The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, June 25, 1910, Supplement to the Watchman and Southron, Image 10
I I J
9
Candidates
For Governor.
Their Platforms as Outlined in Their
Speeches at First Meeting of
the Campaign.
Arguments Advanced by Aspirants for Gu?
bernatorial Honors Why the People
Should Give Them Their Suffrage?All
Candidates Have Substantially the Same
Platform, Save as to the Liquor Issue.
Cole Mm Mease.
Mr. Chairman, Laldes and Gentle?
men, South Carolinians:
Two years ago when 1 appeared
before you as a candidate tor the of?
fice of governor, I was Introduced to
you as Senator Blease. This morn?
ing your chairman introduced me as
Mayor Blease. of Newberry. Two
years ago I represented Newberry
county in the State senate. At the
close of that year I voluntarily retir?
ed from that, position, and last De?
cember I was elected mayor of th?
city of Newoerry, where I was born
and v. here I have lived all my life.
So it Is with pleasure that I can to?
day repeat the boast which I made in
the last campaign, viz., that the peo?
ple of my home town and county
have never refused to elect me to
any office that I have asked them for.
I have been town attorney and am
now mayor, and have represented the
county In the house of representa?
tives and In the State senate. 1 have
been elected to nearly every State
convent' ?n since 1890, when I began
my service in the house of represen?
tatives, and am now serving my four?
teenth year on the State Democratic
executive committee. In the race for
governor two years ago I received a
majority of the votes in the town of
Newberry and In the county of New
bery, and in the surrounding coun?
ties of I^aurens, Saluda and Union,
and In that section of Lexington ad?
jacent to my home county Where
th<? people know me best 1 received
my largest vote, and of that I am
proud. As to my success in my pro?
fession, the records In the office of
the clerk of the court at.Newbcry
will show that my name appears as
attorney In nearly all of the important
criminal and civil cases of the county.
T have served the State as speaker
pro tern, of the house, and as presi?
dential elector twice, and as a mem?
ber of the State hoard of canvassers
for four years, and I beg to refer you
to those with whom I have served
and those whom I have served to
the manner in which 1 filled these
positions and discharged the duties
thereof.
We are told today that conditions
In South Carolina demand a sound
and economical, but not penurious
business administration, and it Is
true. The financial question Is the
greatest Issue whl< h confronts our
I.pie A rel who as it that first
called attention to our financial con?
dition? Blease did it on the floor of
the senate, and worked for a more
economl al government, and begged
the senators to reduce appropria?
tions, not t-> create useless offices
snd to stop burdening the people
with taxation. In l!tOi; and 1908 I
went on the stump till over this State
and begged the peoiplc to pay more
attention to their financial affairs,
arid did all In my power to make the
financial condition of our State the
principal Issue In both those cam?
paigns. But the politicians and eaf>
tile newspapers wanted to keep con?
cealed the true conditions, so they
hollered "liquor, liquor." and bid th<*
facts, as far as possible, from the vot?
ers Now, since they can not keep
these conditions hid any longer, some
of them nro yelling. "f,ct liquor alone,
and let's have a business campaign."
All right, that Is what I have been
i gglng for, for years, and I am glad
to see that the peoplo have at last
waked up to find that I was right, and
that they are now demanding what I
have keen trying to get for years?a
more economl* ?i form of government,
Two years ago I exposed the immi
I gration law so completely that the
legislature was forced to repeal the
act and abolish the immigration bu?
reau. Had it not been for my fight
that abomination would still be with
us.
I fought for the inspection of our
mills as to health and as to working
children under the prohibited age and
not within the legal hours, and the
legislature has made provision for
this.
I fought for night schools for chil?
dren who could not attend day
schools, and succeeded in getting a
law passed upon that subject.
I fought the effort which was made
to keep thousands of our white peo?
ple from voting In the primary, and
in the State convention I succeeded
in getting the committee to report un?
favorably upon the resolution, and on
the floor of the convention I again
fought it, and the convention refused
to pass the resolution, and all white
men in South Carolina are yet free.
My platform today is as follows:
1. An honest administration of all
laws, fairly and impartially, to all
citizens alike.
I, Enforcing all laws upon all iub
ieets. and obedience to the constitu?
tion of the United States and of South
Carolina.
