Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE MAN?GOV. s Something About the Man Who Seeks Re-election. t . HIS CAREER FROM EARLY BOYHOOD Impression Gained hy a D i C 1.1 II ivcpunci iui uic nilanta Georgian. The Atlanta Georgian sent one of ite reporters into South Carolina to write a story about Governor Blease. Here is what this reporter turned in: ^.Columbia?South Carolina is un- I dergoing now the most tempestuous ' political campaigns in her history since Ben Tillman grew old and quit the fight of oratory' and anathema and guns. Cole Blease, governor for a year and ten months, charged now with selling pardons, accepting bribes from the liquor interests and sending his convicted clients scot free from pris on, is out upon the stump to save his political life and possibly his personal liberty. The other prominent candidate, former Chief Justice Ira B. Jones, of the South Carolina supreme court, has taken the stump against him, sometimes in joint debate, declaring that he is running for office not because he wants to be governor, but to rid South Carolina of Bleaseism and demagogy, to stamp out the pardon graft and the blind tiger graft that he charges have found their way to Blease's own pocket. He declares that Blease is prostituting the powers of a sovereign state's chief execu- ; tive in any way he can devise to fill his till with campaign funds and to finance his personal dissipations. During a debate at Florence, the former chief justice advanced upon t.ne governor witn ciencned nst and the lie direct, and was only prevented from striking him in public by the interference of friends. At Barnwell, still later, a shooting affray followed a hectic meeting and one man'lies wounded as a result of the things that the governor said about Justice Jones. Blease still is upon the stump in a campaign custom that prevails in South Carolina and will keep both the chief candidates in debate until five days before the primary. "He's a m cowardly liar," is the nightly denunciation Goverhor Blease hurls against Judge Jones, and from the same stage Jones nightly shouts back, "Down with the demagogue and the pardon grafter." T? /\ ^ K/\f Vi tvi n n /lm?lavA f Unf n . i * icuuo ui uukit uiuu ucuatc mat a personal encounter of most serious ' nature is inevitable before the primary determines whether Blease or Jones is to win. Meantime, while the barnstorm around the state, South Carolinians are finding out thoroughly for the first time what Bleasism and anti- , Bleasism means. Blease is a combination type of "small town sport" and court house politician. He wears the long frock coat and the wide slouch hat of the near-statesman. He wears the high standing collar of the vintage of 1886, and, habitually giving his bristling mucfnpltn n faw nvfru linu'Qrrl Iv\nate he easily suggests the composite picture of the country dude and pirate on parade. tfle'H Take a Drink With Anybody. He takes a drink with anybody who - comes along and makes no objection; anywhere, upon visits to the small towns of his constituencies, he will strike an attitude in front of the village hotel and entertain a semi-circle of idles with loquacious answers to all the questions that may be asked him, barring none,, replete with profane and abusive references to people who have criticised or opposed him. His paramount political principle, according to his own version, is to "stand by his friends." He has made that principle of "sticking by my fiends at any cost" the cry of his political campaigns. All men who aren't his friends he has frequently declared to be his enemies ,for whom he will do nothing. Blease is a native of Newberry, S. C. He came of good parentage, and, though he was a bit bombastic in the schools there and used to bully some of the smaller boys, nobody ever thought anything serious about it and nothinor serious rronned out in his youth's career until he was just about to graduate from the South Carolina University. He had been a prominent student in the university, a ready debater in private tilts as well as in the debating society. One night they held a great college meeting, at which Cole Blease delivered an oration which the judges all said had easily taken first prize. They gave him a gold medal amid a great cheering, but it was afterward charged on the stump that the wonderful oration Blease had Jp* COLE L. BLEASE 'Jjf . it ^ 1 i fS^^B Who is Making a Whirlwind Campaign for Re-election. spoken was not Blease's oration at all, but had been almost bodily culled from the earlier speeches of one of the most gifted statesmen in America. R]oo eo lira o avnalla/J ?/*/??? ?