The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-02-24


unreasonable on their part to
want a reduction of SIS on a
thousand mile book, and not be
willing to let the roads manage
their accounting system as they
think proper. The ordinary pas
senger pays a straight 9 - cent
rate, and buys ticket, the
drummer buys a 9 cent rate,
and does not want to go to the
t,aAet Office. I think he should.
'rae legislature cannot force the
roads to put on the mileage
books at all, and I believe if the
legislature enacts a law which
will require these books to be
accepted on the trains, the inter
changeable books will be taken
of entirely, thus forcing thous-
ands CT other people besides
drummers to pay S. per thous-
and miles more than they do
now. The bill in its first section
dealt with the rate road shall
charge. I opposed, and upon
my motion this rate section was
stricken out. I opposed rate leg.
islation because, under. the agree
ment made last year there was
to be no rate legislation, and l
take the position to. enact rail-
road legislation before the time
expires for the agreement will
be bad faith. The other side
claim there is no record of any
agreement, which is true. but
the fact Of the legislature declin-
ing to interfere with the rail
roads last yea, is attributed en-
tirely to the agreement between
the roads, the governor: and the
commission. While there is no
record in the Senate showing
that the Senate made an agree
ment. there is, by the action OF
the Senate. an acquiescence IN
the agreement, and in my hum
Bile Judgment it is bound by it
until April 1st of this year. II,
after April 1st, the railroads
cannot show the rate in vogue is
a money losing proposition, then
the commission will make it
permanent, instead of expert
mental as now. The mileage
book proposition. however, is
entirely a matter within the dis
cretion of the roads, they can
continue or discontinue them at
will, and no act of the leglsla
ture can prevent.
When We return the liquor
problem will be up to rs good
and strong, and as I have fre-
quently said, there is no telling
the result. The Prohibitioa!sts
are not so sure of their ground
and are willing to adopt what
what they call referendum, .
hoping thereby to catch some
votes from the local option
ranks. All manner of schemes
are being devised to get a com
promise, buteveryone suggested
means at last no concession on
the part of the Prohibitionists.
They are like the white man and
the Indian, in a dispute over a
turkey and a buzzard, the white
man proposed compromise, by
saying to the Indian, Il take the
turkey and you take the buz-
zard, but the Indian shook his
head and declined. Then the
white man said, "well, alright
Indian, you take the buzzard and
I take the turkey" 1t was
turkey all tine time with the
white man. So it is with the
Prohibitionists IN all of their
positions. Referendum straight
means prohibition by the over
whelming up country vote, there
fore it would be waste OF time
and expense to have an election
when the result is known IN ad-
vance.
The local optionists want to
preserve the democratic princi-
| ple of local self-government,
and most of them, I among the
number. will support a bill de-
claring for a State wide prohl-
ton, with a proviso permitting
any county by a majority vote
to continue, or re- tablish the
county dispensary system. I'm
der the present law, counties
may vote out a dispensary, but
there is no way for them to vote
it back in, no matter how abnox-
ious prohibition may become.
The Prohibitionists are not will
ling for this, because they fear
that some of the present dry
counties may have an election
and vote back the legal sale of
|liquor. / contend if there IS q
dry county that cannot and will
not enforce prohibition it's folly
to force that county to be over
run with liquor, bear the ex-
pense Of the courts: undergo the
punishment Of drunkenness and
other evils, and not be able to
get any revenue to help bear
this expense.
This afternoon l was asked if
I would agree to q proposition
that would declare for State
wide prohibition, with provis,
ion to only those counties now
having dispensarles to have an