The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1910-08-17
COIJNTY CAMPAIGN
Opened AT ERMO.
Small Crowd Heard the Candidates at
Initial Meeting and Little Interest
Eispiayed-Annexation and
Free Bridges Of Much
Interest in Fork.
BY D. r. HA. ..W&NGER.

BY D. K. HA. l."hNuEk.
TRe Lexington county campaign is
.nowin full swing. The first meeting
washeld at Irmo, in the famous Dutch
Folk, on Wednesday last, where
about 25O of the sturdy yeomanry
cane out to hear the candidates fire
tkeir initial guns.
g'he meeting was entirely feature
less, save now and then the explosion
of a boom of ''hot air. by some of the
speakers. But this was the opening
OF the 1910 campaign and it was but
natural that the candidates should
make an occasional "brake." 1t
aost always takes the ''boys' two or
three days to find out the sentiment
of the people, and the careful poiti-
| tcian usually guards his words and
stays on the "detsssiye." But this
was not the case wish all of the aspir-
arts at Irmo. Sone'of them began to
E.srip and tare' at'she very beginning
Of their speeches, With the result that
the audience gave them ''cau
down. =
County cis66iisrsaan Efird. J..
'sThe meeting was presided over by
County Chairman; D. F. Efrd, who,
d.sfter g brief invocstou by the Rev.
| 3ss. s.. Riddle, made . singing address,
au which he thanked the people Of
Lexington counv'trusae many hon
! srs they had thrust uHon him in the
past. s'Fellew cttaoens," said he,
/ .sny days Of political speech. h.making
/ aae over for the pressnt. but coma.
| he6ore you today. "a your, county
| chairman, tosformaAy, open the CAM
1 paagn of1sl0, andI trnst that from
/ thiavery meeting there will be the
/ waumest feeling betwee6 all of the
candidates, and I hope that all of the
] candidates will be accorded respect
! full aad attentive hearing on every
| stuusp in the county This, know,
they will receive, because it is char
| aeteristic of the southern gentleman,
South Caroinians and Lexingtonians.
Each nan is entitled to his opinion
and, remember after all, my fellow
citizens, that when the race lis over,
no ncatter what the result, we will all
!; Join hands and work for the common
| good of grand old Lexington"
Mr.. Eird then announced that all
of the eaGdidatesifor the House had
signed the pledge in regards to the
proposition for freeing the Congaree
and Broad raxer bridges. which was
published in these columns last week.
AIIoweA 20 Minutes Each.
The candidates for legislative hon
.ors were allowed 20 minutes eaca,
| while the candidates for minor Offices
were given 10 minutes each.
The first speaker was Joseph L..
Amick, candidate for reelection to
| hhe House. Mr.. Anaiek thanked the
! people for their suffrage two years
ago when he was elected on the first
ballot. Mr.. AInick told of his first ex-
periences as a legislator. He said
| that the boys were telling it for joke
| that he did not know where to put his
hat when he first entered the State
House. "They are telling that as a
joke" he said, "but want to tell
you it is the Gods truth" He said
that the new men always experience
embarrassment but that his embar-
rassment was above the average, be-
cause his name began with the first
letter of the alphabet, which made it
incumbent upon him TO cast the first
ballot on any measure coming before
the House. He favors good roads
end better schools, but is unalterably
opposed to giving the higher institu-
tions of learning so much money; is
opposed to so many scholarships and
fought with might and main the bill
which purported to establish 124 schol-
alships in the University of South
Carolina.
Capt. L. w. Redd.
Capt. L. W. Redd, made his maid
en- political speech at Irmo, and it
was a good one. He said at the
outset that he had no promises to
make, because there are 124 members
of the house and that If he was elected
he would be but one man among that