Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-08-23
Mr.. cR0MER TO MR.. TILLMAN.
A Ringing Appeal Against Base Factionailsnl--
A Strong Paper.


ter to Senator b. II. Tillman
The Hon. B. r. Tillman--Dear
Sir: protest against the introduc-
tion of the tom. tom and the spirit of
faction into the movement by which
the merits of the dispensary are to
be tested. The tom-tom is the in
strument of the juggler and faction
alism is the resort of the politician.
The people of this State have the
right to expect something higher and
better from you. Your recent letter
to Mr.. Higgins was calm, sane and
judicial statement of your attitude
on the dispensary question, but for
this very reason it was distasteful in
certain quarters, and you were ac-
cused of straddling. You gave that
letter out as an expression OF your
views, and, my name having been
kindly suggested by you, was asked
to answer it in the New Voice. I
declined to do so for the simple rea-
son that in this county we wish to
test the dispensary question on its
merits, and, therefore, desire to ex-
clude every possible phase of "Till-
manism."
In the Higgins letter you recog-
nized the widespread and well-found-
ed belief that the dispensary is cor.
rupt in its administration, and that
the present agitation is an expression
of popular dissatisfaction. But in
your Edgefeld speech you shifted
your ground, and took the position
that the movement is political in
significance and is a covert attack
upon you.
In the Higgins letter you said that
the remedy for the corruption rests
with the Legislature that in the last
Legislature the friends and enemies
of the dispensary got together and
did nothing but appoint committee (;
that ever since you were Governor
you have given advice and made
suggestions, but that your opinion
has had no weight with the Legisla-
ture; and that if the next Legisla-
ture does not apply the remedy you
will heln kill the dispensary.
BY IMPLICATION.
In your Edgefeld speech you said
that if the next Legislature does not
adopt certain suggestions that you
intend to make, you will help to elect
Legislature that will. And you
said, by implication at least, that you
will 60 to the Reformers for that
Legislature.
l appeal from Philip drunk to
Philip sober--from the temper of
the Edgeield speech to the tone Of
the Higgins letter. In Newberry
there is no disposition to make an
attack upon you under cover of a
movement against the dispensary.
1t is not political movement. 1t
was begun in an off year in order
that it might be a test of great
moral question, unclouded by per-
sonal and political considerations.
1t is not movement of the politi-
clans, but movement of the people.
You have doubtless noticed that the
counties that were strongly "Con-
servative" are not in the movement.
do not question your right to
take part in the discussion. Inde-
pendently of the fact that you are
the author of the system in this
State, it would be strange if you
were to remain silent. BY virtue Of
your high Office and of your great
influence it is your duty to speak
but to speak sanely and temperately
as you did in the Higgins letter.
You owe a great deal to the youth
of this State; you owe them the
best that you have to give. when
the dispensary was first put on trial
there may have been good reason for
an appeal to faction, but that rea-
son no longer exists. The system
has been on trial more than twelve