Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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GRACE HOWLED HOODLUMS A1 fSpartanburg Journal.) Rotten eKKs were thrown, hood-1 lums and roughnecks shouted and the < police force, acting under orders from < those in authority, failed to preserve i any semblance of order Saturday < night when Mayor John P. Grace of j Charleston endeavored to speak to a 1 crowd of twelve hundred representa- 1 tive citizens of Spartanburg and about one hundred discourteous crea- < tures at the Harris Theatre. After s trying to gain a hearing from 8:80 1 o'clock until nearly 11 the gritty lit- 1 tie mayor of the City by the Sea, with < the statement that Spartanburg had < the poorest police force in the world, < and "this could never happen in < Charleston, quit in disgust and was I only prevented from leaving the 1 stage by hundreds of admiring friends 1 wVlft irntVw?vo#l <i rnnnrl him fn oViolrr* hie hand, congratulate him on the excellent effort and the tremendous pood accomplished for the overthrow of ! Bleaseism in South Carolina. More < votes, it is stated today, were made i for Jones than there would have i been had Grace completed his speech. "Spartanburg sacrificed her de- 1 cency, her self-respect, her regard for i law and order, her reputation as be- < ing an educational center, her nation I wide fame for being a city of cour- < tesy, all for the sake of the cause of 1 Jones and the overthrow of Blease," said a prominent citizen this morn- 1 ing in speaking of the disgraceful and i disgusting occasion. Called to "Order." The meeting opened at 8:30 o'clock, i u-kon AUnmn..n < 1 XKT T 1 or protein, introduced Mr. Grace. It < was with extreme difficulty that Dr. Leonard gained a hearing. He man- t aged, through the din of the uproar 1 of hoots and jeers from the balcony < to say: ? "In the absence of Mayor Johnson 1 and as mayor protem, it becomes* my ? pleasant duty to introduce the mayor of that historical city, that City by , the Sea. Especially is it pleasant at 1 this time, when the business men of Spartanburg are taking active steps to see that Charleston is one of the 1 greatest shipping ports in the South. ' "As mayor protem, I have not ap- I pointed a committee of 100, nor has I the chief of police employed any ex- s tra police force to preserve order, as 1 some have anticipated such disorder, < but I will ask each and every one to ] OA+ oo on nUinoon lU. . uvu od upai bono ao viuiiciio Ui viic i best city in the Piedmont. i "Let every one present tonight ap- 1 point himself as a committee of one j to see that he so conducts himself < that Spartanburg will never have I cause to blush for shame. It is with < much pleasure that I now introduce Mayor Grace of Charleston." Then disgrace after disgrace was 1 heaped on the fair name of Spartan- 1 burg county. Mayor Grace arose and 1 was greeted with shouts and jeers from the little group of Blease sup- ( porters, some of whom were appar- c ently drunk, and who congregated in the balcony of the theatre near the i ...1 J4- i 1- ?1- . uuwi auu micic iw was t*Aii ciiifiy nuriv l as no lights were burning in that por- { tion of the house. j Cheers for Blease, Jeers for Grace. "Hurrah for Coley!" and "We want 1 Blease," "who are you?" "Go back to < Charleston," Your eyes are too I close together," and the like resounded from the gallery. Mayor Grace who was suffering from a cold, sever- i al times got a start, only to be t stopped on the completion of a sen- 1 tence. He appealed to the men who t live within a stone's throw of Cow- i pens and Kind's Mountain, where t their ancestors fought for liberty, to t accord him the privilege of free speech, for which their forefathers s had died. Such a plea, of course, had no effect on the men in the gallery 1 and the jeers continued. i Attack's Blease's Record. i After some time Mayor Grace was * permitted to utter a few sentences, whils some of the leaders of the ^ howling brigade were outside, per- t haps taking another drink. Grace as- * sailed Blease's reference to the con- < stitution when the governor is said < by Grace to have said. "To hell with < the constitution." He appealed to the mill hands on this ground and f pointed out that Ira B. Jones sat on > the supreme bench which upheld a 1 dscision Riving one of their number J a veraict 01 $<,uuu against L.ewis W. t Parker's mill because the mill black- i listed him and prevented him from J securing work. Then the howlers down returned. Bitterness was growng fast. The t would-be presiding officer asked every t citizen who would volunteer to be f sworn in as special officer to come 1 on the stage. Hundreds responded, c But the sheriff of the county appear- t ed and in lieu of a police force said he c would keep order. He did for a few t minutes, but 'then pandemonium c again broke loose, worse than ever. This continued until Mayor Grace stopped trying. 