Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Large Crowd i Applauds B He Stands by His Pomaria S Speech?The Only Longressma t ? The State. Filbert, Aug. 2.?A gathering 01 t probably 4,UuO persons attracted by the annual Filbert picnic furnished z.u. audience lor a heated speech by Former Gov. Cole L. Blease here today, in which he said the United States should never have entered the war, proposed an immediate referendum in this State on the question of war, declared that he was not afraid Of JAoodrOw Wilson, uenounueu iuc recent meeting of the State council of defense as a cover tor partisan politics, and spoke abusively of Governor Planning and David R. Coker of Hartsville, chairman of the committee. At the end of the speech he took a hand primary on the question of how the audience would have voted if they had been in congress when war was declared. Not a single hand was recorded in favor of war; probably 2, OOO went up in favor 01 no wu. Previous to Mr. Bleases speech W. P. Stevenson, congressman from the Fifth District, made an informing and business like address on the issues raised for the farmer by war conditions. Mr. Stevenson strongly asserted the bravery and patriotism of r South Carolinians, who would not, he said, submit to German domination and murder on the high seas. I He predicted a tumble in the price of fertilizers when the Smith bill for the importation of nitrate of soda be - x?^l (came a law. He thought it essentia* that the bill should pass because of the admitted necessity of increasing our crops this year to the limit. He pointed out the value of government cotton graders to cotton growing communities, citing Charlotte, where the appointment of a government grader has increased the value of cotton crop sold there by 90 cents a bale. Such a * J -L- wfc/vio prnn in | saving appnea iu UUC WUVAV v. V1, L. South Carolina would mean an inP creased value of 12,000,000 every year. I "What would become of us if we I were cut off from the cotton markets j of the world?" said Mr. Stevenson. "Remember September, 1914. The reason we got six cents a pound that year was because we had no sfiips to send * " 1 " Vr StAVfln our crop to Laverjwui. * iUl Www - son said that although the farmers are now getting 25 cents a pound, they could get more because before the war the freight to Liverpool was $ a3 bale, and now it is $15 a bale. The farmers paid the price of America's lack lor a merchant marine and interruption of ocean transpoiation. "The United States is now putting on the v- high seas a fleet superior to any that > any country has ever put there ber-fore," declared Mr. -Stevenson. He said that he believed Mr. Denman was -!-V4 r&prvnt disDute with Gen ngui, xjli uio A w ? (L era] Goethals because General Goe^ thals wanted to give an option to the builders of the new American merchant marine on the gOTernment dock k yards that are being erected, and Mr Denman opposed this move. :No Apology for Murder. "But if we have the fleet, what about getting it across?" queried Mr. I v Stevenson. "The high seas should * -u- I * the big road from York L IA? AO v - w to Clover. That principle has always gja been recognized and we can not yield BHk it. No nation shall direct us where B Awe can send our ships; none shall I Strangle our trade. If they do the men I- PI the field will be the Srst to pay HH^Ajnerican ships are American terries tory, and the man who sends a tor pedo into one is as guilty of the murder of women and children as if he Bp unloosed it in this crowd. I see bo need of discussing fine spun theories B-^about democracy. If you submit to a III barred zone, you submit to a three mile limit. Germany said that we ^^^pould use one English port one day (Fin the week. You couldn't deliver the i crops of South Carolina alone into jbhat port. Our very independence was [ threatened. If anybody across the r water supposes that Southern people k are going to run away from a fight ^he has another . think coming. My f forefathers and yours, Scotch-Irish settlers of this community, shed their blood over yonder on old Kings' Mountain for this very principle. May Tve rise above contention, and mold ourselves into th^ same spirit of fellowship