Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-01-11

and, with your permission, 1 shall
quote from my message to the gen.
eral assembly Of 1906, as follows:
1T is imperative, for the honor OF
the state, that existing conditions
should be Immediately remedied, eth
er by radical changes in the laws gov
erning the dispensary or by the adop-
ton of a different system for the reg
ulation of the liquor question"
am convinced more than ever that
this recommendation applies now with
even greater force than 1t did last
year. This will be the most important
question presented for your considera-
ton, and it must be squarely met.
In view of the great Importance OF
this question to all the people Of our
state; it's bearing upon our reputation
abroad and upon our integrity as a
people, I must again, in emphasizing
my position. urge that you take such
action in the matter as the grave nee
essities Of the situation demand. Many
of you have been elected upon this Is
sue by the people. and this increases,
in large measure, your individual re-
sponsibility. have referred to my
former message In thus briefly dis
cussing the dispensary law, for the
outline the position which, as COVER
nor of South Carolina, I have always
consistently maintained throughout
my two administrations. AS. have
stated before, see no reason to change
my views as formerly expressed and
reiterated. For considerations which
you will readily understand, I shall
make no further recommendations,
leaving this more specifically for my
successor in office.
The situation demands your careful
thought wise and judicious action. and
believe II will be thus considered
free from prejudice. with the spirit
not only of fairness for the views of
all concerned, but also for what are
the highest interests Of our state
LawIessness and Lynehing. -
Il have endeaverod, during my two
administrations as governor, to do my
utmost to prevent lawlessness in any
shape, and especially have tried to
suppress the awful crime Of lynch
ing. This crime, as all thoughtful
citizens know, Is a serious menace
to the maintenance of all law and or
der.
am ashamed to have to report to
YOU that, in spite Of all efforts to the
contrary, the crime Of lynching has
been committed more than once in our
state during the past year. Let 1t be
remembered here-not In attempted
Justification, nor to extenuate, in any
degree, the perpetration Of the crime
Of lynching-that these lawless acts
occur always under what Is consider
ed the strongest provocation. The
greater the provocation, however, the
stronger is the majesty Of the law
made manifest, when our citizens then
unite in leaving justice, stern though
1t may be, to be meted out through our
organized courts OF law.
It can be stated here, with absolute
truthfulness. that 1t Is not the color
Of the offender, but the nature Of the
crime, that makes lynchings occur.
/ have asked for a special fund fol
the suppression of lawlessness and
lvnchings, and twice has this appro-
priation been made by our general
assembly. .
have endeavored to use this FUND
most judiciously and have had many
calls made upon It, In spite Of the
obstacles in the way Of bringing direct
tangible results, I am convinced thai
good has been accomplished. In my
opinion, we should not only seek te
punish those who commit the crimeT
where this is possible-but we shoulc
seek to prevent the crime also. Al
efficient rural police might not only
prevent the crime Of lynching by be-
ing ready to assist the sheriff at
moments notice. but the presence o:
such officials would do much to pre-
vent criminal assaults. Our rura
communities are entitled to this pro.
lection.
Recently the legislature Of Virgins
enacted a law making an attempt al
rape a capital offense, and providing
also that the testimony Of the victim
could be taken in private and not be-
fore the public in a court room. an
informed by state officials Of Virginis
that this law is working satisfactorily
I think this Is very important con-
sideration, and I recommend the pas
sage Of such a law for our state. The
holding Of special terms Of court has
many objections, the principal one be-
ing the appearance Of thus yielding tc
lawlessness demands hastily made
For the crime Of rape. however, l an
Of the opinion that special courts
should be held to try the culprit al
once, and 1 hope our laws can be sc
amended in this respect.
State Hospital For the Insane.
The care Of the insane is one of the
responsibilities Of humane and en-
lightened governments. For this rea-
son, therefore. the ever-increasine
number Of the insane is one of the
burdens Of modern life which. mus,
fall heavily upon the taxpayer. Such
statistics show that the population ol
the insane asylum of the United States
doubled in the thirteen years ending
with 1903. The asylum population OF
the country in 1890 numbered $4,000
and at the close Of the year 1903, In
round numbers, a population Of 1885,
900 was the aggregate shown by these
figures. What is true Of the country
at large, Is true. I am sorry to say
in our own state. In 1890 the popula-
ton Of our asylum was about 70O and
population of 1881 is shown at the
end of the fiscal year just closed.
Today our state hospital has ac-
commodations for 1000 patients, but
during the past year nearly 400 pa
i;anto In excesS of itS caDacity have