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VOLUME L, JTUMBEB 62. , JTEWBEKEY, SOUTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 1912. TWICE A WEEK, $L?4 A YEAJL x 1 ].. , ... Gover JIL JL A Clear Statement by the Gc f1*4% A Ao??r//?Vv thf> A (tc m/0ui ^ w* ?>>v w anc? Spite I?< Following is the full text of Governor Blease's address at the Chester campaign meeting, in which he submitted his reply to the so-called "testimony" taken at the Augusta session of the dispensary commission: Fellow South Carolinians: On Friday, July 12, and on Saturday, July 13, a committee, appointed by the State legislature, commonly known as the dispensary investigating 'hpiH mpftfinp'^ in the city >..1*1 I . . 1 ,? of 'Augusta, Ga. The acts of tliat committee and the matters brought out before it have been sent broadcast over your State, and to all other parts of the United -States as well. Every daily newspaper in South Carolina,' and practically all the weekly V?o/tarried flOCOUIlts- Of XI YY OJJdr^/^X U?fV the meetings held on those two days. In a number of newspapers my name has been carried in large headlines? headllines not setting forth even the truth of the reports appearing in the papers themselves. I candidly state that I have been inclined to pay no attenfidn~to the slanders, rumors and insinuations?none of ihe matters referred to should be dignified by be- i ' * ' "?fhaf Viqx-O an- I ing styiea xuaisw i UUU MM t V v?r peared in the newspapers, as coming before this committee, but it has occurred to me that it is not me and my good name alone that are involved, but the good name and honor of the Palmetto State and her great people are also affected. As your chief executive, it is my duty to defend my State and my people; therefore, I shall, at this time and in this man- I i ner, lay bare before you the damnable conspiracy to cause che people of South Carolina to lose confidence in my lionor and to tarnish the proud name of the greatest commonwealth in the American union. On July 18, in the public prints a prominent citizen of this State, "who has been a personal frieud of Ira B. Jones, an opponent of nice in the race for governor, and who has recently been giving Mr. Jones his political support, commenting on the rot tenness of the Augusta proceedings, demanded that Mr . Jones denounce those proceedings. Presumably in reply to that demand, Mr. Jones, at the camapign meeting in Columbia on July 19, announced that he approved the.conduct and actions at Augusta. Differing from the view taken by Mr. Jones, I am now bound to give my reasons for my disapproval, that the people may pass judgment between Mr. Jones and me, and our respective opinions. My statements must necessarily be of some length, but I ask you to become informed of every word of it, remembering that it is not onetenth as long as the reports which j have appeared in the newspapers in the attempt to reflect upon your honor and mine. It is my purpose to give you facts in a plain manner?and I shall comment on those facts. My language, in some instances, must be% strong, but it is language that a gentleman can use and must use on such occasion, for the reason that no other 1? j -~u words "Will propeny uv&uiiue jjjj meaning and convey the truths I shall set forth. Powers of the Committee. First, I wish to call to your attention the power given to this dispensary investigating committee by your legislature and the duties required of it I refer you to the acts of the general assembly for the year 1912, page 1041, for the law under which this committee is supposed to be proceeding. The title of that act is as fo:lows: "An act to provide Tor. an investigation of the acts and doings of the nor Bl< So-cal wernor in Which He Shows harges," And the Malice shind Them. -State dispensary commission, and the a?ts and doings of the attorney general in connection therewith, and of the acts and doings of the committee of the general assembly appointed under a concurrent resolution of ths general assembly, dated January 31, 1905, and of the acts and doings of no,?e>svn rvy njrfimic in n/n V CLUJ VCUC1 pvi owu VI -? ?V i way connected with the affairs of the State dispensary, and ihe investigation and winding up thereof." It authorizes and empowers said committee to summons before it any person or persons they may deem proper, and to require such person or persons to answer, upon oath, any and all questions that the committee may deem relevant and may propound A- Vi . nrxl u?A/l thi f Q lltlTA LO nun l/f ludil, oxlvi u.yuu uiv or refusal of such person or persons to obey such summons or notice, or to answer such question or questions, such person or persons shall be deemed to be in contempt of the authority of said committee, and* may be imprisoned upon the order of said committee in the common