^***- ? ? ' vivaov ?tao v.ApcllCU 3UU1I itllCI UUU he went from Newberry to the little town of Helena, near by, and began to practice law. He had married a Miss Lillian Summers of Helena, and he made his home in her father's house and entered into politics. Always, from that early day to this, Blease mixed politics with his practice of law. That is why Judge Jones is charging on the South Carolina stump that Blease, elected govrneor of South Carolina, pardoned his old client, Wash Hunter, whom, as a lawyer, he could not acquit of a manslaughter charge. That is why he is now being charged in South Carolina with representing as state senator the liquor interests in the dispensary graft, while his law partner, Dominick, openly represented them as their lawyer. As a South Carolina legislator, Blease had a stormy career. He told " the people frankly that he was not a prohibitionist, but hev introduced a nrnhihifiAn kill And onm If MmAiI ? - ter the prohibition element had elected him. Then he went over, body and soul, to the dispensary system. Judge Jones charges that as a member of that dispensary purchasing committee his whole career was lined with distillery graft and that graft is still going on. A fluke elected Blease governor? through a second primary, after the first had failed of party nomination. Since he has been state executive he has been continually warring* with his department heads. All of them he has told in effect that he was going to run South Carolina and that he must be consulted in everv act bv every state head, from the commissioner of agriculture to the attorney general. In the year and eight months that Blease has occupied the executive chair of South Carolina he has given that commonwealth the most remarkable social and political administration it has ever had. At the outset of his administration he began issuing pardons on a scal6 never before known in the South. More than 400 pardons stand above his signature up to date and he has warned the state constituency that he will not stop issuing pardons upon the same scale as long as he still is governor. Socially he has been virtually os tracized and since he has been governor the ancient functions which have graced the capital city of that state for years have been invariably without the presence of either the governor or his wife. As to tl\e character of campaigning Blease is doing, his speech here last night is a typical example. He addressed a conglomerate audience from the state house steps. The crowd was drawn very largely by the expectation that he would denounce T. B. Felder, William J. -Burns and others behind the charges of corruption recently made against him. But he deliberately avoided them, except to dclare that "the subject of Tom Feder is too indecent to discuss before ladies." Attacking the cotton mill interests in the State, Blease declared that he would pay the fine or pardon any cotton mill worker who whips any man threatening him about his vote. Here is how Blease attacks his political enemies: "If John Graham, who operates that mill( referring to the hosiery mill in the state^penitentiary), were to die tonight, there is not enough coal in all the Clinchfield mine for the devil to put on his dead body. KING REPLIES TO BLEASE'S SPEECH In Regard to Remark of Governor Thatjf King and Watson Are Gentlemen "God Pity the Hoboes" Mr. King Gives Out Utter Which Blease Sent Him La?t Month? Were Best of Friends at That Time. Mr. J. N. King has addressed the following communication' to, The Mews with reference to certain Statements of Gov. Blease: ro the Editor of The Daily News 1 Please allow me space in your laper to reply to the false statements nade by Cole L. Blease in his speech i Columbia last night concerning Mr. Vatson and myself. The simple facts will be sufl lent for my friends an dthe public generally to understand the situatu . . Mr. Olin M. Watson and I we t to Columbia to ask for a respite ' 60 days for a negro, Stake% Morris, :on-< demned to be electrocuted on Ju 26, so that a largely signed petitio for commutation to life imprisor ient could be presented later. We we b to the mansion Sunday afternoon fter dinner, after making an engage tent by telephone with him and told E iase our mission. we were in nis Dea room and the door shut. He said they had the sleuths and dictagraphs after him, and he \ >uld not do anything. We showed him the petition si tied by many citizens and the majori f of Greenville county officers. H< refused to look at it. I called his j Mention to the fact that if anything were done it must be done at once. ] was so surprised at his decision tl at I said: "After all I have done for you, if you won't grant, this little ret nest, I am done with you." Blease said, angrily: "Get o t of my mansion." I replied, as I p died on my hat: "Damn you and rour mansion, too." , This was in ordinary conversi .ion, and was heard by no one except kose in the room. Mrs. Blease met Mr. Watson and me as we went wn stairs to the front door, and t ted to us and told us good-bye in a fr idly manner. She did not know lat hnd hnnnpnprl ri? *"- i Mr. Watson was so surprised pat he said to me, Blease certainly Lid not have understood us, or mu: Ibe drunk or crazy, and after we gjto the street went back against mjIdvice. He did not stay long ,as B tse ordered him out in the same m&i pr. I haxa_JiMsUa_i?.uppo*tfr of P ' * ** for several years, and' a peratmX friend. I remember one incident several years ago at Union whers he got so drunk he could not get or the train. I bought a ticket, put him in a seat and told the conductor in vjhich pocket he would find his ticket. It looks like if I had been drunk Sunday, and he the friend he claimed to be, he would have taken care of me in his house as I have done for