and union that we may accommodate our purpose in the presetA T??r in t'lo s?.me way as then." When Mr. Blease appeared he w\as greeted by scattering yells, and he be% I gan with vigor : "I am proud of being 3T? American citizen, I am proad pi being a South Caroliniafi, I am! j^ud to come from a country wb^re Hears and i t lease at Filbert i i speech and Repeats the Same Other Speaker Was n Stevenson. ! jfree speech is still allowed." Hej ! charged that when the war began; J Governor Manning appointed no one' i but his friends as officers in the National Guard. He described his trip j to Washington to protest against the j | appointment on the exemption boards, j i "They tried to get all the 'Reform' j boys they could to send to France," J he said, "and when they get there j they will march behind men who arej j their political opponents, men who | , hate me and would send me to hell j | tonight if they thought they could get ' away with it, men who care not a i continental whether your boy ever j gets back or not. They are sent by ' a man who swore, as governor, to; "? e J ? r*r\TT ! 1 KnOW HO LcLCUOUaus-uj, <tuu uc a j ! ernor of all the people." - Mr: Blease said that the State ex; emption boards were properly appointed, and that an appeal to them would bring justice. "In Columbia day before yesterdey." j he said, "there met a solemn board in t ! ! which they should have laid aside petty politics because they were dealing with the lives of your hoys. The; leader look up all the time with a concocted scheme, whereby he de: nounced me, and wishes to walk over i the dead bodies of your sons to the j fCnited States senate, or to the govern, ors office," referring to "Dare Coker i j of Hartsville." ! "Dick Manning is. the worst gover-i : nor the State ever had, worse than j ' S?ott, Chamberlain or Moses, because! they only stole money, but he is try-| | ing to steal the bodies and souls of, j your boys." i Mr. Blease then read a portion of: | his speech delivered in Pomaria on j Friday in which he said that he could j ; find no reason for the war, and would j if he had the power, displace every I man who voted for war. "To show! ; you that I am not afraid I repeat that i agra*'** back to you, and stand by ft." He read extracts from the opinio* of i Chief Justice John Marshall in the 1 case of Aaron Burr doming treason ! "If Dave Coker, or Dick Manning, or any man says that I have been guilty : of treason he is a liar and a puppy." Not Afraid of WBson. "I am not afraid of Woodrow Wil-j ! son. if he is president. Jesus taught! : peace and I stand by Him. I 'would j ! rather be for Jesus than for Woodrow; j Wilson. I don't see how churches1 1 can be Christian and indorse war. I believe tha money tiae corrupted the churches. If that is treason, let it bo' i ;terason. I am at 1413 Washington ^ | Street, Columbia, if they want to in! die* me." Mr. Blease praised F. H. Dominick. : congressman from tte Third District i for his vote against war. and he said: that his district was solidly behind! I him as a result. "It was a vote to save. I | the bodies of your boys from torture; ^ in France." he said. "I am not for' ; war: I wouldn't care what kind of. t American thare was if I. had to be; | dead and under the ground." Mr. Blease said that he believed ; the people had a right to assemble j peaceably, discuss and take a vote van r if t.hev wished. He . Ob- i ' ** ~ y J ' jected to food being sent abroad, i "Don't feed the other folks' baby when j : your own is starring," he said. He \ j asserted that he was not speaking for | a party or organization but only his! J personal convictions. Ho predicted, i that only ten in a hundred of the j mem who went to France from this | State would return alire, and mo9t, ! of those that did return, be fcbonght j I would be horribly maimed, j He issued a challenge to Senator B j j D. Smith and Senator B. R. Tillman 1 ( ! to resign with the understanding that: ; the 6tate Democratic committee j should order a "primary at once whea j ; he with a running mate on a platform i I of peace, should oppose the frncum-1 ; han>o *\r> a T>ia+form of war. "If we i J don't win I will never appear in Sor h I i Carolina politics again," he declared, i i j j The meeting was presided over bv! John E. Carroll, county superintend- j ent of education. The Rer. Andrew j | Barry, a Baptist minister of Filbert.! | offered prayer. Thomas J. Heffin, oon- j gressman from Alabama, who was I scheduled to six*ak, w^as detained in Washintgon. Music furntshed by the Tirzah band, S. R. Moore, leader, j J. S. D. j ? I Charleston American. Columbia, A?g. 2.?Thousands of i South Carolina Democrats from that j I section of the SHate, and hundred? ! from other sectio?3, assembled at j Filbert, in York county, today for ths ; i big political picnic wh>ch for the !'