The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1906-06-27
THE STATE CAMPAIGN
OPENED AT ST. GEORGE.
Candidates Declare Positions on
Various Issues, Mighty Little
Ginger. Meeting Quiet.


being the first meeting.
The first speaker was Mr.. M. r.
Ansel of Greenville, who thanked the
people of South Carolina for the tine
vote which he received four years
ago. He had not been elected then
but he had received such fattering
vote and had come SO close to the
line that he felt that he should make
the race again. He comes with the
endorsement of Is per cent. OF the
people of his home section. The
common schools should be given the
best teachers, the longest terms and
the most comfortable school houses
which can be afforded; believes in
good roads, wants the federal gov
ernment to send some of their money
down here to supplement our own
money and convict labor; the
greatest tax the farmer pays is wear
and tear on vehicles and stock. If
the roads had been improved so years
ago, what would this country be to-
day? AS to the liquor question he
said that he is opposed to the State
dispensary. He us in favor OF the
county dispensary system. The coun-
ties are able to manage their affairs.
Let each county have the right of
opinion between county dispehsaries
and prohibition.
/ Mr.. Ansel being called upon to fire
the first gun of the campaign had to
proceed cautiously and indulged in
generalization largely.
BELIEVES IN THE DIsPENsARY.
Senator G. L. Blease read his plat
form. He was opposed to higher
education of the negro, there was
applause. He is in favor of the dis
pensary law and in favor of the abso-
lutte repeal of the Brice law.
AS to the dispensary, he said that
if there should happen to be corrup-
ton in the State dispensary, how
much more would there be in Al
counties. He opposes the Brice law
because its author said he wanted
through it. to kill the damnable dis
.pensary." He opposes the Raysor-
Manning bill, so-called. Where is
the dispensary's corruption? Who
for four years has been in charge of
the dispensary? Were they original
dispensary men2 He does not say
there is corruption. He does not
believe there is. The governor of
the State has not been a dispensary
man more than to say that it was
the best solution of the liquor ques-
tion. He chided the opposition to
the dispensary in the State campaign
with having shifted from prohibition
to local option =.
He called attention in a general
way to increased appropriations made
by the legislature of recent years and
advised that the people elect legisla-
tive delegations who would carry out
their wishes as to curtailment. He
called attention to the expenses of
special courts as one thing which
could be remedied. He laughed at
Mr.. Ansel's good roads plank. Every
man in the State, and every horse,
too, is in favor of good roads. He
favored liberal pensions, but suggest
ed that the screws should be tighten
ed up. During his remarks on the
dispensary question, Senator Blease
said that he had been told by Mr..
W. G. Childs, president of the Colum-
bia, Newberry and Laurens rail
road, who had said and had authori-
zed him to say that since the voting
out of the dispensary along the line
of his railroad his receipts from
hauling whiskey in jugs and other
wise which came from outside the
State more than doubled and he is
not loosing financially from the loss
of dispensary shipments.
DISPENSARY ROASTED.
Mr.. Joel E. Brunson of Sumter was
the next speaker in alphabetical order.
He declared the dispensafy question
to be the leading issue because it in
wolves more in dollars and cents and
it also affects SO closely the moral
welfare of the whole people. In re-
ply, to the claim that the dispensary
helps to educate the people he de-
clared that edubation and culture do
not safeguard the people from intem-
perance. He quoted from the last
message of Gov. J. G. Evans to the
legislature in which he claimed that
even if sale of liquor brought trouble
it would bring revenue to educate the