him, but the difference was that I was not drunk Sunday, but absolutely sober. He claims that he sticks to his friends. Watson and I are both poor working men, and we were interested in .QtalfA Mnrric u/p vupi-p cnrrv for him. Perhaps if there had been a few hundred dollars in it we might have been received cordially. Blease said from the state house steps last night that if Watson and I were gentlemen, "God pity the hoboes." If he felt this way about me, why did he write the following letter last month? "Columbia, S. C., June 26, 1912. "Dear Sir?I forwarded you by express, prepaid ,on yesterday a supply of my books in regard to pardons, paroles ,etc. "Please distribute them to the best advantage possible; and should there be any expense connected with the distribution thereof please send me bill and I will reimburse you for the outlay. "With kindest personal regards and best wishes. "Very respectfully, (binned) -<jole L-. mease. "Mr. James N. Kinp, "Greenville, S. C." "I have no favors to ask of Blease, but have supported him without re- j ward or hope of reward because 1 believed that he was sincere and trlje. I know now. that he is neither, ? >d a liar besides. When he pets ready to have r le turned out of the Red Men I will >e , Klad to have him come up and : y , it. I am also a Woodman and a 1 i- < son, and think that my record < 11 ] compare with his any day he wa a j to make the test. , I hope I won't have to make I y further statement to the papers, t Blease will stick to the truth one ti e , I won't have to. I expect nqxt that he will deny t t I was in Columbia at all. ( Yours very truly, f J. N. King. July 20th, 1912 ?Greenville Daily Ne t. "That mill, operated by a Yank*, who walks about the streets in Columbia, drinking his fine liquors, is b incubator of tuberculosis and a da r grace to civilization." i | BLEASE MAKES TO n In Statement Made at Ches ernor Denies Charges Burns Detectives Probers?Syn< Chester, July 20.?Charging that the' South Carolina legislative investigating committee proceeded in violation of the law which created it; that it took testimony from a fugitive from justice, in a locality where the witnesses were immune from indictment for perjury, Gov. Cole L. Blease, at the State campaign meeting here today, denied specifically and in detail the charges brought against him in the evidence submitted last Friday and Saturday, at Augusta, by Thomas B. Felder and the Burns detectives. In addition to his attacks upon Felder, whereby he sought to prove his unworthiness of belief, the Governor also paid his respects to Detective Wm. J. Burns, to discredit whom he quoted, from a magazine article written by Samuel Gompers, labor leader, statements which tended to show that when the Burns agency failed to discover wrong it manufactured a case. Not Enough "Hot Stuff." Governor Blease's statement was read in a. very calm voice, and although he warned the people that he would likely use some very strong language, which the occasion, he said, demanded, it was patent that his sympathizers were somewhat disappointed in not being treated to more "hot stuff" than was contained in the state ment. There were many calls of "give it to him," etc. It was further noticeable that applause was evoked not so much by the Governor's defense of himself as by the few strong words he employed in denouncing his accusers. Another element was the disappointment of many of his friends in not hearing the Governor lambast his opponent, Judge Jones. This does not mean that strictest attention was not accorded, fo rthe audience of possibly 1,100, were intensely interested in the statement. But the absence of fire to stir the feelings of his hearers was more than noticeable in the effect upon the crowd. A synopsis of Governor Blease's statement, in reply to the charges brought by Thos. B. Telder is as follows: "Damnable Conspiracy." ^-'^ectttivf. it is my duty to deffcncTmy Stateand my people, therefore, I shall at this time and in thisjnanncr lay bare before you the damnaDlt? conspiracy to cause the people of South Carolina to lose confidence in my honor and to tarnish the proud name of the greatest Commonwealth in the realm, said Governor Cole L. Blease in his statement, issued this 'afternoon, replying to the charges brought against him by Thos. B. Felder and Detective W. J. Burns, before the dispensary investigating committee in Augusta. The Governor takes up the charges one by one, disposing of them with affidavits in several cases. His reply covers forty-seven type written pages, and the Governor "demands" that the newspapers publish it in full, else he says he wi)l charge that they were leagued with Felder and the investirro t i nor pnmmif fnn He says that if they do publish his reply in full, "I shall have accomplished one purpose, at least ,and that is to teach these editors one small lesson in the ethics of journalism." Says Probers Exceeded Authority. The Governor first discussed the Act creating the investigating; committee and charges that they have exceeded their authority and power in probing into the Charleston "graft" charges and in taking the testimony of Folder and Burns at Augusta* He dubs the committee's act as "unlawful." Taking up next what he terms "Felder's motives," the reply charges tha.t Felder is a fugitive from justice and knew of the Governor's information that Felder had been guilty of attemntinc to form a cnnonlronu f-r. . Knot arid defraud the State. He refers to Feldor's charges made against him, when he promised to write a book, as "threats that were jokes." He charges that Fclder having nothing and being unable to find nothing against him, hit upon the plan of 'making a case" and employed William J. Burns an dhis associates, re ferring to them collectively as "plenty money and scoundrels." "Body Guard" and "Pallbearers" The governor says that if Felder svas afraid to come into South Caroina he would have appointed as his jody guard "those brave men, H. B. Carlisle, G. W. Sullivan, J. H. Clif;on, F. M. Carey and J. J. Efvans, ind of this gallant company I would lave made W. F. Stevenson (comnonly known as Seaboard Bill) as raptain . I am sure that these six nen could have protected their friend, Hoi. Felder, and had they failed in heir efforts and had he been assassilated, it would have happened that the >roper number of his best friends REPLY ELDER CHARGES ? st iter Campaign Meeting Gov- u Against Him?Attacks and Dispensary e] w Dpsis of Speech. ~ f* tu ./ re were present to have become pall- ^ bearers." n< He charges that the Felder crowd was afraid and the investigating committee went to Augusta to "get some- ^ thing on him," and "put him in a a* hole." He charges also that another se reason why Felder would not come to South Carolina was that he couid be 'e prosecuted here for perjury and that he knew in Augusta, where the committee was without authority, he ^ could not be?so prosecuted. ^c Calls Felder "Bribe Taker." fo He assailed Felder as "a bribe taker and perjurer." He charges that Fel- a! der had to have the assistance of seven other lawyers and of W. F. Steven- ce son before even a friendly committee to "help him bring out his malicious and dirty fabrications." ^ He disposes of the charge that he received part of F. H. Dominick's fee ^ for calling off the election for Hey- * ward county by stating that the elec- *' tion was called by Governor Ansel, and that he decided against the side * 1 represented by Fred Dominick. He gives as witnesses for substantiating his statements D. S. Henderson of .w Aiken; R. H. Welch of Columbia; *n ' ' (U George T. Jackson, of Augusta, and Fred H. Dominick of Newberry. su Without affidavit he denied having been in any legislative syndicate in 1900 and gives as references the members of the General Assembly at that kr time. He also denied having ever met Felder or having any dealings with PP him in 1900, and said that he was not S even a member of the State Senate then. " d* Affidavit from "Hub" Evans. a* He says that the charge that Monroe Bickert, in Atlanta, paid him and P1 H. H. Evans $4,000 is false, and that P] he was never in Atlanta with H. H. nt Evans as charged by Felder. An af- er fidavit from "Hub" Evans bearing out ar this contention is submitted. In vigorous fashion he denies the 'n charge that while a member of the P> of the State Senate he represented m Lanahan & Co. and submits the testi- m niony of E. A. Smythe before a former P( investigating committee, saying he a was present during the conversation sa between Lewis W. Parker and Lan? ^ han and that the latter did not say ar that Blease represented him. An affidavit from the late W. G. Childs, bear- fa ing out this statement, is submitted, to and one from S. J. Lanahan denying f*1 that he had told Parker that Blease 8X was his representative ni Affidavits are submitted from Jodie M. Rawlinson, John Black, Jos. B. Wylie, H. H. Evuns, John Bell Towill, ^ L. W. Bovkin. all former memherc r?f , 8L the late dispensary boaj-d of control, swearing that during their terms of ca otTice Blease never directly or indi- co rectly solicited orders for whiskey for Lanahan or any other parties engaged in selling whiskey or other articles to tii the State dispensary. th Denial from J. S. Farnum. all An afiidavit from J. S. Farnum is ej1 submitted denying that he has any jia knowledge of the charge that Blease ai was paid $250 for opposing the appropriation of $15,000 for the prose- m, cution of the gfafters while in the re Senate ,and says that the statement that he made any such statement is false. He also denies that he con- jQ tributed $500 to the Blease campaign ro funud two years ago. The reply re- ija fers to denial of R. Charlton Wright ail that he once paid Blease $500 for de- c|. feating some legislation. An affidavit is submitted from N. ?c l M. Block, of Macon, Ga., denying that as he had made any statement about m( Blease proposing to raise a $25,000 \)e "slush fund' to control the business of j;e the late dispensary, as contained in a letter written to Felder by Pickett. Gf He denies that the Charleston blind an tigers contributed to his campaign e fund two years ago and submits affidavits from E. S. Blease and F. H. Dominick, his campaign managers, substantiating his statement. 