The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1910-02-09
CAPITOL CORRESPONDENCE
Columbia, S. c.. February IT'D,

Columbia. S. c.. February it:o,
1910.
The Legislature is now turned
towards the nome stretch, and
the sooner it reaches it, in NY
opinion the better OFF wilt the
State be. It may be unbecoming
in me to say so, but the truth IS
what the people want, / have
never before attended session
where so much work has been
cut out and SO little dcne. The
Calendars are full and they are
continually being added to, when
it is known that it will be lmpoS-
sible to consider large portion
OF them at this session. The
measures acted upon are OF out
little general consequence, and
most Of them are local in their
operation. OF course, these local
measures are important for their
immediate localities and must
come from the Legislature.
: The prohibition bill introduced
in the Senate was killed without
debate and happily so, because
had the bars been let down for
debate it would have resulted III
crimination and recriminatlon
with the result the same. The
defeat of prohibition in the Sen
ate does not indicate a majority
opposed. not at eli, in my opinion
the majority OF the Senators
would have voted for prohibition
did they not feel a moral oblisa-
ton TO stand by the compromise
made last year. l Judge others
by myself, while / am no Proh'-
bisioaist yet I recognize that the
dispensary was voted out Of Clar-
endon and, ordinarily, this would
indicate that a majority Of my
constituents want prohibition,
Representing them and not my
self alone, I should vote in ac-
cordance with their expressed
wishes, ont under the circum-
stances, / regarded the com
promsse binding until new leg
.slature is elected, this was also
the view OF a number of Prohi-
bstionists-
Rev. j. Z. Harley, the head Of
the anti.saloon league, came to
me alter the prohibition bill was
killea and asked if I would vote
TO refer the question to the peo-
ple, l told him NO, if the refer.
ence was to be made in general
election, and If it was to be in the
Democratic primary the leglsla-
ture sas not the place to have it
done. 7 told him that ! was per-
fectl7 wiling for the State Exc.
cutive Committee to submit the
question in the primary, and II a
memoer Of the state convention l
woulu vote to require the commit
tee to submit the question to the
people IL the primary, and have
a especial pledge for all car-aidates
to sign before they are entitled
20 run in the primary. am op
posed TO the legislature ordering
a general election IN which to
submit such a question, because
it can only result in bringing
about the dragging Of the negro
into our politics. Both sides oe
come worked up to an intense
heat and both viii resort to al
most anything to win. Mr. Har-
lev admitted to me that in scale
places where the vote was taken
last year registration tickets We're
procured for negroes, so If it has
been done in the elections shat
were of localslgnihcance, itneeds
no SAGE to see the danger ahead
for white mans supremacy when
the question becomes a State one.
Then 100, in our primary none
but white men Can vote, and these
can co so without the formallty
of presenting their tax receipts
and registration tickets, q thing
repugnant to the white man be-
cause ne feels these requirements
we're not intended for him. l am
not certain but ] feel satisfied that
Iconviuced Mr.. Harley there was
merit in my position, and when
ne presents my views 70 his CO.
workers I think they will reach
the conclusion that the primary
is the place to get an honest ex-
preston of the white masses.
My readers will remember my
allusions TO some ladies' who were
button-h -holing the members and
pleading with them to vote for
prohibition, and some Of them
were so persistent that it was an.
noying, since then l have rece,v-
ed a letter from prominent mem
Der Of the Woman'S Christian
Temperance Union, and she vir-
tually repudiates the methods EN-.
pioyed by the little band Of
strangers from other States, and
with regard to the leader she has
no right to represent herself as
speaking for the Woman's Chris
tian Temperance Union, that she
rnada an effort to secure employ
ment from them. but her Servlc-
es were declined. The letter re
ceived by me is not for puollca-
tlon but in stating as much as /
horo I am S,,ra the writer OF Il