3. Trial by jury for all persons
See used of crime, and enforcing the
ludgment of courts founded upon
'he verdicts of the juries.
4. Keeping forever separate the leg?
islative, Judlclsl and executive de?
partments of the government, each,
however, doing its duty and endeav?
oring to uphold and support the oth?
er.
Upon this i respectfully present
the following issues for the consid?
eration of rny fellow-Democrats to
whom I address myself:
(a) I am In favor of biennial ses?
sions of the general assembly.
(b) T am In favor of liberal appro?
priations for our Confederate veter?
ans.
(c) 1 am in favor of liberal, but not
extravagant appropriations for our
State institutions of learning, so that
all of them may be kept upon a "nigh
standard.
(d) 1 am in favor of building up
the frec-s< hooi system so that every
white child in South Carolina may be
given a good, common school educa?
tion In comfortable and convenient
school houses, and in paying teachers
?Ulllclont salaries to secure the lust.
I am absolutely opposed to compul?
sory education, gs my record in both
the bouse and the s. ri tte in the past
will show.
"In my opinion, compulsory educa?
tion at the hands of the State means
disrupting the home, for it dethrones
the authority of the parents and
places the paid agents of the State in
control of the children, and destroys
family government. Those agents
stau I betwen the child and the par?
ent. They represent the State. They
are not responsible to the parents
They Impress upon the minds of th"
children the views of the State, and
Virtually say, MWe have taken you
out Of bondage and made you free,
WO are giving you what your unnat?
ural parents would not give you?and
no child on earth can be subject to
sin h Influences ami teaching and
escape Imbibing the spirit of rebellion
against parental authority, and con?
sequent disrespect and Ingratitude.
Children are too easily Infected with
the IdSS that their parents owe them
everything, while they owe them
nothing In return, and with the de?
sign and law of God set at defiance,
I who t an compete, by the w idest
j stretches of the most gigantic mind,
I the condition that will follow? We
lit sire to sec the standard of educa?
tion raised in South Carolina; we
want every hoy and girl in the State
to have every possible opportunity to
gain for themselves the very best and
highest degree of equipment for life,
but we do not want it at the cost of
parental authority and the peace of
the home. Family government and
parental responsibility antedate all
others, and it is possible for wild, ex?
travagant and madly enthusiastic
men, who see theory and theory on?
ly, to destroy family government,
alienate children from their parents,
and force the home into a sense of
strife, rebellion and wretchedness."
The Bible says a great deal about
obedience to parents and reverence
for parents, and, believing in that
Book and its teachings as strongly as
I do, I say to the parents, for the
sake of their children, our country
and for the future, keep within your
own control the rearing and educa?
tion of your own children, and strike
down by your ballot every effort to
deprive you of the same. Our people
fight force bills in congress and they
had better fight this one at home.
(e) I am opposed to the higher edu?
cation of the negro race, and in fav?
or of the taxes paid by white people
goin? to and being used only for the
education of white children.
(O I am in favor of a strict en
tor rnent of the vagrancy laws.
(g) I am in favor of a law requlr
li ?ither a marriage certificate or
registration of all, marriages in
th >ttice of the clerk of the court of
tr Bounty in which the marriage
tal I place.
(b) I am in favor of a flat rate of
2 1-2 cents per mile on railroads in
this State, but am opposed to the
rules now in force on the railroads
as to mileage books and charging
15 cents excess.
(i) I am in favor of good roads, good
morals, and honost government.
(j) As to the whiskey question, I
am satisfied that the people of the
State are tired of the agitation along
this line. I favor local option, and, in
order to be strictly Democratic and
allow self-government and home
rule, I favor extending the present
law, so as to allow a county to have
license, If the majority of her white
citizens wish it, as other counties
have dispensary or prohibition. How?
ever, it' license is voted. I favor the
most rigorous enforcement of the
laws for the sale In this manner, pro?
hibiting under any circumstances,
any whiskey being sold in less quan?
tities than one-half pint, or between
sunset and sunup, and prohibit it from
being drunk on the premlses.or be?
ing sold, under any circumstances, to
minors or inebriates, or behind clos?
ed doors or screens, prohibiting any
obscene pictures on the premises, or
any blllard or pool rooms connected
therewith, and providing that any
person holding a license who shall
violate any provision of the law Shall
Immediately upon conviction, forfeit
his license and be forever thereafter
bar )d from being licensed, and in
addition be imprisoned at hard labor
in the State penitentiary without the
alternative of a line. 1 am absolute?
