The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1906-05-30
U II. /. MANNING
AND HIS

The Hon. Richard /. Manning of
Sumter, who has announced himself as
a candidate for governor, has issued to
the voters of the State his platform. 1t
follows:
To the Democratic voters of South
Carolina:
1 will stand for the Democratic
nomination for governor of South Caro-
lima in the primary election to be held
in August, 1906.
will stand on my record as a man,
a citizen, and on my record as a public
official in the general assembly. /
stand on my record as a Democrat, adj
herring steadfastly to the doctrine of
that party in advocacy of those princi-
pies of right and justice which protect
and defend the rights of the individual,
as well as the protection of property.
Believing that the foundation stone
of a republican form of government
rests on the free, untrammeled express
sion of the popular will, / stand for
pure elections, free from the corrupt
ing and debasing practices of the use
of money, whiskey, or anything which
tends to influence voters, except the
legitimate and educational influence of
argument.
1 stand for the steady development
of the educational system of the state,
literally supported.
/ stand for the equalization of assess
ments of property, so that the burden
of taxation will fall more evenly than
at present.
l stand for the rigid application of
business methods to all departments of
government, and the requirement of eff
cient service in all the departments. l
stand for rigid economy in the public
service, so far as is consistent with eff
cheney, and with that spirit of progress
which requires new methods to meet
new conditions.
Realizing fully that success in the
executive chair can be attained only by
the just and firm administration of
laws, 1 pledge myself to the unfalter-
ing enforcement of law by every power
vested in the chief executive under the
constitution and laws of the state.
The office of the governor is eXecu-
tive and administrative, not legislative.
1t it his duty and pr~erogative to enforce
law, whatever the law is, and l pledge
myself faithfully to discharge this duty,
should l be elected.
in view of the widespread discussion
of the liquor question, l deem it proper
to state briefly my position on this ques-
ton.
L admit that there has been a grow
ing tendency to curtail drink, and the
time may come when prohibition can be
made effective in South Carolina. But,
in my judgment, that time has not
come, and this question must be met in
a practical way. l reafirm my convic-
ton that the d~ispensary system, as en-
bodied in the dispensary law, and
amended as proposed in the Raysor-
Manning bill, faithfully, honestly and
firmly enforced, would promote temper
ance and sobriety, restrict the sale and
use of liquor and minimize its evils. Let
me be plainly understood, believe that
liquor is an evil, but it is an evil that
cannot yet be banished from South
Carolina, and the best that can be done
is to regulate the sale of liquor by law
and curtail and restrict it's use, and that
this can best be done under a rigid en-
forcement of the dispensary law,
amended as proposed by the Raysor-
Manning bill.
1 will declare my position fully and
without reserve on all questions agitat-
ing the public mind in my public utter
ance during the campaign.
RICHARD I. MANNING.