jail, to be there held until he or they shall comply with the order of the said committee; and, further, that said committee shall have power to administer nec-! essary oaths, and any person who shall, after being sworn', before said committee, swear falsely, shall be deemed guilty of perjury, and, upon conviction, shall be punished as provided by law. A careful reading of the act will *how you that the title properly presses the powers given and the du-J ties required of the committee, and this committee has not, and can not have, any other powers save such powers as are delegated to it by the law-making body which gave it existence. Committee's Acts Unlawful. The committee, when it first took up its duties, although listening to much hearsay testimony and giving; much regard to mere rumors, confined tn mflttprc orm leered with the IVV UXU wu iiiVvvvv. 0 State dispensary, as specified in the law under which the committee was acting; but, later, and when the campaign for the election of State officials was opening up, the committee forgot the authority given to it and assumed to itself powers which it did not have. It began an investigation of dispensary matters not connected with the old State dispensary. It went to Charles ton and attempted to investigate matters connected with the local dispensaries of that county and the enforcement of the present dispensary law. Still later, when the campaign for governor had begun to wax warm, when the speech I had delivered at Bishopville had been read and was being read 1 by the voters of the State, tne commis! sion decided that it had the power not i only to investigate all dispensary matjters?past, present and future?but it | took upon itself, without authority of law, the right, privilege and power to investigate one certain public official and all of this official's conduct, past, present and future?that official is the governor of South Carolina. The committee not only sought nformation in regard to my alleged transactions with the dispensary system; it has not only made inquiries as to my conduct as a State senator several years ago ?but it has gone further and has attempted, and is attempting, to examine into my acts as governor of your State, especially :o matters of my approving and vetoing legislation and the matter of granting and refusing to grant pardons, paroles and commutations. Not only has this committee nothing to do with matters of executive clemency, but the general 1 > A i iase Cc " . j IW V //I 1 lied "lj J ('assembly of this State, from which | this committee was appointed, has I nothing to do with the matter of par dons, paroles and commutations. Under the constitution of this State, those things are left exclusively with the governor. Unquestionably, I could convinceyou, and I believe every lawyer of ability in South Carolina will agree with me, that the manner in which this committee has acted towards me is unlawful?and I could stop this statement with that legal showing- -1 but the question of the jurisdiction o^ the committee I shall waive, in order that the people of the State may judge as to the motives and purposes of such unlawful investigation which has been undertaken. Fetter's Motives, About 15 months ago, information | came to me that one T. B. Felder, of Atlanta, Georgia, had attempted to bribe certain officials of this State, and that he had endeavored to form a conspiracy to defraud the State and her people. Letters, written by this man, were placed with, me, showing conclusively his guilt. As your chief exe li I GOVERNOR COL cutive, it was my amy, ;t u were passible for me to do so, to have JJ"elder j placed on trial in your courts. Seek- ; | ing to carry out the law ot the State, j j I attempted to have Felder arrested, j ! Being a man of some ability, possessed j [ of considerable wealth, connected with ! | certain influences and interests in the j | State of Georgia, supported by some j j men in South Carolina who hated me i | more than they loved tneir State, be-1 jing unscrupulous, in his methods, j j knowing that he was guilty of the j [charges that I had brought against j j him and fearing to face an honest j *"" - *? ? j.J j South Carolina jury, reicer evaueu j j arrest and has continuously since re- i mained a fugitive from the justice of this State. Thinking to justify the criminal course he has pursued and was pursuing, at the same time endeavoring to prepare himself to meet the issue if I ever succeeded in placing him in the dock, from his office in Atlanta Felder began to issue vituperation against me and the people of ?outh Carolina who had chosen me to the high office I hold. Hie filthy slanders were distyIowith gTpnf oriee ky, the news I ^ricvj ov*. ?? o- ~ w ~ ? ! paper combination that lias been, and l >mplet psfimm 4? ? Is yet, seeking to deprive me