have been accepting the dispen-
sary as the next best thing, who, it is
said, are now willing to join the pro-
nibition ranks And there is always
large whiskey element ever ready to
join either the angels or the devils
| imps to beat the dispensary.
There has been nc effort so far to
organize the prohibition forces but
| the leaders say this Will be done in
the immediate future. and that the
campaign will be pitched with a view
to capturing the legislature as we'll as
the State Offices. Not only a State
ticket will be put cut. they say, but
every county will be organized so as
to elect members Of the legislature
who will vote against the dispensary
and for prohibition.
| On whom the cold water people
Will centre their energy for governor
| is so far altogether a matter Of specu-
iation. Mr.. ]. a. Mccullough. of the
Greenville bar and Mr.. C. c. Feath-
erstone. Of the Laurens bar, have both
indicated recently that they would
not be non-conductors should the
lightning strike in their immediate
vicinity.
The ra-dispensary people are
concentrating on Col. John T. Sloan,
Of Columbia, for governor. because
among the other candidates for gov
ernor NJ. F. Ansel, Of Greenviile. is re-
garded as prohibitionist, and the
Speaker of the House NJ. L. Smith, of
| Cameron. and State Senator Richard
| I. Naming. Of Sumter, are regarded as
too luke-warn. Chairman Hub Ev
ans of the dispensary directorate and
State Senator Cole L. Blease, of New
berry, have been regarded as proba
BILE gubernatorial candidates, but
neither will make the race. Mr.. Ev-
ans wants to retain his present posi-
tion-which pays $500 year-and
Senator Blease feels that he can hold
the dispensary cause better by run
ming for attorney general. quietly di-
| recting the dispensary strength to-
ward Col. Sloan as he goes along
Experienced politicians say that
high license is an impossibility in as
thoroughly democratic a State as
South Carolina-that is, an impossi-
bility as a permanent arrangement.
The constitution forbidding the sale
of whiskey except under dispensary
regulations the prediction Is there
fore made that if high license law is
passed by the next legislature Cor by
the new one succeeding it,, the ex-
elusive or monopolist;c features of an
ARRANGEMENT of this kind will cause
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