<i l several years has annually drawn I-rc^ably the largest crowd which assembles in South Carolina to hear discussion of is lies. It is impossible to estimate with any degree of accuracy the size of the crowd which ass em Mud there today. There were 02 tween S.OOO and lu.OOft people on the grounds. The speech of former Gov? r?;>r Blease was the center of interest. He t.vday answered the criticism a* the Tuesday meeting of the State council of defense in regard to his w famous Pomaria speech.' which 1..3 first published in Sunday's Charleston American. He denounced Chairman Coker of the State council; Governor Manning, Dr. George R Cromer, of Newberry, and dared them to allow the people to pass upon this issue. Reiterating the remarks which he made at Pomaria. he said that any man saying he was not a loyal American citizen was a contemptible liar, that he had been opposed to this country entering the war and thought that it ought to be brought to the speediest successful conclusion possible. Hand Primary. Ho took a hand primary, as he did at Pomaria, upon ?he request whether his audience would have voted for the declaration of war and would now vote for peace. "All of you who would have voted for war. hold up your hands," he asked. A couple of hands went up, but those who raised them told him a moment later they had misunderstood h^'s question. "All of you who would have voted against the war. and would now vote for peace, u^u .1 ~ 'hunHQ " hp asked. There 1IV1U Up UU 4 UUUV.M, was a spontaneous raising of hands all over the big audience. "Tlie Worst <*o vernon'' Mr. Blease discussed State politics, and denounced Governor Manning in bitter terms as the worst governor South Carolina has ever had. Throughout his address, the speaker aroused enthusiasm among the crowd, avi was given a splendid reception. The only other speaker during the morn ? C'iAWAno/m nf ing wa-s "congress ma u oicucuouu, the Fifth district. The meeting was presided over by Mr. John E. Carroll, county superintendent of education. The first speaker was Mr. Steveneon, who gave an account of his stewardship. He said he was not going to talk politics today, that he was going to talk business and he entered upon the discussion and explanation of a number of measures before congress and their relation to the South. He devoted a considerable porting nf his address to the status of ootton, and the necessity for measures which wonid insure to the southern cotton farmers correct grades upon government standards and a price which would be fixed by the real value of the cotton. He believed that hereafter the government would be prepared to send coton to any nation of the earth. "If the government in 1914 had had the ghipe/ he said, "you wouldn't have had any trouble with your cotton. The high seas," he urged, "must be made as free to American ships as is the road from York to Clover for bugand nntnmohilfig." feico WUU w. w w No Nation Shall Dictate. Neither England nor Germany nor France, nor any other nation shall in the future dictate to the United States in this regard. The man who sent a torpedo into an American ship was sending a torpedo into American territory just as surely as if it were fired into this crowd today. ''We are at war because the very foundation of American independence was threatened," ho said. "It has got to the X 1 >,0^ pomi TTit^rt? "uu > rights, or tamely submit like China and be wiped ont from the nations of the earth that amount to anything." Whatever happens, we must all stand for America and sustain the armies and the government, but he was not here to say