The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-02-08
SENATE HAS KILLED
PURIFICATION BILL
AT PRESENT IT APPEARS THAT
LOCAL OPTION WILL WIN.
Speech by Senator Blease-
From Greogetown Assailed the
House Bill.


night by decisive vote put itself OIL
record against the state dispensary
by'a vote Of 81 to 16, striking out the
enactihg words of Senator Raysor's
qualification" bill, says the Colum-
Ha State. This vote was surprise
even to the local optionists in that
body as they had not expected to
show q majority of more than 2 and
possibly nothing more than bare
majority of 1.
1t can be safely asserted that no
prohibition measure stands ghost Of
q show of passing the senate.
The vote on the Raysor bills is said
to have completely rnted the dispen-
sary forces, although several ardent
advocates Of that institution were Of
fering to place bets Wednesday night
that the Carey -Cothran bill would be
defeated.
Senator Walker, who made a two
hours speech in support Of the Ray
sor bill and against the local option
measure, stated most emphatically
that he would vote to kill absolutely
every bill now on the calendar affect
ing the liquor qqueStion in any way.
The chamber and galleries were
packed beyond their capacity and it
was almost impossible to get in and
out the doors. Many ladies were pres
ent and a large number of the men,
bers Of the house.
Senator Blease challenged the local
optionists and the senator from Char
lesion to put high license provision
in the bill and paid his respects to the
prohibitionists in the house. He quot
ed Mr.. Lyons printed testimony be-
fore the committee in combating the
charge of corruption and said that
Mr.. Lyon owed his position in the
state today to Sentor Tillman S
speech on the state house steps when
he tried to make the voters of South
Carolina cringe like whipped Gus at
his feet.
Senator Sinkler insisted that he be
quoted correctly, insisting that Mr..
Bleasc misrepreSented him.
Mr. Blease said he was no apologist
for any man except himself, but when
man was on his sick bed 200 miles
away, it is mighty easy to talk about
stealing, but if any man would meet
him on the streets and charge him
with being thief and come off as he
went in, he would vote for the Carey
Cothran bill. Senator Blease was very
impassioned in his defense Of the dis
pensary board against what he said
were improved and unsupported
charges of corruption. He declared
that the recent primary was no
"voicc of the people, lie knew of
staunch dispensary men who voted for
and worked for Mr. Ansel. He point
ed out various senators who came here
Us local option men who were unop-
posed. He declared there were more
state dispensary men year ago. Mr..
Ansel only received $4,000 votes i'll
the first primary; that was not ma
;jority Of the 100000 voters in the
state. In the second primary Aiken
county, which gave him (Blease) a
majority in the first primary swept
around. and swamped Manning. Is
that a demand for local option9 He
also cited Newberry, Union, Dorches-
ter and other counties, declaring that
there was no ground to say that the
people had spoken so plainly. Ho
said that the campaign made in the
primary against Mr.. Manning had
made it impossible for self-respect-
ing dispcnsary man to support an ele-
venth-houh convert who came over to
it because he saw the way open to
the mansion. That was why Martin
T.. Anscl is now governor and not be-
cause The people cried out against the
state dispensary. When the papers
tell YOU that the people have cried out
so loudly for the abolition of the
state dispcnsary they are simply mis-
leading you. He predicted that if this
Carey -Cothran bill should pass this
year next year you would hear voice
from Charleston and from Columbia