The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-02-17

Of prohibition or no prohibition
to a vote of the State, puts the
love-. tier of counties wholely in
the control of the big upper coun,
ties, where Spartanburg alone
polls more votes than Clarendon,
Sumter, Williamsburg and Lee
counties all put together. 1t is at
varience with the principle Of de
mocracy, and especially local sell
government.
And then too. do not think II
right for a section of the State
by a vote to force conditions up.
on another section, which may be
altogether undesirable. | am sure
if the big counties in the upper
part OF the State were opposed tc
prohibition, those now advocat'
ing state wide prohibition would
be using the arguments | am now
making. There is no harm in
preserving the doctrine Of local
self government for the people,
and time will prove [ am right.
Under the law as it stands q. ma.
jority in a county can do Is Clar.
endon has already done, vote out
the sale of liquor. then why
should the legislature by legisla,
tive enactment take away this
right and put it in the power OF
some other county to dictate pol.
icies for others:
Prohibition was not an issue N
the last election; if there was an
issue at all, it was Governor An
sells platform, which was state,
wide prohibition, with the right
to counties not wanting prohibi.
ton to vote back the dispensary:
If I am correct in this, / would
regard a state wide prohibition
bill without such a proviso, as an
Act of bad faith on the part OF
the legislature. The present pro
hibition leaders in the Senate and
House who were elected IN the
last election ran on the platform
with Governor Ansel, and if they
do not agree to allow the provisc
to 60 into their bill they have ob.
tanned their present position by
false pretense, even if now their
conductis endorsed by the prohi,
bition party, tits nevertheless de-
ception.
I was elected to. the senate on
a local option platform. | still
stand there, because it is demo
cratic and right, by this platform
I had the right to oppose prohi,
oition, to oppose a vote on the
question, but when a vote was
taken my right ceased then and
there, and that is the main reason
] did not attempt to take advan'
tage of my legal rights to pre-,
vent our illegal election from be-
ing enforced. The people spoke,
and although they did not speak
as the law directs, they did speak,
and I accept their verdict. Hav.
ing been elected as a local option
ist, 7 have no right to take away
from the people the principle OF
local option, but [ am willing, not
altogether as a matter Of prlnci-
pie, but solely of expediency, to
declare the policy of the State for
prohibition. with the principle OF
local self government preserved.
The House has, as it has for
years past done, sent to the SEN
ate a bill to repeal the lien law,
without providing for the repeal
of the mortgage clause. I do not
know how it will terminate, but
am of the opinion the repeal will
be adopted, but unless the mort
gage clause is adopted also the
people Will ind that they have
been fed on froth.
All of the Clarendon measures
are virtually through. Ny liquor
commissioner bill passed to Its
third reading in the House today
thus insuring its safety, and the
bill providing for bond issue
for school district No. 20 is in the
same condition. This bill is Mr..
Green's. I got it through the
senate for him and when it reach
ed the House he had his bill tab
led, and mine substituted for it,
by this move the passage Of it is
assured. The bill provides for a
S5, 900 bond issue to be first sub.
mitted to the qualified voters of
school district No. 20. If the vot-
ers of that district want to they
can now have a modern school
building of small size.
The Communication road tax for
Clarendon will be three dollars,
and an additional provision has
been made empowering the coun-
ty board Of commissioners to en-
ploy an attorney to prosecute
those who fail to pay said tax, or
work the roads in lieu thereof.
The purpose of this being to put
a stop to the practice Of Sinking
road duty.
At the last meeting of the del
egation we were confronted with
a condition that was embarass-
ing, what information we could
get showeda a detcit, but the ex-
act amount was not definite, and
right here I wish to state I have
made every effort possible to get
an accurate statementof the coun-