Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-10-19
There Should be Prosecutions.

The work of the investigating COM
mittee was dropped during the summer,
but the report of that board has not
been published and the committee Is
still in power. Senator Christensen
calls attention in his paper, the Beau
Hort Gazette, to the demand that the
be pushed and that prose,
+cutions be instituted. He wonders II
those who have sneered at the COM
mittee win give support to a request
from Attorney General Lyon for funds
to carry on the investigation and pros
ecutions. That would, indeed, make
an interesting situation, and II Mr..
Lyon proposes to continue as attorney
general the work so we'll performed as
investigator we shall see what Is doing
on that line-Colunhbia correspondence
of the News and Courier.
The charge has been made and re-
peated that the efforts Of the investi-
eating committee have been solely for
political effect and that no one is very
anxious for the punishment Of people
who may have benefited from dispen-
sary graft.
We believe that there are numerous
politicians on both sides of this dispen-
sary question who are concerned only
for political neutrality-suspicious.
who are so lost to all ideas Of the pub
lie welfare and so blunted in moral
conception or appreciation Of the crime
of stealing that they would not be bad
ly worried at the stealing Of the whole
state, provided they themselves re-
mained secure in political prestige. We
dislike very much to admit a belief Of
this kind, but the admission is compell-
ed by a sense Of loyalty to truth and
candor.
So far as THE ENQUIRER Is concern
ed, 1t cares nothing whatever for polit-
ical advantage. 1t Is not concerned
who has political power, so that power
is administered honestly and wisely.
The fact therefore that the anti-dis-
pensary people have prevailed with the
people is no concern to 1t unless those
anti -dispensary people go on with their
professions and demand not only that
all the guilty be punished; but that the
means of continuing such graft as has
dfsgraced the state be obliterated. If
the state dispensary machine is to con-
tinue a source Of graft, we would as
lief 1t had remained in the hands Of
the people who have made its corrup-
ton so notorious. We have no sympa-
thy for any party which might have
merely been envious of the grating
opportunities of their opponents.
We have lots of faith in Mr.. Chris
tensen and no less faith in Mr.. Lyon.
We do not believe that 1t was ever the
intention of Cole L. Blease, who intro
duced the dispensary investigation res
olution to secure an honest investiga-
ton of the dispensary. We do not be-
lieve that investigating committee was
made up with any other idea than that
it would be a whltewashing affair.
Both Messrs. Lyon and Christensen
were put on that committee in the be-
lief that they would either prove impo-
tent or easily bridlewise, and the fact
that they afterward proved both eff
cient and honest was a source Of great
disappointment to the authority under
which they were selected. That is our
opinion.
But now that the committee has un-
covered the whole horrible stencil and
run to earth people who have been get
ting graft for themselves and corrupt
ing the whole state, the legislature
owes it to the people to probe the whole
matter down to the very bottom. Ev-
cry individual who has benefited him
self through rebates, every individual
who has been stealing from the state,
should be convicted and sent to the
penitentiary.
To allow this disgraceful procedure
all this stealing to pass off as mere
matter Of politics." will stultify every
body connected with legislative, judi
cial and executive departments Of. the
state government.
Let's have some prosecutions, con-
victions and penalties.