The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, August 09, 1912, Image 1
^ . m -M *" 9. iVl ^
Job rrfflbng
Job Printing
^OLVMK XXIV.
"T""
OAMDKN. SOUTH CAROLINA, l ltlDAV, AUUL'HT u, IUIJ.
MR
N I Mill: It i <i
THREE thousand people
greeted campaign party
Won From Many Counties Here
Forming Largest Crowd Seen
in Camden In Year*.
(liy A. li. <JoJ??iihelmer.)
Watched closely by special police
inen, greedy for political combat and
forming one of the greatest crowds
ever assembled In Camden on such
>0 occasion, three thousand enthu
siastic but orderly people listened
to the state campaigners on. Monu
mental Square here Mdnday.
Only one small disturbance oc
curred, and in this a man from
A neighboring county was no doubt
thoroughly convinced by one of
Camden's most highly esteemed clt
(tens, that cursing In the presence
of ladles was a thing not to he el
lowed.
Nothing Htartliug
It can hardly be said that there
were any startling developments
Here Monday. The speeches of the
various candidates took the usual
form that has characterized them
during the entire campaign, Both
povernor Blease and Judge Jones
were received with hearty applause
md prolonged cheers^ though the
crowd favoring the present gover
nor was more demonstrative. There
?an be little doubt that the hand
primary called for by Blease show
ed amajorlty In his favor, but it
a claimed by' supporters of Jones
:hat the numbers were swelled by
riaitors from adjoining counties.
When the meeting began the
landidateg for governor were not
ret on the stand and when they
nade their appearance there was
treat demonstration. In fact, when
lovernor Blease was seen by the
?owd the cheering by his follow
ng was so wild that the speech
hen in progress had to be discon
inued until the enthusiasm sub
Id ed.
Floral Tribute. .
At the end of lllf| apeeoh the
lovernor, amid deafening cneers?
rag presented with a floral tribute
ly Miss Teressa Hough, daughter
if Senator W. R. Hough, of this
ilty, Shortly afterward he wa 8
endered a watermelon by O. L.
lyers, of Darlington.
> During the course of his speech
lovernor Biease read affidavits as
o the honesty of his campaign ?
hallenging the other candidates to
0 likewise.
Judge Jones was the last speaker
n Monday. Though less demon
tratlve, his following was no less
Dthusiastic than that of Biease,
nd many times he was cheered to
le echo. Showing that many . of
Kershaw's most distinguished citi
>ns had voted with him in regard
rthe separate coach" bill for -which
e has many times been attacked,
Bp in paying tribute to these men,
Specially to J. Thornwell Hay, was
peered heartily. He denied bfeiiy:
Be aristocratic candidate^ Baylffg
Bat he was from the compion peo
Be, but that if he were an aristp
Bat he- would be .proud of -it.
Along Same Linefl..
RThe speech of B. B. Evans can
Bdate for attorney general, was,
B usual, filled with bitter invective
Bd denunciatory attacks on Lyons.
Bie lattter, taking advantage of hia
Bivilege to do so, arose at the con
cision of Evans's speech to refute
Be charges uttered against him.
? The meeting was opened shortly
Bfore 11 o'clock by Chairman T.
1 Kirkland, who took opportunity
B say to the voters that the re
Brt to the effect that they would
? denied the privilege of cheering
Vs false. He said that 1-t /was
Heir right as citizens to cheer and
the mayor had employed spe
?M officers simply to prevent an
?uge of the privilege..
? After a prayer offered by the
H. B.. Browne, the candidates
?r railroad commissioner were in
?Wuced, the first speaker being
Jamee Cansler, of Tlrxah.
Vnnn lor, of Tirxah
Cansler spoke of the campaign us
the "state honeymoon," ami of him
self hh the desert of tho meeting.
He said that whenever he came first
a lively day. plight be expected.
He spoke of ! the fact that two
yearu ago the people of Kershaw
had glveu him more votes than to
the three other candidates for the
same office. *>om thin he drew
hi* conclusion that as far as Ker
shaw Is concerned he Would now
he railroad commissioner. He said
that he stands for most efficient
service for tho people, which, he
considers, embraces all' things;
that he never had and never expect
ed to receive a favor from anyone;
that he would not accept railroad
passes, and, that - if elected, would
receive absolutely nothing except
his salary,
Cansler's claims are that he will
give dividend on every gold dollar
Invested by the railroads sufficient
?to encourage the building of every
necessary new road. He is not, he
said, so much In favor of low rates
but tor comparative rates. The
contention for a two-cent flat rate,
he claims, Is his platform stolen
by .the others, with but one differ
ence and that is that be does not
want the two cent flat rate if the
railroads are not able Co sttaud It,
while the others favor it in any
case.
