Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-01-03
supaEMu couar sHouLp NOT DECAY.
Defeat Of ths Dlspensary Law Protest
against tho Management

"Senator, what do you think OF
the recent actions by the Supreme
Court Of South Carolina ?" he was
asked.
"In' my opinion the Supreme
Court is endeavoring to shirk the
duty imposed on it by law. They
have tried every means to avoid the
issue and the people have the right
to demand that these questions be
settled at once"
"What do you think of the in
vestigating commission"
"The commission started right and
as yet have only scratched the sur
face of the rottenness of the dispen-
sary and if they had been empow-
cred by the Legislature or authorized
by the courts to imprison witnesses
for contempt no doubt they would
have accomplished much. But as it
now is, the e9maiss;on is under the
concy&eRt resolution passed by the
Legislature, powerless to compel the
nYfhesses to testify, and while l
dtbt very much if the commission
d legally do So, the Supreme
Surt ought to decide the point. If
je Court will say that the commits
Aon has the right to rule witnesses
i'm contempt then they can accom-
Rlish much. This point should be
cided by the Court without further
play, for the Court now has the en-
Ire confidence of the people, but if
I they shirk their duty this time their
usefulness to large extent is at an
end"
Senator Tillman here went on to
say that the action of the Court in
dodging the issue will have the
effect of ending the work of the in
vestigating commission, for the Leg
islature meets on the 9th of January
and at the present rate the Court
would not have decided the question
by that time.
The Senator said that the commits
sion had done good work and if it
had not been hampered by the de-
fective resolution it would have un-
doubtedly been able to show to the
Legislature at the next session some
things that would have enabled the
Legislature to take some decisive
action.
"I cannot understand" said the
Senator, chow the lawyers in the
Legislature could have permitted
such resolution to pass. 1t was
only concurrent resolution and did
not receive the signature of the
Governor and l do not think that
the commission thus created can rule
a witness in contempt. But at
present the commission is bound and
unless the court grants the power
sought by it the members will have
only scratched the rottenness."
"What do you think of the recent
voting out of the dispensary in the
various counties and especially in
Edgefield, your home county ?''
"Well to start with, the Brice law
only allows about one-third of the
people to vote and | take the voting
out of the dispensary by these
counties as protest against the
manner in which the present board
of directors conduct the business"
"What about the board of control
now in office?'
81 understand that at the next
meeting of the Legislature the pres
ent members will stand for re-elec-
tion, using this as means to get
vindication from the charges that
have been so sweepingly made. If
they do stand all that am going to
do is to watch and see the men who
vote for them. Then | can tell the
honest men in the Legislature from
the dishonest ones"
From the Senator's manner at this
juncture it was easily seen that the
present board would not get his
vote if he were in the Legislature.I
Sapotor rr;llpnop oo;l tbo+ -, -.