Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1907-11-06
THE "rwIsTING" OF MOTIVES.

Nors and the Zeitung's motives are
Netng twisted in Walhalla," the
Deutsche Zeitung comes at us edito-
rally, and seems to think we are due
1t an apology rather than the Zei-
tung to the Governor The article
follows:
The Keowee Courier calls our crit
icism of Governor Ansel abuse"
1t is trying to whitewash his action
by stating that he is so highminded
as TO enforce law that Is not to
his liking, he being staunch pro-
hibitionist at heart. Nevertheless
IT Is law that stands on the stat
ute books, and the Governor Is sworn
to look to the enforcement Of the
laws" ~
To this we beg to say that a Gov
ernor is not supposed to be. a perse-
cutor. If he Is "at heart" prohibi-
zionist, he abnegated his hearts de-
sire by promising us home rule; hav-
Ing given us home rule or local op-
tion, he NEEDLES with it and takes
the rights granted to the counties
away from them. Why this should
be, we fail to understand. We know
1t now--the Keowee Courier has
stated it: The Governor is at heart
prohibitionist. and the law, the
promise Of which made him Cover
nor, Is not to his liking! 1t is an
amazing statement, and contains a
great deal more of abuse of the Gov
ernor than we would like to be guilty
of. .. -
The Keowee Courier is also trying
to make 1t appear that we cannot
abide the thought of stringent mea-
sures in the matter Of dealing with
the sale of liquor, and that this line
Of thought caused our criticism of
the Governors action"
This statement is unfair, to say
the least. In our recent editorial we
stated distinctly that we would never
utter a single word against the en-
forcement Of any law. We stated
that the dispensary is bad law, and
rs it is not to the liking of either the
Governor or the Keowee Courier
they surely agree with us on that
point. But we stated also that any
law should be enforced, and this
surely fatty contradicts the subse-
quent assertion of the Keowee Cou-
rier that we cannot abide the thought
of enforcement.
What we do hate Is the method Of
enforcing a law that Is not to the
Governors, the <eowee Courier's
or the Zeitung's liking. We have
never protested against enforcing the
law, but we do protest against the
method of injunctions and espionage.
On this line Of thought alone did we
criticise the Governor, nor are we
ready as yet to apologize. When the
enforcement Of the laws Is left with
the county and city authorities, who
are doing their level best to enforce
the law, we will gladly apologize.
But as long as by dint of injunc-
tions and espionage the county au-
thorities are interfered with, as long
as they are put in the undeserved
light Of being incapable, SO long will
we hold to 1t that such undue inter-
ference with granted home rule is
not a German characteristic.
BY reading our recent editorial
more carefully, the Keowee Courier
will surely see that on the line OF
the process Of injunctions and un-
called for espionage alone we based
our criticism. The question Of drink
or no drink, dispensary or blind
tiger booze had nothing whatsoever
to do with 1t. And that's where the
Keowee Courier owes us an apology.
To this we can but say that If we
have misunderstood or misquoted
the Zeitung In its first utterancc we
are due that paper an apology, and
are ready to make 1t. But even TAX
ing into consideration the method Of
the Governor in enforcing the law,
We fail to see wherein he has laid
himself liable to censure. Into his
hands Is given the enforcement of
the laws of the State,-to his discre-
tion is left the method Of enforce
ment. Has the dispensary law been
enforced in Charleston? We think
not. Is the lack OF enforcement 'iue
to inability to enforce 1t or to lack os
vigilance? We are not prepared to
say. But the fact that 1t has never
been enforced in Charleston as 1t has
been In other places Is patent to all.
1t is equally well known that, Char
lesion being the metropolis Of the
State, with large population con-
eentrated in small area, the en-
forcement is harder to accomplish
there than elsewhere. These facts
are transparent and Governor Ansel
has seen through them, and acted on
them. Had the law been enforced as
is contemplated in tho terms Of it,
nnquestionably Governor Ansel would
be the last man to resort to harsh
measures. But 1t was not enforced;
therefore. harsh measu 'es became
necessary on the one hand, or, on
the other, he would have been called.
upon, as we see f., to stultify HIM
oa1f or Sahna0a 90. hto v>~t, otnI.. :.