He spoke of his experience as a
teacher In the ruraJByfohoolB eight
years, from which l@^had sent out
two ministers; a greater good, he
boasted, than Bleasenor Jones haye
ever done for South Carolina.
Cansler said he was willing to
acknowledge that Richards, as the
latter claims, has done six times
as much work In one year as Wat-j
son dfd In' six, but ittat as Watson !
had done nothing the claims of
Richards were by no means enor
mous.
John G. Richards.
When John Q. Richards, second
speaker tor railroad commissioner,1
rose, cheers went forth from the
throats o? practically everyone of
his fellow citizens of Kershaw coun
ty assembled on Monumental Square.
'?Considered in its fullest sense,"
said. Major Richards, "Che dearest
word to man is home. I am .at
home. Twenty-two miles north of
here in a little house nestling in
tthe hills of the village of Liberty
Hill, X first saw life, 43in$e ' that
time I have lived with the proud, no
ble, and generous people of Ker
shaw county. I am proud to call
them my home people."
He spoke with feeling of how, for
twenty years, the people of Kershaw
had bestowed on him everything
within their power, never having
forced him into a second race, of
how they had supported him for
governor two years ago, and of the
fact that, in his entire public ca
reer, he had lost only' four votes in
Liberty Hill.
"My heart runs over with grati-.
tude," said Major Richards, "and
in all these years I have tried to
be faithful and true, have always
had the interest*^ ^h? people - i?
view, and have striven to cast hon
or on the people who have so slg-j
nally honored me." ,Jj
He siaid that he was asking for
the most important gift, save gov
ernor, in Che hands of the people.
In this connection he told of the
immense power and control of the
railroad commission, ^nd 'of the]
linportance of having the freight
and express rates reduced to wtyat
they should be.
He spoke of, the efforts which he
and the two other niembers of the
commission had made Coward gettin
the rates reduced on goods from the
mills in upper South Carolina, via
Charleston, so that they might be
stored there and shipped to the
parts of the world, and how, tho
opposed by distinguished attorneys,
their purpose had, at least to , a
partial extent, been accomplished.
He said further that the commis
sion of which he was a member had
given to South Carolina a reduction
of from 15 Co .20 per cent; the
lowest she had ever enjoyed; that
they had secured tho lpwest ex
press rate ever enjoyed, but tha
he had by no means accomplished
all he expected to do in this diMfc
tlon.
The speaker favored a two-cent
fiat rule and not on^y the acceptanc
of intUeu&e books on the trains but
the accepttauce also of Interchange
able mileage. Major Richards said
that he was not fighting the cor
porationrt, but that wheuever it was
a question between the corporation
and the people he was with the peo
ple.
Col. ?J. H. Wharton.
Col. J, 11. Wharton, of Laurens,
was the last speaker for railroad
commissioner. He took very little
of his time. Col. Wharton caused
considerable laughter when he
spoke of his fine run when last la
Camden .Sherman at that ttihe be
ing behind hint. He said if there
was anyone in Kershaw county who
did not expect to vote for Richards
he would appreciate that vote.
Hon, J. Frtuier Lyon.
The first speaker for attorney
general was the Hon. J. Prasier
Lyon, who, upon rising, was well
received by the crowd.
He expressed his delight In ap
pearing once more before a Ker
shaw audience and thanked them
for their former support. Spoke of
his record in the legislature and
of his promise, when the old dis
pensary investigation showed that
things were not as they should be,
that ho would prosecute all agalnat
whom evidence would permit. Thla,
he said, he has done. As a result
of which, one man was placed In
the penitentiary for five years, an
other plead guilty and paid a tine,
to RlchLand county, and two other*
forfeited bail in Chester.
As a result of graft collected by
the Murray winding up commission
Lyons said that $400,000 had been
turned into the state treasury apd
that possibly $100,000 more could
be devoted to the education of chil
?
"I have no apology to offer," said
Lyons, "no excuse to make."
He spoke of hl? continued ef
forts in the courts until it wus fi
nally decided in his favor that thev
tax he desired on corporations was
constitutional. As a result of this
he claims that today more than
$120,000 is turned into the state
treasury, and that this will remain
a law as long as the legislature al
lows it to remain as it now stands.
He told also pf great and Impor
tant 'task of refunding the state
indebtedness and of his personal
appeal to the great bankers and in
surance companies of the North,
which he expects to result in the
lightening of the burdens of the
people.
