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"WHATSOEVER A MAN SOWETH THAT SHALL HE ALSO REAP." COLE. L. BLEASE Lawyer ^ Columbia, S. C. August 1st, 1919. Col. Elbert H. Aull, Editor, Newberry Herald and News Newberry, S. C. Mv Dear Col.? I noticed your editorial of $he 1st. inst. and thought that you would do me the justice of printing my platform and general announcement as found in the Charleston American and the Camp Jackson Jacksonian; ? in your next issue so as to let the readers of your paper see that you were very much in error or very much misinformed as to my position the 7th district congressional race, i (For fear that you may have over" looked it, I am enclosing one to you with this. There is a vast difference between a man or set of men going into a ; primary or convention and when ' beat bolting and men who do not take j part in the proceedings of such con- j vention or primary. The Haskeilites went into the i ? - AAA / T * Democratic convention 01 i?yu u was there), and when they were routed and defeated bolted and put up an independent ticket, that was I wrong, when they went in, they should have taken their medicine and acted fike men and supported the nominees of the party. Now the same as to the Palmer and j Buckner crowd when they bolted the j Democratic ticket and voted against the nominees for president, they too j ? should ' have taken their medicine,! ^ just as I took mine in 1914, 1916, j and 1918, when I was robbed, either J by coercion, intimidation or pur-! chase of voters as you well know and every white man in the State knows. \ Now, I am not bolting, nor appeal- j y ing to any race or political prejudice, j nor trying to divide the white people,! but simply standing by what I be-1 lieve to be for the best interest of j the laboring people of this district, j if they do not agree with me I am j not going to find fault or get angry i with any of them but stand by what i has ever been and is yet my idea of 1 f decent government and against fraud and corruption; and I would appre-; ciate from you, my once school! teacher and always good friend; to. point out to me wherein my platform j is not purely Jeffersonian and Jeffer sonian democracy and what parts of. it, you do not agree with, and where- j in it appeals for any but white men's votes. i Am I when deliberately robbed to, sit idle by and say naught? Yes,! When I have bound myself to abide 1 by the primary. And I have; altho I could have shown conclusively) ,s wherein I was robbed and by men; who claim to be white. Then, am I to always continue to be robbed and be a party to theft in a primary and be myseu a paraceps; criminis with my eyes wide open? Not i yet, my dear. Then once more, am | I to be a liar? Well, if I say that I j * favored the war I am a liar. If I! say that I favor the League of Na- j tions, as now presented, I am a liar, j If I say I am for woman suffrage, | by the nation, I am a liar. If I say! that I am a prohibitionist by the na- j tion, I am a liar. Now if I have to be these to be a Wilsonian then by the | eternal Gods; I am not a Wilsonian, ' and I am glad of it. I have always been, and am today, K a Democrat and expect to die one, i but I don't propose for any man to < lead me away from Jeffersonian, and . Calhoun democracy and when he' leaves their teachings, I leave him, j and I don't care who he be. Do you ; think that the South has gotten just- j ice from the present administration J and that the high cost of living put j upon us was fair when every other, part of this nation is prospering j ? -li- - J?9 n? ! Willie we are 011 uie ucumc. uu where you please and you meet pi;os- j jl perity and happiness except in the South where we are bearing the burden of high cost of living, high j cost of everything that we have to j buy and selling our cotton at less ? than it cost to make it. Is that fair? ( . Oh: you may say that Chicago, Wash ington and other places are not pros-1 pering. Well my dear the answer to that was handed down to us more j than nineteen hundred years ago, j cnrUn+cAflirov o won artwotli tlmf alinll VV liaiOWT^X U 4A1CAA& WV (V VVM VMMW | he also reap," and that applies to cities as well as individuals. I love you too good to fall out! with you but if Democracy as seen by ! those now in power is repudiation of! the teachings of Thomas Jefferson,; John C. Calhoun, Robert G. Hayne j and Grover Cleveland, then there 1 ?L- -J 11? ?