1 Mr. Dominick also denies the charge that between the first an dsecond cam- j)a paign he went to Charleston and got ? a suit case full of money and when an that was out he went back and got | on another. arv Denied Grace's Charge. ' Governor Blease also denies the H< same statment with reference to him- ' self. As to the charge of Mayor Joi Grace, that he had traced graft from Bl< Charleston practically up to the Governor's office ,the Governor replies, de- Bl? nying it, and says that Grace made his these charges after he failed to get Joi control of the constabulary. dis He also referred to the fact that doi during the recent campaign meeting foi ?i ?A.? ^ ? 111 v,iinric.-siuii, wie mayor, neing pres- tat ent ,he said "any man who made that Ma accusation against me is a malicious character thief and liar." 1 A denial of the charge that he re- Tu :ived any money from signing the larter of the Interurban Railway and eneral reference tp the testimony of am J. Nichols, as substantiating his atement, are given. As to Rabens Pardon. He gives the Bently parole as being le one referred to by Felder in the ters which were published as writ/ " ? t ?> t >ii vivvciiiur Hum umu ,unu ne chibits a receipt for a draft of $25 hich was sent the Governor by iends of Bentley and which was irned over to the latter, he signing a iceipt for same. An affidavit from r. F. Blackburn, the Governor's steigrapher, setting out the above atements, is submitted. A denial that he received $2,000 for le pardon of Rudolph Rubens is made id an affidavit from Rabens himself tting this forth is submitted, also an fidavit from the Rev. W. A. C. Muelr, bearing this out. Mr. Mueller says in his affidavit that ; personally requested the pardon; at Rabens* had only twenty-eight lys more to serve and that it is olish to think he paid $2,000 to keep om serving twenty-eight days. He so says that Rabens's people tell m that they did not offer or pay one nt. The Governor says he never heard P. H. Krauss until the Augusta 'flrinir and hp roitamtac that hu ho a jnuine "T. B." letters He repeats his ell-known statements about a 'rame-up" an dbeing able to convict elder. The Governor calls his "brief" "The roof Positive" and says: "You lould rejoice with me that once more >nor and virtue have been able to ithstand the black hand assaults of famy and shame." He refers to he Burns gang" and applies to them ich epithets as "hirelings" and "eatj." Says Taft Denounced Burns. He says that "since it became lown that the Burns crowd was >unding me down, letter^ and tele ams have come to me from various ictions of the continent giving me inrmation of the dirty methods of this itective agency. I wish to call your tention to the fact that they have ;en denounced by two of the most ominent men in the United States, resident William H. Taft and Attor;y General Wickersham." The Govnor assais the detective in stinging id bitter terms. The Governor, under his sub-headg of "Other Future Charges and" roof," says that the "Felder comittee" may go into some other ave le of pollution and bring forth some >or, miserable being in the shape of human being, who is willing, for the ike of a few paltry dollars, to furler steep his or her soul in misery, id they may, in their desperate efrts to get rid of me, assail and atck those kindred and friends dearme. Such other foul falsehoods as. ley shall send forth shall be anvered by me, if answer be deemed icessary, whenever they are made." An Insinuation. He then charges that the reason for lis investigation is to cloud the isle and keep him off the record of ldge Ira B. Jones, saying that "I innot say that they did not receive impensation therefor." Referring to the prominence given r the newspapers to the Felder tesnony ,the Governor "demands" thai e papers publish his reply in full, id, to quote the reply, "if they arge a penny for this, then I shall .ve the undoubted proof that they e co-conspirators with Folder and jrns to get from honest people their oney." He dares the newspapers to fuse to publish his reply in full. The Governor classes himself with nomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, hn C. Calhoun and Abraham I.inln and styles himself as fighting the '? ttle of the people against the tierce 1 id bitter opposition of the privileged asses. Concluding, his statement says: tut naucht that can be said or done, long as I shall live, will prevent 2 irom KoinK on in me n^nt 1 nave en making t'or your rights and I beve that in this battle I have the pes, the assistance and the prayers a great majority of the whHe men d women of South Carolina.*^?S. Boney in News and Courier. UREASE ENDORSED HIM. The following: is from the Journal of s House of Representatives of 1892, ?e tf: "A quorum being: present, the chair nounced that the first business in ier was the election of a speaker, d that nominations were in order. 'Mr. John E. Breazeale nominated >n. Ira B. Jones. "The nomination of Hon. Ira B. nes was seconded by Mr. Cole L. ?ase. Mr. Von Kolnitz and nthpr? " rhis was in 1892?a year after ;ase says Judge Jones voted against i separate coach bill. If Judge les favored social equality (what a gusting jest that is) Blease enrsed it by nominating Mr. Jones speaker of the house of represenives.?Monday's Anderson Daily til. Remember the Hospital Rally Day, esday, July 30th.