Lyons said that his three oppon
ents had offered no good reason
i why th?y should be elected * and
he turned out, that they stated no
reforms to be brought about. Ev
ery citizen, he said, knows that* his
course has offended those who graft
ed, that he was not here to con
demn or hound them down, but
that if they can accomplish his de
feat by lies they will do it. 1
"\Vtll thee people of Kershaw
county cast their votes in' favor of
the grafters or the one who has
fought them?" asked ILyons. *\v
At the close of his speech he
was heartily cheered,
Thomas H. Peebles.
Thomas H. Peebles as candidate
for attorney general,^ said this was
'thfi .first time. tiiat .he had ever ask
ed for a state office; that, he was
simply seeking promotion in life, i
and that he had been endorsed by
being elected to tthe legislature
and t othe State Democratic Con
vention. * He said -that It was not
his purpose to hound d&wn his fel
low man^and that he was without
prejudice "or abuse for his oppon
ents. He promised that if elected
the office of attorney general would
be run economically, that the graft
er wpuld feel the bitter etirig of
the law and that appointive offices
| within his power would go to the
poor and honest men who need
them. *.
He spoke of having introduced
a resolution in the legilature a
gainst the teaching of white people
in negro schools* and_ Is ppposed to
white people being taxed for . fche
education of the negro. , He said
that he w6uld endeavor to harmon
ize, be fair and fearless and prose
cute the criminal regardless of
who he might be.
J. ^ Karlo.
J. R. Earle next speaker for the
office of attorney general, spoke at
length on having been instrumental
in bringing about the present di
rect primary and of having beeu crit
fclsed for certain votea in regard
to the dispensary investigation,
iio attacked the investigation com*
uiUlt^eH for the groat amounts of
money which have. been expeuded,
and said that when nothing had
been brought out hy this committer
ho had voted with a senator from
this county -to bury it forever,
Earle read from the House Jour
nal a lint of the present attorney
general's accounts and attacked him
vehemently on that score saying he
disapproved of the payment of bar
ber, shoe shining bills and the like
from public funds.
linroey Kvtui?.
1). 1). Evans was bitter In his at
tack on the present attorney gen
oral and turned around often to
face the object of his wrath on the
platform In order, apparently, to
lmprt>sa his chargeu on him.
Among other things he called Ly
ons J. Fraud Lyons, and heaped on
hlin various epithets no more com
plimentary. ' Evans re-iterated the
charge that the money of the school
children had been plundered. He
produced, and read in parts, a let
ter from John Gary Evans, which
he claims- to be In refutation of
"lien" which Lyons has circulated
on .him. "Lies," said Evans,
"which he is not man enough to
refute himself." He said further
that the people were being hood
winked and that if elected he
would catch the "grandest bunch
of kid-gloved thieves ever caged,
and that he would land the present
attorney general in stripes before
a' Richland county Jury.
(Wouldn't Insult Yellow I>og.
Lyons, availing himself of his
Qrlvlloge, rose to answer the charge
of Kvans. He said that a man like
Eyana couldn't InBult him, that he
cwuldn't even Insult a yelow dog.
$U> told of his expenditure of mo
ney for assistants and explained va
rious accounts In the running of his
dfflce. Lyons' claimed that If the
letter produced by EvanB were read
In full it would be Been to be en
tirely In hie (Lyon's) favor and en
tirely In keeping with his charges.
Carter and McLaurin.
The two candidates for state treas
urer, s. T. Carter and T. W. Mc
Laurin, were next to speak. Car
ter told of his experience In the
office which he BOught, and explain
ed In detail the workings of the
office and the enormous responsibil
ity which rested on the man who
held it. McLaurlh was forced for
several minutes to discontinue h^e
speech when Oovernor Blease drove
lip to the stand , so great and
?tremendous was the cheering. When
aubwed to eontlnue, McLaurin told
Ql tflr *eoord as a. man, a soldier,
&nd a legislator, and promised1 faith
ful service if elected to office.
Oovernor filease.
Making a plea that a good hear-'
Ing be accorded the candidates for
governor, and that no attempt at
howling down be made, Chairman
Klrkland introduced the first speak
er for that office. His Excellency,
the Governor of South Carolina.
For several minutes the cheering
accorded him was so deafening and
prolonged that he was unable to .
speak. When allowed to proceed he
first took up the reports in regard
to corporation candidates and mo
ney being furnished for campaign
purpoafifl. .He. said that lift. had
heard it - reported that money was
being furnished him and had heard
It stated that $6,000 had been sent
to Greenville for that purpose. On
that account he sajd he proposed to
submit affidavits which he had in
hand and requested the other can
didates for governor to do likewise.