* A-P Anin 5r\Tt j IS evidently a uiiicicm,c vx i as to what democracy is, and I am' evidently and glad to be of the Jef- i ferson, Calhoun, Hayne school and there will stay. I do not. expect to make any speeches in this campaign, do not ex- j pect to spend a dollar except for my ? platform ard tickets, co not expect to incite any body or persuade any body to steal, lie or commit perjury -A. m J and am taking it much more quietly [than some who have got nothing to do with it, but am going to let evjry man vote as he pleases, and I ;m going to do the same and when ihe voting is over, if I have had a square deal I shall uphold the congressman elect and help him make a success for the district but I am # going to watch and have "watched the gang and if I do not get a square deal, congress will exercise its rignt in saying "who shall be members of its body." Any objection to that? It's constitutional and you would not dare say to hell with it, would you? But if any man worthy of my respect should challenge me to a discussion of my views it would give me pleasure to meet him in a law abiding city or town or anywhere within the district and let him show that it is not pure democracy. I, as two J years ago my dear friend can see j " - i-i I lurtner into tnings inan some iuns.? and I am keeping ahead of the procession and don't need the job to buy bread or meat. You heard my Pomaria speech about "After the war" if certain things were done. Has it come true? There is more to come and when it does, I will be as then and always have been and now ready to fight or if necessary die for the white women of South Carolina and , the nation. But as for robbery and perjury I never have been a party to it and am too old now to begin for -1- *- ?1 /v?ml* f a r?nf i f. mignt iiwt mv lung cuvugn w i forgiveness. Watch the vote buying and stealing in the coming so called democratic primary and say; if you endorse it? I know that it is coming for already remarks are being made ! as to "We or I wonder how much money so and so is going to put into the race?" "Well, so and so has got it and the man that puts it up will win." You can hear that all around here. Do you agree with it or you for it, do you want me to be a party to it? | It's common talk here that a cer- ! tain crowd has thousands to spend j on their man and they have never ! lost in the county or district and that ! he is a sure winner and in my opinion j he will be winner in the primary farce. ( , Excuse me for so long a letter but I wanted to disabuse yours and any other of my friends mind up in that : old county against the idea that I am ; an independent or want to divide the j; white people and you know that it's' Ja oil rvion wV?rt lrnnw I a IXC atiu OV UV all mvu ??iw ???v .. 9 me. i Love and best wishes for you and i yours. Come around when in the j city and don't be too much troubled I for trouble sometimes causes serious results, that is the reason, that I never worry, either in defeat or success but always sing, "There is a hand we cannot feel, we cannot see, but we have always been provided for, and will always be." As ever, Cole. +l.*? V Af aw> rvf +Vi a Pnn nrroQ 1 KJ IX1C f V/b^ig vx vjiiv 0 vu i sional District, of South Carolina: I t In my humble opinion, the time j has arrived when the debauching of j voters in South Carolina by the unlawful use of money and intimidation should be stopped and when thievery at the ballot box should j cease, and this will never be in a j primary election held under a com- ; mittee composed of such men as now ! comnose the State democratic (?) committee, especially when one of J them rjses in an open meeting in ' 1918 and says: "Why be uneasy? j We beat Blease before and we have j the same people and the same machinery and we will do it again," he knowing as every man in South Car- I olina knows that they stole the elec- j tion in 1916, and by theft gave Man- j ning a secnod term and defrauded , me out of the third. This is now a I laughing matter, for recently one of j the gang told me on the street that "We robbed you in 1916 for Man-.1 1 1 C4- 1J ! ning, Decause we Anew mai, it wuuiu < not do to lot you get in behind some things that were then going on." Now, to go into another primary i with such men is to be robbed, no j matter by what majority I m^ght win, j so why tie my hands? See the per-; sonnel of the sub-committee appoint- j ed today, the bitterest anti's on the whole committee. j The use of money in Richland . county last year was a disgrace to , the honest people of the county. The j slush fund made up on Gervais street; and used in the interest of candidates j for the U. S. Senate, the State sen-1 ate and congressman and for certain county officers was the most foully < spent election money used in this State since the days of Moses and his gang of vote buyers, except the Man-' ning corruption fund of 191G. ! If the white people are ready to submit to such, I have no reason to censure them, if that is their idea of honor, but I personally do not ropose to Sit idly by and see my State j J 1 At flio IXI1 lit* U UV uyiiuuuvn v/x wiiv I lot box and the jury box, for both should be above ru07*^" '"O" However we ?hsar often lately i:i our courts, .4 Tiivj ju;y was tampered with," and I in elections, "it was bought," or ! "Blease was robbed." and he was. | The most dangerous man, white or ! black, in any community, is the man that will corrupt the ballot box or the j jury box, and when these two fall, i the foundation of good government is destroyed, and our