Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-04-03

people to elect men VINO VIII not
finch or neglect their, sworn duties.
| State Loaded with Liquor.
| 1t is therefore obvious that the
people must look more to the integri-
ty, honesty and truthfulness Of the
candidates who ask for their votes
than the mere capacity TO speak gilbly,
and the plausible address of the oily
politician. The people should bid
fence straddlers to get to the rear,
they should demand outspoken dec
larations of policy and no man who
failed in his duty in the past should
be again entrusted with office. Look
at the present disgraceful and out
rageous condition in Columbia. The
old board of directors of the state
dispensary has loaded down the state
with about 100000 worth of liquor
bought on credit in open and direct
violation of the law. Why are not
these men arrested for malfeasance
i'm office? Why were they not re-
| moved last summer when the evil
dences of gross incompetency and
mismanagement were first made pub
lie? Why did the legislature ever
elect such men? Why in the face Of
absolute proof in the letting Of glass
contracts and in the purchase of la
bells, to say nothing of the purchase Of
whisky that they were guilty Of gross
misconduct, why 1 say did the leg
islature refuse to change the law
when the house found that the SEN
ate would not consent TO the abolition
of the state dispensary? 1t was be-
cause of the influence of the state
| newspaper.
There is every reason to believe
the house stood out to the last and
refused absolutely to amend or al
ter the law in any particular, In the
hope and intention to have the state
dispensary so far disgraced before
the people that in the coming election
il would be destroyed. Did these leg
islators discuss the question of abol-
| ishing the state dispensary when they
were running for office in 1904? Did
they have any authority from the
people to abolish the state dispensary
| because of the mismanagement OF
the men the legislature itself had
elected? Was not the failure of the
house to accept any measure OF re-
form in order to prevent fraud and
speculation in the future due entirely
to the influences of the new Columbia
ring? Was it not clearly shown that
the primary object was to destroy the
| state dispensary and thus pave the
way for licensing the sale of liquor
in those counties which wanted 1t,
even providing for wholesale license
| in Charleston with the purpose or
having Charleston sell to the county
dispensaries instead Of having the
state dispensary supply the necessary
stock? Was there not bargain be
tween the prohibitionists and the old
bar-room or high license element and
is there any man in the state so bra
zen as to stand up and call this hon
est politics? Can the men who with
their eyes opened to corruption re-
fuse point blank to reform the state
dispensary have the impudence to
ask the people to trust them again?
Fellow citizens, we need some hon
est politics in South Carolina; we
need some Straightforward, plain
speaking;. we need aggressive and
honest action by the masses to pro-
tect themselves The people nave
been asleep. They have been lulled
into inaction by the honeyed words
of adroit politicians and it is time
for them to awake. Eternal vigil
lance is the price Of liberty
Great Opportunity For Graft.
Look at the present situation also.
A new board is elected to manage
the state dispensary under the old
law. That old law was fatally de-
fective in some particulars, but 1t has
not been obeyed in the last two years,
| at least in regard to competition In
bidding for the right to supply the
state dispensary with whisky and In
other important particulars. The
new board comes into office finding
an immense stock of liquor bought
on credit and practically all of 1t
bought contrary to law. The legisla-
ture gave to the investigating COM
mittee full control and authority In
regard to auditing and passing upon
these accounts. The new board then
| is subject to the investigating COM
mittee and the situation seems to be
this. The authority Of managing and
directing the affairs of the dispen-
sary is now divided, the new board
of directors having some or II ana
the investigating committee the bal
ance. There is something like $6OO,-
600 worth of debts hanging over the
state dispensary Unless this liquor
bought. on credit was bought accord
ing to law, is there any obligation
anywhere to keep 1t and pay for 1t?
Is there not plenty of opportunity for
more graft and secret transactions in
regard to the settlement of these ac-
counts? Will not the legislative COM
mittee be suspected of corruption II
1t does not get in the middle of the
road and stay there, that Is to stand
| ny TIE law, ODty IL il9Cii
all others to do so? Why so much
delay?
I mention this, thus early. In order
to direct the attention of those most
interested to this condition in the
hope that the states rights and in
terests may be protected by all those
now in charge, and to serve notice
that so far as l am concerned l eX-
pect to spare no man In criticism
whose actions in this crisis shall not
bear the closest scrutiny and, If there
is continued negligence and no at
| tempt made to punish those respon-
sible for this anomalous and extra
| ordinary state of affairs. 1t will GER
| tainly show that the people need to
be aroused and another revolution Is
| in order / cannot lead 1t as a can
didate for a state office, because II Is
not immodest in me to say that | be-
lieve / can be of great use to the
people of the state i'm the senate, but
if l misunderstood the temper of the
| people and they shall resent my ef-
fort to open their eyes and point out
these glaring evils l am perfectly
willing to abide their wishes and will
gladly retire to private life rather
than to remain silent against the
prompting Of my sense of duty.
A Plot Suspected.
| There is one more matter upon
which / beg to warn the people.
There are evidences in plenty to
show that the same clique or ring
which is fighting the dispensary and
which has always fought me. intends
or hopes to bring about a change in
| our primary regulations so as to
prevent any Democrat from voting in
the primaries who is not at the same
time a qualified voter. They hope to
use the club which has proved so ef-
Elective in the Brice law, that of con-
fining the election to qualified cleo
| tors to obtain control of the Dem
ocratic party to resume their sway,
/ undisputed until 1890? | warn the
i farmers and all other Democrats.
especially operatives. who are busily
engaged and have little time to de-
vote to politics, to attend the next
meeting of the Democratic clubs,
i fourth Saturday in April (2Sth) and
get their names on the rolls and send
| delegates to the next county cOnVen-
! tOnS that will represent them truly.
| The allies and directors of the new
Columbia ring will be on the alert
and carry all of their forces To these
LII. Il. 4 -. l.