Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-05-04
A Flash In the Pan.

We have sorter been looking forward
to some pretty lively times in the pol
itics of South Carolina this summer
There is no doubt of the fact that a
faithful few of the immediate bene-
ficiaries Of the state dispensary ma
chine are very much concerned al the
fate so plainly foreshadowed for that
corrupt and corrupting institution, ana
II was supposed that they would at
least be able to make quite conslo-
erable noise; but now that they nave
begun to show their hands 1t Is EVIL
dent that they have been forced 10
lead from a sneak.
That is a wonderful story that was
printed in the Columbia Record last
Tuesday and telegraphed all over the
state about the capture Of the Demo-
cratic party machinery of York county
by the dispensaryites under the lead OF
Messrs. Stewart and Halle. the COM
plete and effectual suppression or Mr.
Brice and the eventual landing of Mr.
pecting and confiding citizens of other
counties, far out Of touch with the
facts, it would appear that the vaunted
LOYALTY of the people Of York county
to broad and lofty principles was only
an empty sham, and that the satur-
MALTA Of debauchery that has been In
progress since the establishment OF the
dispensary system Is to continue for
ever.
Ordinarily werwould not care to re-
produce a story OF such manifest i'm
probability to so many OF our readers;
but to omit to publish this one would
be fragrant neglect of plain duty. The
thing is ridiculous on it's face, it Is
true; but then it furnishes such a per-,
feet specimen Of studied deception as
to invite analysis and explanation.
Then too, II seems very we'll calculated
to throw more or less light on some
things that have been more or less
mystery.
In the first place, let us examine in
to the source of this story, for this Is
important. 1t would not be fair to say
that all newspapers are printed on
purely commercial basis for this would
not be true. The aim of most OF them
is other than commercial; but the
commercial equation necessarily enters
into the usefulness If not the very eX-
istence of all of them. Different pub
fishers, however, have different ways
of making both ends meet, financially
speaking. Some depend solely on the
prosaic proposition of giving their pa
irons value received for their money,
and neither seek nor accept patronage
other than comes from appreciative
subscribers and advertisers. Others
exist for the purpose of grinding axes
for patrons who stand in the back
ground and pay the bills. Although
not altogether without certain merit,
the Columbia Record is essentially a
political newspaper. Its editor has had
but little experience except as an organ
grinder, and has but little conception
of the fact that there are other fields
of journalism. Just to what extent he
and his paper depend upon the. dispen-
sary, we would not like to say, for we
do not know; but we are quite sure
that it gets no little help from that
source. We have reason to suspect
that considerable portion Of the money
necessary for the recent extensive i'm
provements in the plant could, II the
truth were made plain, be traced to
the proceeds of dispensary graft. We
have various reasons for this suppo-
sition, and a sufficient one is the man
ner in which it stands by the state
central machine throughout all Its
manifest crookedness and rottenness.
Now then, we do not doubt that the
editor of the Record has been up to
Rock Hill for the purpose of having a
conference looking to the organization
of York county in behalf of the dis
pensary and in assisting Mr.. Stewart
and others in selecting dispensary del
egation to represent York county in the
general assembly. 1t is possible that
Mr. Stewart went down to Columbia
and talked the matter over with the
editor of the Record; but either way
our readers may rest assured that this
story was not for York county con-
sumption. We are disposed to consid-
er it as merely a ruse intended to en-
courage the interested faithful in other
sections of the state.
OF course, ii is quite possible that
Fort Mill may send a Stewart delega-
ton to the county convention next
Monday and a few other precincts may
do the same thing. With the people
generally taking absolutely no interest
in the organization of the clubs or the
election of delegates, as was the case
generally, it ought to have been no
trouble to send dispensary representa-
tives from all the precincts; but we
don't believe anything of the kind has
been done generally, and even If the
dispensaryiteS should be able to con-
troll the county convention, they will
find that the people will have some
thing to say as to who shall represent
them in the Legislature.
TRUTH In NUTSHEIL.-lt is the
people who want to be rid of the state
dispensary and it is the politicians
who want to retain, 1t, for the reason
that 1t forms the nucleus for the only
nOlitical ring we haVe-KerShaW Era.