country will become a country of rapine, murder and theft, with no regard for honor, fnr mnn nr Hod. It's nearly there "- _ ( now, if our governors and board of | charities and corrections' reports can 1 be believed. I thank God that I have | never asked any man to vote for me, j have never paid or authorized any one to pay for me, any amount of | money to influence or buy votes at any election, and in a practice of 30 years have never attempted to influence a juror except by the evidence presented upon the stand and such legal argument as I might have been able to make. Of this statement I challenge contradiction from any liftTinrahip source. Then, again, I am a free man, born j free, live free and expect to die free, j and no man can say that honestly J who votes in a primary election of j today. Why? (See the pledge and the oath.) I will never again pledge myself to support a man whose nomination has been bought or stolen. If elected to office I will never be bound hand and foot to support men or measures that I know are not for the best interest of my State and my nation. I am going to be untrammelled to vote for what measures and what men I please, and not for those who profit by theft at the ballot box, or for measures that I know are not for the best interest of the people ! of my country or my State. Look at the South today, and the worst has not come, unless we get somebody in congress to help us. ' Now^ if I go into the primary and J win, a made-up contest will give the | nomination to some Anti that opposes me regardless of the merit of his ' claim. If I am robbed or money is | used to-buy votes, and I contest, no ! Vi^tTT tviQT.ifrtr.inna mv plnirtl. I IllCtbl/Cl I1UVV 111^1 li/viivuu v.?...7 this committee will turn me down j and put in their candidate. On the j other hand, if I go into the general ] election, I can make my fight, if there j be one, before the State canvassing board, composed of State officials, and if they deny me my rights, I can appeal to the congress of the United States, where men of both parties, | who Tiave no personal or political prejudice against me, can pass on the i evidence presented and give an hon-1 est, square deal. The Reformers have been treated i worse than negroes, for we have ne- j groes holding office under the U. S.; government all over the United States, and the State government in j South Carolina; and if there is any i Reformer holding one it is for the i reason that he could not be robbed,! and not by appointment from these | sources. I know that they claim to j have appointed one or two Reformers j in this State, out let them give the j reason for so doing and see if there , was a bargain for 1920? A paper published in the 7th District representing the "anti" idea recently said: "Watch the Bleasites, if one sticks his head up, knock it off." Is that giving us a square deal ? Is that prac- ; ticing, "Return good for evil", if we have done evil, which I deny? Is that treating every white man fair, or is it dealing with white men as white men deal with the negro and with the bitterest enemy of the other party? No, I am not going into any primary, until the rules are made fair to all and until another set of men are placed in charge of the machinery, j and I am going to fight for my peo-; pie's rights as long as I live. Damn the offices; I can live, have lived and expect to live on what I make with my brain, and not from public cribs, j I was opposed to the war, just j temporarily suspended, and have no apology or excuse therefor; hear the statements now being made by our boys that went over to fight for hu- 1 manity and democracy, and let' every : man in this State talk to some of the ; boys as to whom they fought, whom I * * 1 1 A 1 ' 1 _ they fought lor, ana wnat Kinu ujl treatment they received from their own as well as other folks while over "thar, yes, "over thar," and then ask himself this question, was Blease right in his Pomaria and Filbert speeches? and answer truly, and then say if he was right in wanting to lynch Blease for being on God's side, for peace and against the slaughter- j ing of humanity. Now, the War being suspended, it | would be a pleasure for me to take j care of the interest of our boys and i see that they are properly treated,1 and see that laws are passed and treaties so made that they never again will be called io go "over thur" to fight for the sweet-natured, ?ren tie, kindhearted, elegant and eiea:: A-T TO 'T? 1 M\*ri n ' .1 HT L^llllCUlVIl la.i ) JL taiiv v for the Englishmen who now sav, "We won the "War." When I made my Jlichnx-nt' ^ :: the country howled, what t;b'uf East St. Louis, Springfield, Ohio? Washington, D. ('.? ar.