Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-08-06

IWlSt II anu TURN IL as you please, a.
between Messrs. Featherstone and Nc
Leod; but there is no question Of tn,
fact that while Mr.. Featherstone wa!
ination with all the power he could
bring to bear, MT. Mcleod stood fol
this same dispensary abomination q:
the best solution OF the liquor question
And at that time everybody knew how
rotten the dispensary abomination was
They knew virtually as much about Il
then as they do now.
[Yorkville Enquirer. August 8, 1901
An Incident Of 1898.
In view of the timeliness of such in.
formation just now, we have been TAX
of the campaign of 1898, in which Mr.
c. c. Featherstone came within about
four thousand five hundred votes OF
being elected governor, and we have
come across some facts that are well
worth the consideration of those who
were too young to appreciate them at
the time of their occurrence or who
may have forgotten them.
| The candidates that year were: W.
H. Ellerbe. r. B. Watson, George D.
Tillman, E. L. Archer, G. Walt Whit
man, o. L. Schumpert and c. c. Feath-
erstone, all for the dispensary as "the
best solution Of the liquor question:
except Mr.. Featherstone, who stood for
straight-out prohibition.
| The state dispensary was at that
time at the zenith Of it's power The
people Of the state knew 1t was rotten
to the core; but factional politics was
still running strong, and the shrewd
manipulators who were literally SWIM
ming in graft, were still able to pull
| the wool over the eyes of the honest,
but misguided thousands who kept
| them in the saddle.
The Columbia State, established for
| the purpose of opposing Tillman and
Tillmanism had, after bitter fight of
eight years, lost out financially until 1t
had become a question one day as to
whether 1t would make its appearance
the next, and had drifted into kind
Of administration organ. 1t had be-
come very friendly to Governor Eller-
be, more so than it had been to any
previous governor, and during the first
part Of the campaign on up until few
| days before the first primary, conduct
ed itself in a way to leave doubt as to
just where it stood, although the COM
mon presumption was that 1t was
shipping for Ellerbe.
In the issue Of The Enquirer for Au-
gust 27, 1898. just three days before
the first primary, we find the following,
which explains itself:
The Columbia State has come out
openly for Governor Ellerbe and all
the other papers are saying, Il told
you so.'
In the first primary election there
was cast a total of 77,793 votes, Of
which Ellerbe received 30,101, and
Featherstone 1882. The remaining
29,S71 votes went to the other candi-
dates.
A few days before the second pri-
mary, the Columbia State made a
strong, personal appeal to the voters
to support Mr.. Ellerbe. There were no
arguments in the appeal and no rea-
sons. 1t was put on the ground that
the state had absolute assurance that
this was the best thing to be done un-
der the circumstances. 1t vehemently
begged its friends to have confidence
in it, and promised to explain the
whole matter to their satisfaction la
ter on.
In the election Immediately follow
ing, the vote stood 37,723 for Ellerbe,
and 1921 for Featherstone, major
ity of 4.452 for Ellerbe.
AS soon as results became known, the
State began to brag Of its achievement,
taking entire credit for the whole
thing; but did not yet give the people,
whose votes it may have influenced,
any intimation as to what they were
voting for.
OF course the thing leaked out. prob
ably in private conversation, for in the
issue of The Enquirer OF September 21,
1898, we find the following:
1T is still being maintained as a fact
that in order to secure the support Of
certain elements in the second pri-
mary, Governor Ellerbe pledged him
self to recommend local option bill to
the general assembly. The Columbia
Record claims that this fact can be
sustained by affidavits, and says that
although it has no proof. it has reason
to believe that the governor committed
his pledge to writing. The thing Is in
teresting and we will watch for FUR
ther developments"
There were no further developments
until the cdnvening of the general as
sembly in the following January, when
Governor Ellerbe sent in a message
upholding the state dispensary and
containing recommendation that were
intended to still more securely faster
that institution on the poor whisky
ridden state.
The Columbia State now came out
in an editorial setting forth how
its ante election appeal had been made,
because of a written pledge from Ell
lerbe, to the effect that he would rec
ommend a local option law to the leg
islature, and bitterly denouncing the
governor as liar, totally unworthy OF
public confidence. In conclusion the
State humbly resigned itself to the
iibes and jeers of friends and foes
alike; but promised that 1t would new
er be caught in the same trap again.
Governor Ellerbe died short time
after that, and many people believed
that his death was fastened by this re-
proachful incident.
The State was also severely criti-
cised because Of the incident There
were those who held that not only was
the secret trade wrong on Its face;
but in its appeal to people generally to
vote for Ellerbe on its promise to ex-
plain the matter to their satisfaction
it deceived many of its loyal friends,
and supporters who were not willing
to support either the dispensary or To-
cal option; but who were brought to
hesitation about Featherstone on the
assumption that possibly the State had
some good reason other than politics
why he should not be elected govern
or
The plain truth about the whole bus
mess is, that it was bunco game on
the part of both Ellerbe and the CO.
lumbia State, and without much preju-
dice to either party, Prohibitionists
were rather inclined to rejoice at the
States discontinue.
l[YOrkville Enquirer, August Is, 1911
| "The Next Campaign"
AS we said at the time, that was an
able and interesting editorial that we
recently reproduced from the News
and Courier under the caption of
Wanted: A Leader" There was
much depth and breadth in it through
out. and we approved it most heartily:
Ibut we are not in such close accord
with our esteemed contemporary and
very dear friend as to the second In
stallment republished elsewhere under
the heading of THE Next Campaign.
because this last deliverance looks too
much as if its purpose were, wanted
Our Leader"
The Enquirer is profoundly impress
ed with the fact that If this state needs
one thing more than another, it is
strong, able, capable political leader;
but when we say leader" leader Is
what we mean. The situation Is not to