that every act of the government had been or would be right. He was applauded when he stated his position that congress was right i* refusing to allow men below the voting age to be conscripted. Ote L. IHease. Former Governor Blease began by saying: "1 am pro 3d that I am an American citizen, I am prond that I am a South ohoTP that I fl.m proud \jarimuran, that tke framers of this great constitution wrote into oar fundamental law that the right of free speecn should never be abridged. "A few months ago began the most outrageous method of organizing a militia in this State that has ever been known in the history of the world, a system inaugurated by a man who had stood upon the State house steps and " J 1 r\y nt swore that he wouia oe gu?ciuui all the people and know no faction, and yet he refused to the National Guard of this State the selecti m of their own officers, and when your boys were called to 2:0 forward to sacrifice their lives for their State and nation, that man refused and failed to a&point any man to office over them' i 1 - - - 1 r I except one of his political henchmen."' Manning's Eril Dc ijrn. ! I He referred to the fight made by the * Reform party for representation ou | the registration and exemption boards i and congratulated Congressman Stev-j . onson uj on the stand he had taken; when the Reform committee was in, Washington in t'avcr of giving both' i factions in this State a fair represen-i j tation. But Manning, said the speak-1 , er, "used every power he could to send the Reform boys of this State in-? , to the trenches under the command of political opponents. caring nothing, nothing for the lives of these boys. Shameless Partisanship, j "Most of the local conscription , boards in Sopth Carolina," he con-; ; tinued, "as a result of Manning's rec-i | ommendations, are composed of those j who hate bitterly the laboring element j who are reformers, who hate you and. jhate me. X'nion county, a reform | county, has the distinction of not hav-i . ing had to furnish a man under the j draft, and yet Captain J. Frost Walk-. i er, Jr., of Union had been held down !: nthe matter of promotions simply be- i s cause Walker is a member of the Re-! ] form party. Manning has shown by i his actions that he is both a coward j and a liar, and I defy him to meet me, on the public rostrum and discuss this; j maler ,or indict m ' and give me an j ,j opportunity to show up his true char-j 1 1 : acter. We have good federal e\emp-j | tion boards," he continued, "and T be-1 lieve you can get justice before your: district boards if you will go before; them in the proper manner and show; them where injustice has been done." j State Council of Defense, i Referring to his Fomaria speech. he: j said that he meant every word of it! ' and was going to state most every: 3 -f -J* "T^OV tvof/ITF* WOTU Ul it lie: c ivrua;. yesterday a solemn board met in Co! J ! lumbia on a solemn duty, the State j , council of defense, men who above all j others ought to have laid aside petty! "oMtirs. nrd thrre. 5ri the ^iTnni^v o* j ! ' ' ' - ; , that occasion the leaderof that bodvj with a convicted shame, had to take j | up an hour of his time trying to prove j ! that Blease was not true to South: ' Carolina, hut hat he who wants to, j walk over the dead bodies of your j j boys into the governor's office or the, I United States senate is the only man j i looking after your interests. : Biteriy denouncing the governor, he ' ' said: "Tomorrow at 12 o'clock I will: I be in my office, and if there is anyt i convenient place where he wants to j see me, I will be delighted to see him,! I unless he should name the governor's office or the mansion." < f ' Repeating his Pomaria utterances, he uaid: wIf Coker or (Manning or Cromer or any other man says I am - not as good an American as he 'is, or: that T have been guilty of a single, ftrasonable act or uterance against | my country, he is a contemptible liar. Cant Seal Another Election. 