When he had finished reading
these Blease challenged Jones and
Duncan to make similar affidavits
and file them with the chairman of
the State Democratic Convention as
he said he intended to do.
He said that Jones told, a few
days ago, that If the Columbia State
was supporting him he did 'not
knq,w it. At this Juncture the gov
ernor produced a letter sent out
from the State office in Columbia
This communication he described In
detail: "Inside," said the governor,
"You will find an article by 'U. R.
Brooks.",
"We done read it," Interrupted
on? of the audience.
The Governor continued "further
you will find 'Speech of Judge' Jones
at Columbia,' in another place you
will find, 'Part of Governor Blease'a
Record' ." The mention of his re
cord brought forth great applause
? :
from the following of the governor, >
Hleuao sneered ut -the idea of Jones t
not knowhiK thut ho whh geltlug as
Hlhtuiue from what ho (lJleaao)
termed a "Negro. Spuniah, uigger
loving newspaper."
"If you elect Ira B. Jones gover
nor," auld niease, "ho will ho kov
ernor in name only and (ionsulca
will be governor in fact and fur
nlsh the brain."
In regard to the fact that Judge
Jonea in a speech at Heath Spriuga
had refrained from making any at
tack on him on account of bin ab
ttence, HI i'hho said that lie wan k lu<l
that he had taught the judge Home
manners, cluiming that ho had kouo
over the entire atate hitherto at
tacking him under Himilar conditions
In thin connection he described :th?
Judge a? a man net up on u pin
nacle of aristocracy and morality as,
an angel, aud yet he, ho Bald had
to teach him manners. The gover
nor further Maid, "The people of
South Carolina will teach him a lea
son on Auguat 2 7th aud send him
to the political graveyard In Lan
caBter."
?
"If my good old friend Pink CaB
key Hhould die or resign ,aald Goy
ernor lileaae, 1 would appoint old
man Jones juat to help his family
out." He said that he would do
this because he liked some of the
Judge's family, and so would break
his rule to give only his friends, of
fice on that account. He referred
to the accusation by Jones In bin
speeches in Sumter and Hampton
that Dluaso and the Bleasttes were
anarchists, and aajd that when they
get through with him on the 37th
of August "He will think they is
anarchists."
"JoneB," he Bald, "is floating on
the filthiest wave of political ma
chination ever formed in South Car
olina. He claimed that this was
proven by J ouch h action when King
and WutHon were ejected from the
governor's mansion. He maintain
ed that the men were drunk and
that JoneB accompanied them to
the State office "when as a Chris
tian he should have been at
home on that Sunday afternoon
Hinging Psalms,"
He ' said that he would prove
Jones as dirtier a traitor as ever
wan Benedict Arnold and, charging
Mm with having deserted the Till
man cau?e, compared him with Ju
das iBcarlot. He said that In 1890
Jones got on Tillman's coat ttail
and ran for the legislature, that
the reason that he had not stayed
there waB not that he had fallen'
off but that Tillman had knocked
him off, unwilling to allow himself
tj> .be contaminated by a man who
was willing to allow the black* and
whites to dtl" terms of social
equality. He drew at length a
picture of how Qonzales had taken
Jones on the skscraper in Columbia
and there, pointing out to him this
immense country, the ? Governor
mentioning in detail .the valrous
landmarks, reprimanded hijn
for hlB actions In the past; which
disagreed with the editor's ideas.
In answer to the questions put to
him by Gonzales, Blease pictures
Jones as giving such answers as,
"YW, Marse Gonzales," "Yes, boss."
Th? governor went on to say that
while upon the skyscraper under
the conditions described Gonzales,1
waving his hands toward all those
.bfautltul itilnsB 'which he. baflEQint
ed out spoke to Jones: "If you
will bow down and quit Tillman and
worship me, I'll' make you ruler ov
er all these things." Whereupon,"
said the governro, "Jones dropped
on his knees and said, 'From this
time on I consecrate my all to
thee, fjjenpr . Qonzales." ' He said .
that Jones had sold out the' men
who had made him all and had vot
ed for Haskell. In this connection
it was that he called him a Judas
Iscarlot ready to sell for 20 pieces
of silver.
