The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-07-04
THE OFFICE SEEKERS.
THERE WAS A SMALL ATTEND
ANCE AT THE AIKEN
MEETING.
jones Says He is the Only Pebble on
the Beach-Ansers Old Story Makes
EN- Observation-Disclosures Candi-
dates Make Passes at Each Other.

Aiken, S. C., June 2l.-JuSl apOul
13 per cent. of the $500 voters Of
Aiken county attended the campaign
meeting here today. There were
| twenty speakers, who consumed four
hours and half. Candidates Mar
tin, Mcleod, Tribble, Youmans, Jen-
nings, Patterson, Tillnan and Lump
kin were absent.
In his preliminary remarks Chair
man ID S. Henderson stated that
Aiken county was responsible for in
PRODUCING and securing an act in the
general assembly for the purifcation
of primary elections. The last pri-
mary in this county had been dis
graceful and he called on the people
to prevent this recurrence.
Candidate Sullivan declared he no
ticed the people are getting more
promises and little better service
from the railroad commission just now
than before the campaign started.
Mr.. Summersett said he had been
working for the railroads long time
and if elected commissioner he would
know how to hold them in check and
would devote his entire time Of ten
hours per day to his Office.
Mr.. Cansler of Tirzah provoked
merriment by declaring he would keep
on running for railroad commissioner
until he died. He knew "more Latin
and Greek than the whole push put
together.
Commissioner Wharton declared he
had been a good and faithful servant
and promised to keep on working for
the people.
Captain Sellers based has candidacy
on honesty, capability and the fact
that his section was entitled to repre-
sentation on the board.
Mr.: Ansel opposed high license as
step toward barrooms and elaborated
his idea Of county choice between pro-
h;bition and dispensary. He favored
clothing ali peace officers with power
to enforce the law. He believed the
grand jury would, under this plan,
soon discover any dishonesty and
check it. By special request he re-
peated his Celebrated Brother Craw-
ford story to the great amusement Of
the crowd.
Mr.. Blease stated that he had never
changed from his principles with
which he had started out sixteen years
ago. He is not here upholding corrup-
ton or defending any individual in the
system. He is the only man in the
race who is fighting for the dispen-
sary.
In support of this he attacked the
senatorial records Of Manning and
Sloan, declaring these showed them to
have fought the dispensary. Discuss
ing Manning he said the senate jour
nal, 1892, page 574, showed he voted
to Kill the dispensary, that pages 277
and 294, of 1905 journal, showed he
voted against the .dispensary and for
local option by the State board. The
journal of 1904, pages 39S and 299,
showed he voted for a bill whose au-
thor said he introduced it "for the
purpose Of killing Of the damnable dis
pensary" How can Manning be
friend Of the dispensary when two
years ago he voted for a Brice bill,
which is today being used to destroy
the dispensary? When the Raysor bill
came up in the senate Raysor offered
the half-mill saving clause that the
friends of the dispensary wanted, and
Manning voted with Br;ce to kill it.
Yet today he declares he is a dispen-
sary man. He said Sloan was mem
Der Of the Senate in '92 and '93 and
the journal shows he did everything
in his power to kill the dispensary.
Blease said he put the question to
Manning and Sloan, have either Of
you ever voted in favor Of the dispen-
sary Or to help make it better law?'
The Raysor-Manning bill was never
considered in the senate. The dispen-
sary people would not accept it and
the dispensary committee brought in
a substitute bill embodying the ideas
of Tillman. Raysor offered an amend
ment that the State board should have
power to close any dispensary when
ever it shall be made to appear to
their satisfaction that it shall be tA
the good of the community in which
it is located. This was worse than
the Brice law. He has never moved to
reconsider the vote whereby this
amendment was agreed to, but Man
ming voted against it.
He claimed to be the only dlSDeH-