ly opposed to the old bar-room system
and would under no circumstances
sign a bill to reinstate that system.
tk) I am opposed to any law re?
stricting the rights of Democrats to
\ote |n the primary elections. other
than is provided for in the rules
adopted by the state convention,
which provides as follows: "That no
white man shall be excluded from
participation in the Democratic pri?
mary who shall take the pledge re?
quired by the rules of the Democratic
party. and whose name has
been enrolled on the Democratic dub
list five days before the primary elec?
tion, and who is in otherwise qualified
under the constitution and rules of
the Demoractlc party to vote In the
primary olectlon." The oath referred
to Is as follows: "I do solemnly
swear that T am duly qualified to
\ote at this election according to the
rules of the Democratic part.'.', and
that T have not voted before at this
election, and pledge myself to sup?
port tho nominees Of this: primary."
Knie 2 provides thai no person shall
be permitted to vote unless he has
been enrolled on a club list at least
five days before the primary election,
and unless he has been a resident of
the ,-'ta?r one year, and of the county
In which he seeks enrollment f.o days
preceding the m xt general election.
It Is, therefore, seen that the (dap
trap, so-called argument that people
art- allowed to vote In the primary
elections who nave only been in the
county for a few days or in the State
for a short time is absolutely un?
founded and unwarranted. because
these provisions wM -h T have cited
make it absolutely imperative that in
order to vote in the primary one shall
have been in the State one year and
in the county 60 days preceding the
general election, and this absolutely
prevents any man from voting in the
primary election who is what is com?
monly called a floater. In my opin?
ion, this is amply strong, and any
law passed by the legislature further!
abridging the right of suffrage in the
primary would be vetoed by me im?
mediately if I were governor.
(1) I am in favor of running the
government on a liberal, but not ex?
travagant basis, (as is now being
done) and in making our tax levy
both county and State, as low as pos?
sible for a safe and economical man?
agement of our financial affairs; and
of reducing expenses, abolishing use?
less positions, stopping extravagant
appropriations for any purpose, stop?
ping the useless expenditure of
money by officials, stopping the crea?
tion of useless offices, and all other
methods of reckless, careless or use?
less expenditure of money that caus?
es an increase In the tax levied up?
on our people, for our taxes are too
high, and our people are now too
heavily burdened with taxation.
I fully believe that the grandest
most progressive, most perfect and
most Independent form of govern?
ment Is a poor government and a rich
people. When you make a rloh gov?
ernment, and thereby improverish the
people, or make a poor people, you
reverse Democracy and create dissat?
isfaction and discontent among the
people, who are the masters and not
the servants, as some would have us
think. For me, give me a poor gov?
ernment and a rich people, in place
of a rich government and a poor peo?
ple for the more money that you
give your legislature the control of,
the more extravagant will be their
appropriations and expenditures. Un?
der our present management the idea
seems to be to raise the tax levy high?
er, making assessments higher, make
more extravagant appropriations,
and spend the people's money use?
lessly, making both the people and
the government poor, for the benefit
of a few, who hold political positions
and draw large salaries, and who are
trying to create an aristocracy, not
of blood, not of brains, but of money.
Cm) I am in favor of the constitu?
tional amendment to be voted upon
In the general election providing for
a fifth justice of the supreme court,
and in favor of making the decision
of the supreme court in any case the
final disposition of that particular
case in so far as the state courts are
concerned, unless that court itself
shall for good and sufficient legal
reasons afterwards brought to
Its attention change its decision. Trif?
ling With the courts, as is now being
done, should be stopped. And In or?
der to bring this about I am in favor
of such laws being passed as may be
necessary, even if it require a con?
stitutional an nnment.
(n) 1 am In favor of all laws that
will favor and protect labor in all its
legitimate callings and endeavors,
and such laws that will protect capi?
tal in all its lawful investments, and
the good old Democratic doctrine,
"Equal rights to all and special priv?
ileges to none" in each branch of the
government and particularly in the
enforcement of all laws.