"What did he do then," continued
the governor, "this great saint,
whom I had to learn to be a gen
tleman after thirty times. They
took him from the pinnacle on whlc !
he had been placed and found him
to be a human being with the dirt
iest record ever made in the legis
lature by voting to make wives, sis
ters, and sweethearts associate with
dirty niggers and stinking black
Wenches." . Blease dwelt at lengtth
on his social equality qttaok: * on
Jones in other language similar to
this, citing as his proof for' charges
thfct the judge had voted against
the separate coa<;h bill, Baying he
Was the first tto vote with ?' ne
- -* A. t
gro legislator from Ueaufort agalnat
separate coaches, and that for five
year# straight running, every time
he had a chance, ho voted the aanie
way, "liu will tell you," said the
governor, "that it wuh unconatitu
tlonal." "I challenge hiui," ho con*
tinned, "to ?how where tho consti
tution of 1KU0 dlffora from that of
1880 an far u? the paasing of a wop
a rate coach hill 1h concerned, lie
maintained that while making thin
record Joiu?a had carried a free
paas lit hlH pocket an an excuse for
which he said the Judge claimed
that -the railroad# had hamhoozled
him, "I'd he attltunmd to admit
it," aaid the governor
"Corporation Jones will t,ell you,"
he aaid, "that he has nevor repre
sented a railroad in hia life."
"Why?" coutlnued the governor,
"Hecauae they want a firat claaa
man and never hired a aecond rater
in ?their Uvea." The apeaker claim
ed further againat the legal ability
of Judgo Joiu*a that when in 1892
the papera twitted lien Tillman for
not having good judges that the
latter replied that he had to take
the riff raff hecauae the good onea
wouldn't have it.
The governor next launched forth
hia attack on Judge Jonea'a aon,
"Charlie." Maintaining that the
Judge had said that hia aon had
never had but one caae in the eu- <?
premo court, the governor aaid
"Nobody hps ever accused Charlie
Of being a lawyer." He repeated
htg oharge made on otther stumpa
that the Southern railroad had at ?
one -time appointed the Judgea aon
"ao that 13en Abney could mega
phone thru Charlie up to Pa on
the supreme bench." "When Pn
got thru being Judge," aaid the
governor, "Charlie got thru being ?
railroad attorney."
Often (luring hiu speech HIohho re
ferred to JoneB us "Corporation
Jones" and told of the reveruul of
a deciBlon by Judge Jonoa which
Joah Klrven hnd succeeded in get
ting against the Virginia Carolina
Chemical Co., after eleven yearB
work. Kirven, he Bald then ap
pealed to the supreme court of the
Uttited StateB, and it was decided
that Corporation Jones was wrong
and the deBlred relief was given.
At this Juncture Blease was ask
ed by J. L. Guy: "Why did you
cast your vote for Jones after you
knew all, these things?" In reply
the* governor said,. "Walt until I
finish my speech and if you will
Prove that you are. ?*? gentleman I
will answer your question. I don't
propose to take up my time with
cheap Jones hirelings to keep me
from giving him the devil."
The governor's next attack was
on Jone's ancestry v In regard to
this he spoke in part as follows:
"Jones says Colleton is his hqme,
but I have never got him to t^ll
wheni his grand dada came . from,
or where his great grandada came
from. I wish he would tell. All I
have been able to get him to tell
Is that his father took consumption
at the beginning of the wai* as
many others did at the beginning
of tthatt great struggle. V
He next spoke of a case In which
a lady had been given $10,000 dam? '
ages . for having been put off a
train and thrown, as he expressed
ltj among dirty, stinking niggers,
and said that "Corpdration Jones"
had deprived her of her money on
au -appeal -by, ina.. railroads z. . .
He said that he would like to
make a speech about the n^eds of
the state and complained, that he
had had a legislature that thpught
everything he did was wrotig and
wouldn't give him a chance to do '
what he wanted.
- Governor Blease danied- vehement- . '
ly that he had ever 4ald that the
Jews were no better than, "niggers"
or that he had ever attacked^ them
In any way whatever, and branded
It as a "dirty lie." He said that
ho, had made friends among the '
Jews in Newfcerry and all over the
Btate and that the report was an '
old political gag to fool them into
voting against him. 1 ? .
The next tirade of the governor
waB against th6 . newspapers. "They
have- published;" he said, "slime
not fit for the dirtiest negro hovel
and yet they have sent it into your
homes. Newspapers that will stoop
that low will stoop to telling dirty
lies on the governor of South Caro
lina." Here again he entered on
an attack of the family history of
the editor of the Columbia State. .
"Isn't it strange," said Blease,
*" (Continued on last page.)
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