Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-07-03
Mistellaaeuus Rsading.
GRAFT IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
Conditions Worse Than They Have
Been In Years.
News and Courier:

| news anu courier.
The article printed below Is re-
printed from the Baptist Courier at
the request Of a gentleman who lives
in the up-country and who says Of
the author:
Capt. Edwards is a member of the
/ Baptist church, soldier of the Lost
Cause with brilliant record for brav-
cry and fidelity to duty, and a man
| who has few superiors in the state
as a clear forceful writer. AT one
time he was prominently identified
| with the Tillmanites and was elected
superintendent Of education of York
county"
In the infinite wisdom Of our Crea-
tor, He organized the human race
into families. The purpose Of this
order of things is not hard to
comprehend. We hear him saying to
Moses, when your children inquire
why you celebrate the Passover feast.
tell them Of the mighty deliverance
Of the children of Israel from Egyp-
ing angel slew the first born Of all
the Egyptians and passed over the
houses Of the children of Israel. And
we hear him on another occasion
saying, when thou art In thy house,
when thou sittest down, when thou
risest up, and when thou art in the
| way, tell 1t to the children"
A stream never rises higher than
its fountain and a pure stream cannot
| flow from an impure fountain. AS
the home and family is the source and
fountain from which spring all other
| organizations of both church and
state. how important Is 1t, then, that
| the homes of the people should be
pure, and the children reared in the
| atmosphere Of the Gospel Of Jesus
the Christ and taught in the princi-
| pies of New Testament ethics. Just
as the homes are so will be our
churches. If ignorance and impiety
dominate the homes Of the people in
| any community the progress of the
churches Is retarded
The character of our country, In
state and national governments, Is
homes Of the Gospel. If this Is true,
and 1t Is as true as Gods word Is
true, then all thoughtful Christian
men and women are made to shud-
der and become alarmed when We
read Of the amount Of graft, dishon-
esty, peculation, malfeasance in Of
flee, murder and theft of public as
well as private funds. Our blessed
Master said, "a little leaven leaveneth
the whole lump" What kind Of
leaven are the people Of our country
leavened with, that produces drunk
enness, murder, lying and stealing
among both the higher and lower
classes of our people? Where did the
men come from who have been steal
ing so much of the whisky money Of
South Carolina's great moral institu-
| ton? From the homes Of the peo-
pie, and many of them from so-called
Christian homes? Who elected them
to these positions? The South Caro-
lima general assembly. And how did
they get there and where did they
come from? From the homes Of the
people Of the state and elected by
men, hundreds and thousands OF
whom are members of churches,
claiming to be churches Of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Were the majority of the senator's
in our last general assembly reflect
| ing the character and sentiments Of
| the people in the homes Of South
Carolina? II so, God help us. when
| the righteous are in authority the peo-
ME rejoice. but when the wicked bear
| rule the people mourn" In a repub-
| lican government such as ours, II
| the wicked bear rule 1t Is the fault Of
the people. If we have a corrupt gov
ernment 1t Is because the people are
corrupt. We find graft and stealing
| In every department Of our state and
county governments as we'll as In
many Of our private enterprises. The
men responsible for the disbursement
of the money of the people Of the
counties Of Greenville and Columbia
stole It, State bonds were stolen out
Of the treasurer's office in Columbia.
Some years ago a large amount Of
money was found short in the South
Carolina penitentiary. In two coun-
| ties Of the state In recent years the
children's money was stolen by the
county superintendents Of education.
And in one county we find the county
pension board stealing the money ap-
| propriated for the poor old worn out
Confederate soldiers. Some years
ago we had a reform movement In
South Carolina, and the leaders Of
| that movement claimed that our
state government was "honey-comb-
ed" with rottenness. This movement
was a political triumph, but the peo-
pie have got nothing out of 1t except
what we have paid dearly for In hard
cash.
Some people claim that the reform
| movement gave us Winthrop and
Clemson colleges. That claim may
or may not be true, but II we admit
! the claim there is no doubt but 1t
also gave us the dispensary system of
selling intoxicating liquor as a bev-
erage, as a state institution. / want
| to ask the thoughtful, intelligent
Christian men and women Of South
Carolina to seriously consider the his
| tory of our state for the past decade.
venture the assertion, and have no
| fear Of successful contradiction, that
there have been more shocking and
brutal murders and other crimes
| more graft and stealing by publlc
officials and men entrusted WIN
money, than in any other decade In
| the history Of the state. | am not a
sore head, and 1 am not a pessimist or
q chronic grumbler. but am now an
| old man and have lived in an event
full period in the history of this coun-
try. Experience and observation has
taught me that political revolutions,
and the changing Of one set OF polltl-
cal aspirants for another, has but lit
| tie If any effect upon the moral up
lifting of the people. Political mar
angues, lectures on education, ana
even llSell' VIII
| to make the fountain pure. Virtue,
honesty and sobriety must be incul-
Gated in the homes Of the people,
both by precept and example. II
that were done in all the homes OF
the people, and the children reared
in the atmosphere Of the old-time
New Testament religion, we could
get in the next generation honest
Christian men to make and execute
our laws. Men everywhere, and In
almost every department OF COM
merce and labor, in their mad rush
| for money are making false impress
sions upon the minds Of our boys and
girls. The talk in the home at the
| freside is money. at the table money.
on the streets, in the shop, and in the
stores, money. money, money. We
are in danger Of becoming a nation
of money worshippers, and the thirst
and love of money is causing the
downfall of many men and bringing
suffering and sorrow to many hearts
and homes. Teach boy that money
is the all important consideration in
this world, and he will go into battle
and he will get it by fair means or
| foul.
In South Carolina there are more
than two hundred thousand Bantists
and Methodists. l guess there are
that many or more processing Chris
n ~