The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-09-07


medium In Sumter.
Blease received a larger vote than
Featherstone In both Anderson and
Laurens counties-the first being the
birthplace OF Featherstone and the
latter his home. AS both are dry
counties. under local option. 1t Is diff
ficult TO explain the vote. But for
that matter we fail utterly to under
stand the strength that Biease de-
veloped In the primary.
IL Mcleod had been an up-coun-
try man the result would probably
have been different. A bright young
man with political ambitions should
first OF all establish a domicile in the
Piedmont county where the voters
are most numerous.
Roosevelt has reorganized the An
anias Club and Is rapidly increasing
the membership.
Mayor Rhett. and other progress
I've citizens of Charleston are trying
to do something to bring about the
improvement OF the water front The
dilapidated condition OF the piers and
terminals has long been a disgrace
to the city and a serious handicap TO
the commercial development Of the
port. Charleston has everything I'm
the way OF natural advantages that
great seaport needs. and but little
else.
With a local option Senate and
Statewide House the liquor 1ues
tion will be as far from settlement
as political issue in South Carolina
as II has been for the past eighteen
years.
The Issue In the second primary is
not liquor. but men.
The first primary proved conclu-
sively that South Carolina is opposed
To a Statewide law. The people
proved II In two ways-a large ma
jority Of them voted for local option
candidates for Governor and also
e.eeted a local option Legislature.
! Mr.. Featherstone, IL elected Gov
ernor. Will owe his election to the
suffrage of thousands of local op-
tionis-s aud knowing. as he now does,
that majority Of the people are op-
posed 10 any attempt being made to
force prohibition upon those counties
that have voted TO retain the county
dispensaries. he will scarcely be so
unwise as TO psrsist In the effort to
carry out the Statewide programme.
IL would be unwise and undemocratic
and impoiitic. for II would be go
ing contrary 10 the expressed will Of
the people and would injure rather
than aid the prohibition cause by
engendering needless antagonism.
We supported Mr.. Featherstone In
1898 when he was a candidate for
Governor. but not because he was a
prohibitionist. We supported him
because. In our judgment he was
the best man In the race. for the
further reason that we were confident
that his election would not result in
the enactment OF a Statewide law.
We hoped that his election would re-
suit In the destruction of the corrupt
dispensary ring and the future con-
duct OF that institution in a decent
honest and business like manner. We
believed then that he was a big
enough man and wise enough to rise
above the narrow limitations OF his
platform and to meet and deal with
issues and governmental questions in
a sane. broad and reasonable manner,
as circumstances and conditions might
require. In other words, that he was
safe man. and neither a bigot nor
fanatic. We entertain the same opin-
ion now. and for this reason expect
to- vote for him next Tuesday. We
trust a large majority OF the people
OF Sumter county and OF South Caro-
lima will do likewise.
We have discovered an error In the
official returns of the County Demo-
cratic Committee. The error did not
effect the results. but TO keep the rec
ord straight. attention Is called TO 1t.