<: V*a a::;i rest? Here is what I sj&M E Ji^ mo rid when the papers raised a great; howl: "The Caucasian blood is t!ie ; same everywhere, and when ii hap-! pens in the North, they will t:o the ; same thing they do in the South." | Was I right? Kas it happened? | Where are the Governors that simpfy j hid the truth about conditions? j Where do they now find their, sweet \ talks and their loud-mouth deceitful ! hypocrisy? Other prediction that j j Blease made are coming true, and j God in his own way will punish and j in his own way reward, not only men j but States and Nations for their partj in the violation of his law. He may J overlook you, Buddy, for a little j while, but the blood and virtue of America must L?e accounted for. Watch. If service is wanted, I am in posi- j tion today, for more reasons than one j to do more for this State and district^ ! than any man in it. This can easily be seer: by any man who has watched j events, and who knows how many j men i Know in otner Mates, ana wnat j people are now seeing- that I tried j to show them in 1912, when some ! folks wanted to put me in Exile be- j cause I dared say that some who were | then candidates for office were not friends of the South. What is our Wliof TO fllD nr?/>6 LUIXU1U1U11 tuuaj TV nau XKf tuv avv> i of Western meat? Western flour? ! Western Mules? Western Land? East-! ern shoes? Eastern hats? Eastern dresses and bonnets? Northern Steel? Northern furs? and everything else that is shipped South? Now boss, what is the price of cotton? What is the price of anything that you have got that you can furnish to any other part of the Nation? Are you getting a square deal? Tlnor? wliv nnt? Rppansp VOU have j no one on the watch tower that can put you on the map. They holler in campaigns, "cotton, cotton," but cot! to stays down, while everything else goes up. Are you pleased? If not, what are you going to do? Sit still and be blinded by the long-wornout cry, "stand by the primary and support the nominee," when you know that you are being robbed and that your wife and babies are sufferers, or be free men and vote for some one who does does, not belong to the corv.nm'I'iAns mA / onnrtf V?C. pi/iailVUO U11U v.l*inwv uv w... by the money grabbers and trust corruption fund, and that will vote and . work for the right and for you and your families, and one that is not afraid to speak the truth, no matter where he is or what the occasion? j I am not asking any one to share < my views. If they are willing to re- < main in a primary and be robbed and ] .treated worse than outlaws and seal- 1 awags, they are at liberty to so do, s but I am for giving every man who J holds a registration ticket the privil- j ege of voting for whom he pleases, i ' * - -e ~J I,;? ana not ior some one iurccu uu miu. * There are more white men in South i 1 Carolina today barred from the pri- < mary by the fraudulent and arbitrary 1 rules governing the primary than ] ; there are from the general election j | because they have not registration j tickets. Yet, we are told that it is ] the white man's primary. If it is, 1 why not let every white man vote 1 i and not try to keep from voting i ?on +V10+ i-lnck rr>a/->Viinprv 1 j tJVtJX ^ ?viiiLc man iuhk vuv uimvmimvj I believes will vote for Blease or his ; friends? It is too thin. It leaks and : surely the Reformers can see through I it by this time after having been de- ] ! liberately robbed in 1914, 1916 and 1 ; 191S. 1 want to test the matter, and : ; now is the accepted time, for the ] State officers are not involved, the | county officers are not involved, 1 none of them come up before next ; year and we can see where we are, 1 o-n<^ Anlv o vn+p coTipress is at i " - -- o | stake, and that can and will be de- < ; cided by congress. j j Now, as to my views on some is- 1 ; sues, as 1 want all to know them. 1 I 1st. 1 am opposed to the destroy- : | ing of State rights. Our Confederate 1 soldiers fought for that and when we < yield them to any man or party we admit that our Confederate soldiers ; were wrong, and that I will never do, j either in this world or the next. < 2nd. 1 am everlastingly opposed i to the League of Nations, with con- j ditions as presented by the present j plan, and have been all the time. In i the words of Thomas Jefferson, I am j "for peace, commerce, and honest! j friendship with all nations., entangl- 1 ing alliances with none." z 3rd. I am opposed to national pro- } hibition, for the reason that each c State should be allowed to decide r that question for itself and the ne- j forcement of the law will cause many j a good man to be killed. 1 4th. I am opposed to National wo- I man suffrage. That should be ajl State matter and not forced on any.it State where the majority don't want j c it. j r 5th. I am in favor cf local self j J government and absolutely opposed t to any encroachment upon it by na- I tional laws. General Andrew Jack- [ son. in his second inaugural address, 2 a? ^resident of the United States, t t*a!J: "*iy experience in public con- f i i i.iio cVc-e:valors of a Jife a-, a* :iclv'.ij;ced confirms the r opi:)'?.n3 long since imbibed by me i ^^^1' JPi U Irs not a I WRIGLEYH U must KEEP fj you get it I Hence the s jj ? impurity-pn ?? preserving the 1 tents?the be j The F(a\ ^lk SEALED TIGHT I A 4 illlillllllillllllilll!!!! ;hat the destruction of our State governments or the annihilation of their control over the local concerns of the - - - ' *i.