Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1906-06-27
THE CAMPAIGN OPENS
Candidates For the State Offices Make
Their Formal Bow to the Public.

Candidates For the State Offices Make
Their Formal Bow to the Public.
The State campaign opened at st.
George on Wednesday,. The candi-
dates for governor spoke first. The
crowd was not large, but paid close
attention.
The position of the eight candidates
for governor on the liquor question
are about. as divergent rs the four
points Of the yompass; Mi: Nam
ming and Mi. McMahaii believe i'll
reformed dispensary; Mr.. Ansel
in county dispensaries; Senator
Blease comlnends the institution as
it is; Mr. Joel Il; hr,ihsoil fJr prohi-
bit;obi Nis A.. c. Jones agrees with
Mr.. Brunson; but pending the ar'i-
val of the time fdr prohibition he is
willing is put up with the Briee law,
by voting the dispensary out Of coun-
ty after county and destroying the
State machine. Mr., W. A. Edwards
of Saluda did not get 10 touch on
the liqhet ISSUE; bit he is in favor
of the Raysor-Manning: MI. Ed
wards is a man With ilnission-he
wants It hay the Southern railroad
with subjugation. He has pending a
suit against that corporation for
merging competing lines under it's
own management. tfe claims That The
franchise 6f tic .S86tHerrh foad in
those PROPERTIES should revert to the
State Of South Carolina.
The first speaker was Mr.. NJ. T. An
sci of Greenville, who thanked the
people of South CarolihA foi The fine
vote which As i.e5ei,v;si,td four years
agt. He had not been elected then
but he had received such a hatterins
vote and had como so close TO the
line that lie felt that he should make
the lace again: fls comes Will the
endorsement ne Is per cent. of the
people Of his home section, the Pied
mont country, the old Eighth circuit
in which for II years he had prose
cuted the evil doGfss.
He first discussed the question of
education. The common schools
should be given The best teachers, tue
largest terms and the most comfort
able school houses which can be af.
forded: He also salieves III good
roads, .He wants TO get the people, in
terested in building good roads. He
wants the federal government to send
some of their money down here to
supplement our own monev and con-
vict labor. he wants the govern
ment to Improve the inland water
ways, but lie Is more i'll favor of
sood t&,ads. Tie greatest tax the
farller pays is wear and tear on ve-
hicles and stock. II the roads had
been improved so years ago, what
would this eount,w be today:
Az te. the iiquoif question he said
that he. is opposed to the State dis
pensary. He is in favor of the coun-
try dispehsary system. The counties
are able to manage their affairs. The
people Of Dorchester soliuld bE given
the right to SAY exaetlv what they
want, Gfeenville should not say
what Dorchester wants, nor should
Dorchester say what Greenvillc
wants. Let each county have the
right cf option between county dis
pensarics and prohibition. The coun-
ty board could tei,6rt in The court
He Is opposed to any plan which
would provide for license or commits
sions, for that would tend TO push
the sale Of liquor.
w. A. Edawrds was the Next Speaker
He stated that he had discovered
facts of dangerous nature iii eonnec-
ton with the government. After cit
ing the constitutional provision which
declares that railroad franchises shall
be forfeited by companies baying up
competing lines, lie called attention
to the fact that in April, 1900, the
Southern railway had obtained CON
troll of 400 miles Of competing lines
that afforded competition at % of
25 points III the State. Freighls were
advanced as much as 100 per cent, in
some cases, he claimed. The viola
ton OF the anti-merger law appears
to be beyond dispute, he contends,
and yet all clsses i'll the courts except
his own appear to have been dropped.
His case did not get into court, after
delays, until special term in Aiken
in April, 1903. At this term Judge
w. c. Benet presided. Mr.. Edwards
declared that he suspected something
and upon examination he found that
Judge Benet was even then Of record
as one of the Southern Railways S
attorneys. Mr.. Edwards charged
that Judge Benet declined to
grant continuance of the case until
his attorneys faced Judge Benet with
aifidavits as to the judges connection
with the Southern railway.
He declared the Southern railroad
to be "a monster, a robber corpora
ton, a blight. foul. fostering sore
on tic political systenl.'' There was
great deal more on this line. His
tine was up when he had concluded
with but half Of his speech. He urg-
ed the people to elect legislators. who
would not belong TO the railroads.
Believes in the Dispensray.
Senator Cole l.. Blease read his
platform. 1t is the same, lie said,
which he had in 1900 when he was