Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-06-29
THE STATE CAMPAIGN.
BIease Attacks Mannina and Sloan
and Lyon Talks County Dispensa'


Blease Attacks Mannina and Sloan
and Lyon Talks County Dispensa-
ries.
The Bamberg campaign meeting on
Tuesday was dull and uninteresting;
but at Aiken the proceedings were en-
lived somewhat by an attack OF Mr..
Blease on Messrs. Manning and Sloan
and by Mr.. Lyons remark as to the
comparative merits of state and coun-
ty dispensaries. The following ex-
tracts from the proceedings at the
Aiken meeting are taken from the
News and Courier:
Senator Blease hoped on the record
of Messrs. Manning and Sloan. They
claim to be dispensary candidates, said
Senator Blease. but he would show by
the record that he, Blease, was the only
consistent friend Of the dispensary IN
this race, and he challenged these 9TH
er gentlemen to show anything they
had ever done for the system. The
Journal Of 1892, page 574, shows where
Manning voted to kill ii and keep II
out: In 1905, at pages 277 and 294, ne
voted against the dispensary and for
local option by state board; In 1904, at
pages 298-399, he voted for the Brice
bill, the purpose of which. as set forth
by it's author, was ito kill the damna-
BILE dispensary." How, in view Of this,
can Mr.. Manning claim to be the friend
Of the dispensary? Further than this,
however, Mr. Manning voted against
the half-mill clause introduced by Mr..
Raysor at the instance of dispensary's
friends. The Raysor- Manning bill was
not looked on with favor by the dis
pensaryites, and in a caucus they pre-
pared a substitute bill Incorporating
Senator Tillman's own ideas. To this
Mr.. Raysor offered an amendment, the
effect Of which was to allow the dis
pensary to be removed from any coun-
ty whenever the state board saw mt
to do so, whether the people wanted II
done or not This was worse than the
Brice law, yet Mr.. Manning voted Tor
il, and refused to reconsider his vote.
AS for Col. Sloan, he was a member
of the state senate In 1892. In the
Journal of that year, pages 432, 5O3,
504, you will find where he did every
thing in his power to kill the dispen.
sary. In 1893 he again voted to Kill
It. If they have ever done anything
to befriend the dispensary, to make II
better law, let them name 1t. Until
they do he Blease claims to be the
only friend the dispensary has In this
race. The rest of Senator Blease's
speech was along lines already given
in these columns.
Mr.. Lyon came in from Columbia
this morning, and his speech today was
one of the best he has made since
the campaign started. There Is no use
trying to dodge this dispensary quse-
tion, he said, nor in making an e1nr'
to minimize it's importance. Above
everything else, 1t Is the issue OF the
day, and he wants everybody to kioW
exactly where he stands on 1t. He Is
glad no breath of suspicion has ever
attached to the Aiken dispensary, but
for all that the system Is rotten to the
core and Ii cannot be healed. Root
and branch. 1t Is corrupt, and 1t must
go.
What can we have in place OF II!
That Is the question good many are
asking. The argument has been made
that the counties can be sued, while
the state cannot, and that, therefore,
under a county dispensary system the
finances Of a county may be imperiled
and claims cannot be held up like the
committee Is now holding up the $780,
900 worth Of claims against the state
will have to be paid, and he Is AFRAID,
further, that the taxpayers Will nave
to go down into their pockets for
something like 100000 of the money
with which to pay them. It's not IN
the state treasury. Be that as II may
however he wishes to remind the peo-
pie that under the county dispensary
system as it is now operated In Geor-
gia. the bill establishing the dispensary
expressly provides that the county
shall not be liable for the debts OF II.
This does not keep the liquor houses
from selling these institutions-haVen no
fears as to that-but 1t does protect
most effectually the credit OF the coun-
He described the workings Of these
county dispensaries at various points
in Georgia. They have not always been
altogether free from graft; put tney
are down close to the people and any
crookedness is soon discovered. This
was the case at Athens. Things went
wrong there for a while, but the peo-
ple soon got on to 1t, turned the rascais
out adopted safeguards that really DO
serve the purpose for which they are
intended and now the profits there
amount to $4,000. At Dawson ia,
the county dispensary has proved SO
successful that there Is no longer leVled
a county tax and but small town tax.
Some of the candidates seem 10
think the trouble with the South caro-
lima state dispensary has been In the
purchase of case goods, and that the
Raysor- Manning bill, by prohibiting
the purchase of such goods. Will elm
mate opportunity for graft. This Is a
mistake There Is just as much OPP
portunity for graft in the purchase OF
iiauor in bulk, because 1t Is a very
easy matter to pretend to furnish one
grade, while in reality furnishing al
inferior and cheaper grade.
One personal word in conclusion. He
doesn't wish for one moment to insin-
uate that either Of his opponents are
in any sense the representatives OF
the grafters-far from it. But ne does
want the people to ponder this thougnl:
How many of the grafters think you,
will cast their ballots for J. fraser
Lyon?