- ? jeople would lead airectxy to ICVUiU" ;ion and anarchy and finally to dejpotism and military domination. Solemnly impressed with these considerations, my countrymen will ever :ind me ready to exercise my constitutional power in arresting measures which may directly on indirectly encroach upon the rights of ;he States or tend to consolidate all political power in the general government'." 6th. I am in favor of the Monroe Doctrine and opposed to any alteration of it under our present conditions. 7th. I am in favor of returning the railroads, telephone and telegraph and all other property to their rightful owners and requiring of them efficient and prompt service, for we al] know as Jefferson said, that"agriculture, manufactures, commerce and navigation, the four pillows of oui prosperity, are the most thriving when left most free to individual enterprises." 8th. I am in favor of appropriations for our development of good roads, deeper inland waterways, more efficient mail service both to the people in the country as well as in our -i i-i. ^ f ^ towns and cities, ana me ou those engaged in the government service a sufficient salary to secure the best equipment and the most zareful and prompt service to all. 9th. I am for religious freedom and opposed to any attempt to give any legal advantage to any creed )ver the other and opposed to placing any in control of this government by giving to it a larger number of offices than that of others. Again usng Mr. Jefferson's words, I desire :'or our country "Economy in the )ublic expense, that labor may be ightly burdened; encouragement of igriculture and of commerce as its landmaid, freedom of religion, freelom of the press, freedom of com n-f norsnns nnrlpr the IICIlittuvm vx jrotection of the write of habeas cor>us and trial by juries impartially seected, and no large standing army." ror this now suspended war certainy has shown our people what miliary power did do, can do, and will io, if not properly curbed; and I ould mention much, but as General Harch and Colonel Ansell now have he floor I will await tKeir report and er. the world judge as to what has -Tvn ? ?/-! m 'lic'i r- i UUJie itilU UJC iiauu, uij u^-nn. md inhumanity that has been praciceti under the name of "Fighting or world peact and democracy." J rn 'c*' my State, my nation, ny people and my God and to serve hem best a>; God gives ine the Iig.it r Helps appetite 1== anri Hittecfir.n rtillW ~ Three flavors. g lough to make jj > good, we B it good until g ealed package g oof-guarding. ? j delicious con- ?? neficial goody. g m.m. m ' /or Lasts 1 IfiM KEPT RIGHT IP' -# 2d' IllllillilllllJIfllllllillllil f to see, regardless of any man's opin ion or criticisms. Let the conservatives or Gag Evans, crowd put up their man as they please, then let the Reformers put uptheir man as they may pjease, and. 1 "L'~ ' ko ffonoral JinH Sf?e WllO" I6VS go kU UXC has the largest following; this we cannot do in a fixed up fraudulent primary such as we have had for the? past six years. Already it can beeasily stated who will win or be: cheated in the primary. That's fixed, right now, $nd if they fail to pull him . through in the -first the second will ! be a farce. Let my friends stay onfc of the primary: If we go into the' primary we are bound by it under the: oath taken, but if we remain out we > are free and can vote for who we* 1 please and cannot be called bolters;. ' or independents, for we have not ' bound ourselves to abide by fraud* ^ but we will be what we are, "The Re' i form faction of the Democratic party* ' of South Carolina," and advocating; the true Jeffersonian democracy as > outlined in my views here expressed, " and I challenge any man to show to the contrary. Of course I expect "'abuse, ridicule and lies from certain 1 sources, but I am still in the fight for 4 my friends and our principles'- ^ ^ T A ?locf an/i all | i am <111 aiiici iv.au uiob, ? . | the time and want in all offices from president down, ?whether they be ' democrts, republicans or what, men 1 who are first of all for America.. I am offering you the opportunity.. * Act as you think best for you, your families and your country, and I will neither complain nor censure. Very Respectfully, (Signed) Cole. L. Blease. I Columbia, S. (J., July -2'Jth, i * When it Happened. Milwaukee Sentinel. j "I wonder if it would?" mused the?, rummy. "You wonder what?" demanded the barkeep. "Why, if a man works all night and sleeps when others are working, I wonder if it would be right to call, him a day dreamer?" replied the: ^ rummy, as he headed for the door.. II! Ill noii ivmi vwuvi Bnvm If I VQm^R > ! Si W'T| :/||| Grand Prize M$fe&||p J|[|! Firearms ? Ammunition M . . jP j Write for Catalogue' H IK-^ = ~THE REMINGTON ARMS U>lCCO.J^'8*9 ^ ' WOO,"WO"T>' c*^ ^ ^ ^wtowi C' ^ '(3 | - -