1 "They attack me behind my back. I but I am fully able to take care of j 1 myself. I was governor for four years I and was elected again last year, when i they stole the election, and everybody know:s they stole it, but on the is- j eues. which I am now standing, though j I am not now a candidate for any of-1 fice and do not profess to be speak-> ing for anybory but myself person-1 I nally. they themselves realize they j I have gone so far that they can't steal i | another one.'' Tillman and Smith Jio Good. i "H they want to fight Blease on this , fcsue let Tillman and Smith resign and ' coire uot in the open and let me and j a running mate oppose them, and if I ' dcnr/ beat them I will never again! 1 open my mouth on a public rosturm I . ; in South Carolina. j j "I xas opposed to ?this war when it i T'as declared, and still believe that j America should have peace and not j j war. though, as stated in my Pomaria | 6peer\ T believe that r every re- j I source should now be brouVUi ic? bear to bring this war to the speediest suc: cessful conclusion." ) Oh! These Taxes! He referred to the burden of taxaj tion under which the people are lab| orirg as the result of the exorbitant * " ? 1 !n- -? ? Ttrw-?n thprr> appropriation oms impu?cu. by the present administration, and to oher local State issues and at the t conclusion of his address he took the ^ hand primary referred to. ! DISTRICT OF4RD j AT CAMT SEYIER; I j By Jesse S. Cottrell. I nr? 2.?General; | Mann, chief of the militia division of I the war department, today announced, I that the Third regiment of infantry of; (the National Guard of the District ofj | Columbia, now in camp at Fort Myer.; j Va.. will he sent, to Camp Sevier, at: | Greenville, S. C., and brigaded with | (two regiments of infantry of the National Guard of South Carolina. The! | rrmaining units of the district Na-' j tional Guard, except the batteries of j Coast artillery assigned to station at Fort Washington, Md.. and embracing all organizations in camp at P. 'terson i f Park, will go to Camp McCIelian, at j Anniston, Ala. With he troops of N'ew Jersey, Delaware. Maryland and Virginia,they | will comprise the original eighth di-i I vision temporarily commanded by! Brigadier -General Barber, of the Ne .v ; Jersey National Guard. General Harrey. r ne division ai ureenvme, o. i,., | originally the ninth division, in addi-j lion to the Third infantrv, district i ? Xational Guard, will consist of trooos! * i or Tennessee and North and South j Carolina. General Harvey may com-j mand. An interesting feature of the new orders to the Tihrd district infantry is the fact that it makes possible the assignments of Brigadier General Harvey commanding the dis-1 trict National Guard, to the command j of the brigade at Greenville, of which it will form a part. General Mann declined to comment on that feature of the matter but admitted that General Harvey was available for that command and would not have to compete with an officer of similar rank in the South -Carolina contingent completing the brigade. RED CROSS WILL TAKE j REAL TO H OF HOtfE TO SA3DIIE 15 FRANCE By Milton Bronner. Washington, August 1.?"The first money from the $100,000,000 Red Cross fund will provide for the comfort and well being of American soldiers. in Prance and in this countrv The army and navy will do their part, j but the Red Cross must supplement! their preparations." Henry P. Davidson, Red Cross war council chairman told me this when; I asked him his organization first j big job. "The Red Cross has an eye to the j tremendous demands a really big j American army in France will make, j Just one example. Red Cross sup-; plies used to get across tne ocean; somehow anyhow. Space was found on crowded ships. Through the generous cooperation of commercial j steamship lines and foreign transport' service all of the needed space has ; now been provided. But more thanj this?through President Wilson's personal interest and the cooperation of the shipping board, the additional! space will be provided when needed. "Wnen ?tea orcras supplier atk c iauu ed they will not clutter up the already overtaxed French railway lines. The Rerl Cros9 will hare its own land service?huge motor trucks using the splendid French 'military roads. It has already bought a fleet of motor i An Ambition an I T 'pHE needs of the South are id / of the Sootheta Railwxy: the growt I Ir tbc upbuilding of the other. q> yf ' * Tbc Southern Railway asks