of the place of leadership I occupy with the citizens of this State. Threats That Were Jokes. Felder knew, as the whole world fnew, that the majority of the memers of your general assembly were opposed to me and my administration, this opposition mainly due to the fact that I attempted to stay the hand of that legislature which was continuously taking from the pockets of the taxpayers of the State their money to bestow it in an extravagant and wasteful manner. This creature threatened loudly to have me impeached and proclaimed that he would give to that inimical legislature a "book" revealing what he termed to be "the crimes of Gov. Blease." The legislature met and remained in session for 40 days. "Pelder's book" became a joke, and rhnsA nAwsnanftr editors and mv other prejudiced political enemies, who were vaiting with impatience for me to be driven from the office you entrusted to my care, wore sore expressions on their faces and had to confess that their one-time hero was a liar and a bluffer, and that Gov. Blease was an iE. L. BLEASE. honest and upright official. But, th9 slanderous eruptions from the impure mind, foul mouth and slanderous pen of Tom Felder continued?and he anthat hp annear before ilWUUWU ,, _ -A- fc the legislative committee in the State of South Carolina a ad give the facts and letters to show that I had had corrupt dealings with the old State dispensary. This appearance he put off from time to time, his action being sanctioned by the committee, and he has up to this time, so far as I am informed, not even paid your Staie a visit. Plenty of Money aad Scoundrels. In the meantime, having determined to make some kind of "showing," and having been urged on by my enemies, and knowing that he had notaing, and -rat nrkthinp-. that WOO1.! be to WU1U my discredit, either as a man or as an official, Felder hit upon the plan of "making a case" against 1112 ev^n it he had to resort to bribery and perjury. He called to his assistance William J. Burns and his associates, who are private detectives and are always on the lookout for the dishonorable task of blackening the good reputation of ! some honest man or woman and blackI ely Ref m e i ny or j mailing even, their own employers. This crew of Fetter's was put to work in South. Carolina; they had instructions to dig back into my past; to trail my footsteps and the footsteps of my relatives and friends;. to inquire of every man with whom I had had business, as an individual or as an official, in their endeavors to find something wrong or ungentlemanly that I had done, and their instructions went further, that if no wrong could be found, then to make it appear that wrong had been found. Huge sums of money were given these sleuths?Felder himself admitting under oath (if his oath be worth anything) that he gave one of these men at one time the sum of $2,000; and the Atlanta Journal, as will appear from its morning edition of July 16, is authority for the statement that the "investigations" made by Felder and his joAef Viirri hA? UCIWUVCS ua?c an cwu/ vvwv uuu w tween $15,000 and $20,000. The Gallant Body Guard* After my speech at Bishopville, when it was seen that the people of South Carolina would reject me to the office of governor, this Felder, the legislative committee which was bowing to his every whim, and a number of my political enemies, in their desperation, decided that it would be b&t to bring to th? attention o?-tke people, the result of their cOjfc^mptitJte'.ttnr; ?J i.1. - J- ?? J + T^V? /VTT T?AO_ dirty meuiuus auu uiat.cio. mvj lized that something had :o be done to counteract the ^ strong wave which, from the mountains to the seacoast, was rolling me once more into the leadership of my people. But Felder ;and his detectives would not come to South Carolina. The excuse of this coward for his refusal to come across the Savannah river was tnat ne reared I would have him killed. This man,' who for so long has proclaimed his bravery, with an array of henchmen and thugs to protect him, admitted his fear to come into the peaceable State of South Carolina, even in the open daylight, although he knew as all of you knew, that I did not attend the meeting's of the committee, and that I had not sent and would not send any one to represent me before it. Felder termed all my friends and supporters ]as assassins and cutthroats; he made no appeal for protection; ir ne naa done so, I should gladly have given it to him and would, with pleasure, have appointed as an escort of honor and, bodyguard those brave men H. B. Car- | lisle, G. W. Sullivan, J. H. Clifton, F. M. Cary and J. J. Evans, and of this gallant company I would have made W. F. Stevenson (commonly known as "Seaboard Bill") the captain. I am sure that these six men. ?could have protected their friend, "Colonel" Felder, and had they