The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-06-13

cratic party they will not hesitate TO
do so and to use it as an instrument
for the furtherance Of their nefarious
pohcies. A Democratic victory at
the polls under such conditions would
be the death knell Of that party, and
the Democrats, those Of the South IN
! particular. should see to it that no
such unholy alliance is entered into.
The investigating committee IS at
last getting into touch with the big
grafters. The trail is getting hot and
few more witnesses like Mr.. Parker
will tree the rascals. The develop
ments Of the past few days shcw
clearly that there is need for reform
and that the whole trouble with the
dispensary system centers in the
grating proclivities vf the men who
have been in charge Of the business.
Put honest men in charge and pay
them a proper salary for their serv--
ices and there will be no more graft
ing.
The investigating committee is at
last bringing out the facts it was Gre
ated to ascertain and there should be
no let up until all the rascality and
grating has been exposed.
Attorney General Youmans' opin-
ion in the Black-Lyon case is very
much like some decisions Of the su-
preme Court-it goes off at tangent
and decides absolutely nothing per-
tanning to the real points at issue.
If the Hub Evans-B s-Boykin-Towell
case ever gets into the courts they
Will have the opportunity to explain
where they got it" And that is what
the public wants 20 know.
There is a disposition in some
quarters to charge up all the crimes
and misdemeanors committed by dis
pensary officials to the dispensary
and to give the officials absolurion.
Those who take this view Of the case
would doubtless be glad to put the
dispensary in the penitentiary or on
the chain gang, while leaving the
grafters in peaceful enjoyment of the
proceeds Of their wrongdoing. The
sensible thing to do is. to put the
'grafters in the penitentiary and put
honest men in charge of the dis
pensary. The assertion that the dis
pensary will corrupt even honest men
is not true, for an honest man is
honest in all circumstances and there
are thousands Of such men in the
state.
The Chicago packers are covering
the evidences Of dlth with white
wash, but they will find it more diff
fcult to efface from the public mind
the impression made by the Neill-
Reynolds report.
Clerk Of Court Parrot is at last
ready to do his part and the auto
mooolists of Sumter should now lose
no time in complying with the law
respecting registration Of their ma
chimes.
The Columbia State heads col
umn and a half editorial, Wanted:
A Leader in Great Cause" The gist
OF the whole thing is a plea for some
man, pledged to destroy the dispen-
sary sytsen, to enter the race for gov
ernor. Mr.. Manning is spoken Of in
the article as "the ablest and per-
sonally most attractive announced
candidate for governor" which shows
that there is no objection @to him
personally. The article concludes
with the following remarkable-for
the Columbia State-statement
..He who rids South Carolina Of the
dispensary will rank in history
as one of the three great political
leaders in the State in the half cen
tury following the War Between the
Sections-Wade Hampton, Ben Till
man and who?" Did anyone expect to
find the Columbia State mentioning
Hampton ana Tiliman in the same
paragraph as great leaders?
Although Hon. T. B. Fraser has
declined to make any reference to the
charge that every member of the dis
pensary committee, with the excep-
ton of Senator Cole L. Blease, had
accepted double per diem during the
tho