The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-01-13
ENFORCEMENT
| IOF LIQUOR Law
BLEASE HAS INTERESTING
COMMENT IN ANNUAL
MESSAGE
DEFENDS HIMSELF
Sayc His Hands Have Been Tied
BY His Political Enemies and
He Couldn't Act
DEFENDS HIMSELF

| H He Couldn't Act
K The following interesting extract
rom the governors message is print
I'd IN full as il has moro than ordinary
amount of interest locally:
Iregrct TO say to, you that conditions
l tcan4ing tn tho enforcement Of the
1 Eluskey laws are not at all favorable
\ This, however, can not be truthfully
\ latfat my door. When first came in
10 the governors Office appointed a
strcng constabulary force and began,
nnder that section of the statute which
gave me the power, to appoint good
men In every county throughout the
entire State to enforce the whiskey
traiic. But there was much bitterness
AGAINST me at that time, and, to my
surprise, 1t was manifest in county Of
hcers and in attorneys for county
boafds, and. as result, sin several
counties where l appointed these con-
stables or men to enforce these laws
when they presented their claims for
sa tries, the county boards, under the
ADVICE of their attorneys In some in
STAGES, and in other instancesiof their
own free will and accord. positively
ana fatly refused to pay the salaries
OF these constables. A test case was
lsmaae from the county of Edgefield In
S{i,R s. suprenie. court. 2 and the snnrnisar-
soExt sustained the action OF the conTi-
~ boards IN refusing to pay these
men ana the strong arm OF the law
Wss stayed, and was thus positively
preFerted from having under my abb
soiute control and direction q force
Tor the enforcement of the law. The
sheeiffs were elected by the people and
] Ind no control whatever over them
II tiis regard, save little section of
the Jaw which reads as follows:
my constable, deputy conatable,
si;s-sii 0T magistrate WHO shaii neglect.
or 8efu5e 20 perform the duties re-,
gniied By this chapter. shall be sub
tccksto auspelsion by the governor"
fliis, az / known by all men, was
or no ASSISTANCE to me. These sheriffs
we're alsVcrabic to the people and to
uleiH alone, and they could snap their
4 fingers il ny face.
When It csmc 20 the magistrates
Eho appoint tho constaD!os in the var
i3us townships, these magistrates In
gil Instances could only he named by
me by and with the advice and consent
Of the Senate. The Senate refused to
coHtirm some of my appointees. The
iresult WIS another Case in the supreme
court. The supreme court againt slis-
tainep the contention of my enemies
and 6aid that / could not apDoint any
magistrate escept under certain con-
nitions. The result Iwas that the mag
t.sstfSSsSs could also snap their fingers
e. ..a ts-e t.-e sace cs The scye.ao: A:,da ssy q,
theif constables, "Yofi obey me, and
not sthe governor" My hands were
again tied, as will be readily seen III
you gill refer to the decision in the
maglBtrates' case from the counties of
spattenburg, Anderson and Green
wood I.
Therefore, II is very unfair ana un-
Just % charge Sto me the violation. of
the so-called dispensary, or, more
pFopofly called, whiskey laws of our
State Some people hold up their
hands in horror and say, "Blind tigers
are taking the State; Blease Is not en-
forcing the law In reference TO prohi-
bition or dispensarv." All those who
re honest and truthful know and will
admit that the facts nerein set forth
are absolutely true and that my hands
have been tied by. the refusal OF coun-
ty boards to obey the law and to pay
the salaries of, the men whom I ap-
point TO enforce this law. and by the
decision of the supreme court I'm sEy-
ing that could not remove magis-
trates without the consent Of the Sem
ate or appoint them without the adj
vice and consent of'the Senate. and as
IL result i have been shorn OF my power
TO do that which would have done if
IL had not been for these antagonissic
views OF certain senators, certain
county boards, and of the supreme
eouYt. i
NY record as mayor of my home
town.. Newberry, as win be teatified
TO by even my bitterest enemies there,
will show that gave that town the
cleanest administration which she had
had In years, and there was less blind
tiger liquor sold in Newberry the year
] was mayor than has ever been sold
In the town any other year since the;
ldispensafy law was passed, and the
same would have been said of s5.;ssiii ruth
Carolina in connection with my aA-
ministration as governor II had been
allowed to appoint men to enforce THE
tGSatihued on Page Seyen.