failed in their efforts and had he been assassinated, it would have happened that the proper number of his best friends were present to have become pallbearers. In the past few days, and since he went before the committee at Augusta, one of Felder's famous detectives, the man who the newspapers say followed a daring kidnaper into the "bad lands" of Dakota, has admitted also that he fears assassination in your State. Some may regret that this daring detective has made this confession, but I, for one. am glad, because it may tend to discourage the custom of the youths of our State r:o rPAd. with joy, the daring acts and courage of "Nick Carter." Felder Crowd Afraid. So, the obliging committee of the South Carolina general assembly, anxious to get "something" that would put me "in a hole," concluded that 'if the mountain would not come to Mahomet, Mahomet would go to the mountain," and they left your fair land and went to Augusta, in a foreign State, at your expense to the tune of $5 per day each, to sit with wide-open ears and search- j ing eyes, to hear and 'see such revela % iites r elder tions as they hoped would blacken the name of your governor, although it di? graced their own State. Now, I want to uncloak this committee of Fetter's; I want you people to know that, in addition to Folder's fears of coming to your State, because of the bribery charges against him here, he had another cause for not comiftg; I wish you to know why this committee of South Carolinians, m&representativeiB of the honest citizenship of your State, were willing to trail the dignity of our commonwealth in the dust at the bidding of a bribe-taker and perjurer, and this is the reason?any testimony giv? r\f "hie hAn/'hmfln CU UJ ? QXUCi VI 04i^ V*. ? _ before that committee in the State of Georgia, however false and without foundation, would not subject the man so swearing to prosecution for perjury. Perjury is a serious crime under the laws of our State; a conviction of it results in imprisonment at hard labor, without the alternative of a fine. Felder knew that he and his hirelings were going to swear to outrageous falsehoods, and the fact of their being falsehoods could be established without question. He knew that a jury of South Carolinians would convict any man proved guilty of fal3ely swearing away or attempting to swear away the good reputation of an honest man. This vile creature and this commitlawyers, knew that Felder and his gang' could testify to anything they desired to swear to at Augusta and go free of the punishment for perjury, because that committee, acting under the apwnhnoTit of a* South Carolina body and under South' Carolina laws, was not recognized by the la^s of the State of Georgia, and that committee could not compel any person to appear beIfore it1 in Augusta, had no power in that State to punish for contempt, and no power under the laws of Georgia to administer an oath and no power to bring a prosecution in that State for false swearing. I wish to remind you that,,accord- ' ing to the Columbia State, Felder was represented at the Augusta hearing by "seven able and prominent lawyers of the State of Georgia." It took not only the South Carolina lawyers who were present as members of that committee, and W. F. Stevenson, of Cheraw, (the leader of the Jones faction in the last session of the general assembly), but Felder, although a lawyer himself, had to have the assistance of seven other lawyers, before a friendly committee, to help him bring out his malicious and dirty fabrications. Taking Up ^Charges" Separately. But what did Felder, his detectives, his lawyers and his committee do and say in Augusta? These are the matters which for several days you had displayed before you and which I snail now answer to the complete vindication of my own good name?if you have any doubt as to my good name? and to the vindication of the honor of the tSate we love. I have not a copy of the testimony or pretended testimony taken before the committee; this testimony has not yet .been filed with the secretary of state. I must taie the charges and insinuations made by Felder from the . newspapers. I have concluded to' I quote them from the Columbia State, I for I am sure none of you will feel I that that paper has misquoted any- I thing or done anything that.would be | Kanofit onH in minting from the I IAJ 1X1 jr a^v> i- w ? acts of this newspaper I wish you .1 also bear in mind that those reports ^ were written by one Joe Sparks, and S that Sparks is the man whom I order- I ed out of the governor's office last year because of his wilful misrepre sentations of me. \ it is a hard task to cover evei*y- B thing mentioned in all the stuff print- I pT./->rr> PoMpr Grid hi? associates, it H tru. ixviu a w?_ -? ? (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4.) J