ao fart ([ L , accorded to others, \ I ' 4 Tbc ambition of the Southern Raih Y ? aniiy of interest that is born of co-open f * the railroads; to see perfected that fair an I ' sne.it of railroad:) which invites the i I arencies; to realize that liberality of tn to obtain the additional capital needed fbi j enlarged facilities incident to tbc dmu I service; and. aaally? J To take ks niche is the body pofit f other freat industries, with no more, be j Etfbcs and equal opportunities. ^3-^ 4 4 The Southern Serv *Soiithern*Rai SIMf'jWP A without a punctun . m$ tional, but the ordi MWdf. - if': owners who have subst 9M'y:Wm treacherous and expen M&k. ' agents for ESSEN KAY, we in Irini service at Positively assure U: ?Ml jjpil immi ESSENKAV absolutely | :'j slow leaks?doubles ,lhe lift relieves your mind of all w SmilJmm from the constant drawbacks; Wl I rou nothing to investigate. , willjj A Catt < * Write for free bookl E6sJe H-M 518 ^ tiiicks in Cleveland. We expect eventually to have many hundreds. Thes? will carry our supplies from the French ports to troop depots. "The Red Cross already has Maj. Grayson M. P. Murphy at work i* France with a force. Hospitals manned with Red Cross units are in service?the first units to carry the American flag to the front. "But. just as important, the Red Cross and the Y. M. C. A, a re arranging recreation centers. When English Tommies get a furlough they can run over to England. The Frenck Poilu can go home. "But our Sammies can't. Weil, ws want to arrange so that they can come to Paris, for instance, get a room ia a club house, with baths and clean beds, see American newspapers and magazines, a * .:]' have the feel of homa. "The Rec Cross is going to look after our n."n in the tmches too. We recently naie a prellr. nary purchase of one million pounds o* wool yarn. Tied Cross chapters will 'mifc this to sweaters and milter-. Crosr workers are prepar!n~ mill' .n comfort kitsi for ouj boys. Ea' *< coi-ia close to $2.00. " f American oantonrrents, the Red Cro^o will be on the job. We wir have warehouses at e?r-'i, with supplies of i'-anlcets. etc. We will work there. tr\ with the Y. -I. C. A., in n*Air?^in rri'TMtinn r>pn* ^ Wyr TT* piVV lUlii I I V ( WW ? V/. ? . stance, '"own -it Fort Og'-'-thorpe we have al:- uiy provided a swimming pool an'" a home for cn .valescents. There w:" Ve^a hundred *'-.ings Uncle Sam doesn't do. that we shall try to do." Reca*-V<! Old Basrhi.il Day^ Mr. J( >n Richter an '. Mr. Norwood of r?een wood rren* Sunday in the city '"ith Mr. ?ii Mrs. W. C. Waldrop. Mr. Ritche- !io was a star base l i ! player year6 ago when Chie.' Crews fhat gang slammed thr? 'iorse-Ll:> ?'1 ^rouni Garlinr.on's pasture and el? :'herc, recalled the games played during iiis time and inquired about all the old players with whom he used to associate. "Big John" as the oldtimers here recall him, is or-er mx feet tall and in his prime wjus oaa of the speediest pitchers ever seen in these parts.?Laurens Adrrertteer. JNO. OOO This it ft prescription prepared tsperitly for MALARIA or CHILLS & FEVER. Five or six dotes will break any cue, cod if taken then as a tonic the Fever will aot return. It acts on the liver better than Calomel and does not gripe or sicken. 2Sc d a Record it V* lentical with the needs { S\ \ li asd floot?f tee BOM | \ J **?no wpecal jrinierc ace j ray Company is to tec that? toon bawuui thepebfcand I i frank policy ia tbc Einazrr- j confidence of foverameaul V axment wtucfc wiK eist&le k - tbcaoqmsdoc of beacr aoa A tod lor iacxeued icd beoer y J ic of ibe Sonth ztoofade </ y X TBitb cgoal Ubcnxi. c*mi S ?s tine So?th?^ Iway $ System s? No "Blowouts" miles from one set of casings e or 4 'blowout"! This is not excepnary experience of thousands of car ituted ESSENKAY Tire Filler for the sive inner air tubes. As exclusive stall it in your tires and eive you personal ;s you freedom from tire troubles of any kind. prevents punctures, "blowouts" or 5 of yc?ur casinss?cuts xpense in half? orry?makes motoring a real pleasure free if the eld-style inner air fjbe way. It coeto Do it today/ Will Convince YoaS let explaining our Ten Days Free ial Proposition. 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