I have been advocating these
principles for years in the
house, in the senate and on
the stump in my home county and
throughout tlie State, and have stood
squarely upon them out in the open
and never waited to sec which would
be the popular side before taking a
stand. Even wh< n some of them
were very unpopular and it seemed
that any man who dared advocate
them was doomed to political obli?
vion T Stood by them and made the
tight to keep them up and begged the
people not to be deceived, but to hoar
ma for my cause, ami now we see
some who did not stand for them, or
who, if they did. were afraid to ac?
knowledge it. endeavoring to push me
off my platform and yelling to the
people that they and Betsey killed the
bear and that they are the logical
candidate. If there be a logical can?
didate upon these principles or upon
a financial platform for a more
economical form of government, and
tor reduction in appropriations and a
business man's administration. 1 sub?
mit to you, the people, that I am the
man, standing upon my past record
as candidate, legislator and citizen.
1 beg to call your attention to the fact
that two years ago I received forty
two thousand and one hundred votes
for this position.
From the information that I have
received I am satisfied that I will be
elected and if so, I promise you a fair
and impartial administration of all
the duties of the office and in so far
as my power lies a reduction In ex?
penses and an honest enforcement
of whatever laws may now be upon
your statute books, or may be placed
there by the properly constituted au?
thorities.
John T. Duncan.
The supreme task of the hour is
to save society, your state, your na?
tion from the hands of the despoil
ers.
Get together and build a rampart
of moral standard, statute, inspec?
tion, and publicity, to check the on?
slaught of internal enemies.
You have grown Into an organic
society where the welfare of all is
at the mercy of each. Common peril
should hush petty discords, and at?
tune differing men to harmonious ac?
tion.
Let us consider vice as those prac?
tices that harm one's self; and sin,
as conduct that harms another. Vice
weakens and destroys the body and
in the end its wage is death, while
the sinner, unchecked by society
makes his way upward towards the
suinshine and approval. Vice drags
down into darkness the individual,
while the sinner, sleek is honored
and envied. He is unpunished and
unrepentant, yea, arrogant and dar?
ing, to the shock of the righteous,
disheartening the weak, and demoral?
izing the young, who for a few years,
at least, should cherish the ennob?
ling illusions that the right always
triumphs.
The greatest sinners make of re?
ligion a hollow mockery and with
their money, make it a cloak to hide
their sins, while they subsidize the
community, the newspapers and the
pulpit.
Fourteen years ago I felt it my
unavoidable duty to expose to you
a Governor, who was then manning
your State Dispensary for the pur?
pose of robbery. Some did not be?
lieve me then, but no sane man will
now dispute the fact that the Dis?
pensary has been robbed to a frazzle,
and that infamy and degradation is
abroad in the land, and our rublic
offices, and courts reek \\ Ith rotten?
ness.
We now see our ?double degrada?
tion in what set out to be an inves?
tigation of the thieves by their
friends, but they fall to robbing the
robber, and in this is our opportunity,
and this I will demonstrate when
1 am Governor.
our fight in the race fourteen
years ago. for cleansing our public
institutions and incidentally ror a seat
in the United States Senate was
made with the faith in myself, that
l was capable of serving you with
<fedit to mys?df. and my people but
you leard me not, and I have paid
the penalty.
I have never capitulating or made
terms with the enemy, and I am to?
day tit to serve you and better pre?
pared.
My college education and prac?
tical every day experiences then,
was no mean preparation, but I trust
I have broadened with the years.
That I was built on different lines,
and stand head and shoulders above
my competitors, I thank my God.
that I can see farther, and know
more to interest you, is but natural.
While our friends pass out to you
their stale canned goods of which I
am sure you are sick T shall give
you modern and approved food for
thought. I am a reformer, and for
this I owe no man an apology for I
have proven to you the quality there?
of.
To the conservatives I say. that
our good men have been kept apart
by the villainies of The state as
managed and manipulated by the
sweet scented pair of Cuban extrac?
tion. They have kept up blinds to
hide the truth. I shall smash that
blind. One of your citizens said,
that Clark, Ji nes and (bur/ales Were
Hot in p< litlcs and you can't get at
them. While not condescending to
hohl an (dine tiny have their ser?
vants do this, while they are after
greater things, and keep their hands
into everything up to their armpits
You good people too. have suffered
and sorrowed bad. bu our average
good citizens who were not able to
withstand the temptations of our
Capital City and fell. Mothers, sis