1 Rotten Eggs Thrown. I DOWN BY r SPARTANBURG i t un one occasion some one threw an over-ripe egg on the stage. Thi? was quickly followed by another. Mayor Grace dared the "nigger" who threw it to come on the stage. He then apologized to the several negroes in the gallery for refering to the monster who threw the "egg as a member of their race. Grace assailed Blease's record, but only got him as far as the alleged stolen essay in college before he was howled down. The Spartanburg police force came in for much bitter criticism for the part it played. The Charleston mayor reiterated that this zould never happen in his city, and on more occasions than one advise] Mayor Pro Tern Leonard to resign. He said the Spartanburg police were worse than those in New York. Blouse Had Free Speech. Mayor Grace stated amid howls: "Gentlemen, "when the governor of South Carolina went to the city of Charleston I sat in the audience and saw that he had a respectful hear- " ng." r The jeers ami yells of "Hurrah for Blease" prevented Mr. Grace from being heard further. He said some- a :hing about the right to free speech i aeing one of the cardinal principles s if liberty upon which the republic t vas founded. f Mr. Grace quietly paced back and I forth upon the stage, waiting for the I jproar to cease. "Where are the Police?" "Where are the police?" cried c iiany in the audience, while many j persons moved forward with a plea s to be allowed to act as officers. I Postmaster W. M. Floyd mounted I ;he stage and made an earnest ap- f peal for a respectful hearing for Mr. ' jrace. Ilis words were almost drownjd in the noise, but in the lulls, with c land upraised, he entreated the audi- J nice to allow Mr. Grace to speak. "Whether you are for Blease or ^ Jones," said Mr. Floyd, "be a man. t Don't disgrace our city." c In Sanctuary of Liberty "I realize," said Mr. Grace, when i 1 ^ 1 1 1 A. 1 .ciupuiai^- tauu nuu ukuii rusiorcu, *c 'that I am standing tonight within v ;he sanctuary of American liberty. If ? dicrc were ever a place on American ^ toil where the right of speech should \ ie sacred it should be in the shad- a >w of King's Mountain and of Cow- s jens. I believe there flows in the ^ .reins of you men the blood of the j nen who fought at Cowpens. I havje i >een taught that one thing for v/hich s irour forefathers fought was. the right J >f free speech, and when you dis- f lonor that right you are unworthy )f the name of American citizen. "No Objection Now." 2 "I have no objection to yo.11 hur- * ahing for Blease now, but I'll venture to predict you will not be hur- t ahintr for him when I am thrnmrh " "We don't need you," shouted a 0 iisturber. "We have a mayor of our ^ >wn. Go hack to Charleston." y "Why did you come here if you did m lot want to hear nie," answered 51 irace. "You are governed by the ianie anarchy that your leader is rovcrned by." v The din again became deafening. c Jnder threats of arrest some of the 1 listurbers left the theatre and held a ^ 31ea.se meeting on the street. v Mr. Jones' Appeal. Samuel 13. Jones, who was sitting ^ n the balcony, arose and called for j he chairman of the meeting. When f le finally succeeded in petting the at- n ention of Dr. Leonard, Mr. Jones denanded of him that he appoint sufli ient deputies to clear the gallery of he hoodlums. Somebody yelled at Mr. Jones to li lit down, that he was drunk. 1 "The man who said that is a dirty ' iar," said Mr. Jones, and offered to c ight him. A pistol was displayed, v ind Mr. Jones folded his arms and h railed: "Shoot me, you, coward." All this time others in the audience _ (I vho wanted order were denouncing e ;he mayor and the police with a tneers. Julius L. Carson, Ralph K. v Larson and a number of others call- -v :d on the police to do their duty and iject the disturbers. 1< Solicitor J. C. Otts advanced to the itage and called upon those who were ^ villing to act as special policemen to v estore order to come and stand with I um. mere was a quick response, >ne of the first to come forward he- 1 ng a gray-bearded man well up in ( rears. C Leave the Balcony. t Solicitor Otts then called upon all t hose who believed in law and order " o leave the balcony and come to the irst floor. All but about 75 persons ^ eft the balcony. Sheriff White, amid iheers, then ascended to the balcony h ind took a seat among the leaders ii >f the disturbance. He begged them a ~ ?? vt_ ?i? ??_ 0 ? uc ijuicir iui ins mum:, mr. urace ^ :ontinued his speech. v Under Disadvantage. "I ask you gentlemen to consider," ? le said, "that I am laboring under a 't >hysical disadvantage, having spoken v nuch already today and being undei he care of a throat specialist at this ime. Please be attentive. If any one vants to ask a question and will ask t in a courteous way, when I have inished, I will answer it and I will lot insult him by telling him to g< )ff and see his 'nigger sweethei.**.' "Two years ago there was nc ivarmer supporter of Blease than I 3ut I was deceived. When a man is leceived once it is the other fellow's 'ault; but when he is deceived a sec>nd time, it is his own fault. And tc am trying to guard you against benb deceived as I was. Afraid of the Truth. "Are you afraid to hear ,ruth?" he called, when the jeers vere resumed. "The issue in this election is bewen law and anarchy, between purty and graft, between Americanism ind mediaevilism. "What did the men at Cowpens ight for? For freedom. Go back to he earliest days, and we find men ighting for freedom. When Moses ed the Israelites across the Red Sea, hey were fighting for freedom. And hat fight has been made through the iges. Hut it was only at Cowpens hat freedom was won. It was won vhen they established a constitution, ind" (turning to the disturbers) what your forefathers won you are low here tonight to destroy. Law or Anarchy? "The issue is between law and anirchy. Let those ideas which are beng preached on every stump in the tate prevail and away with constituional government! Away with the egislature! Away with the judiciary! Jull down your courts of justice! Jnlock your prison doors! Appeal to Mill Workers. Mr. Grace said he wanted to appeal 'specially to the cotton mill workers, Ic was their friend. Ten years age le went to Gatl'ney and started a cruade to secure labor laws for their icnefit. And because the laws which ic advocated would interfere with the liviclends of the mill owners in 'harleston he incurred the hostility >f the latter. He said he had been told that the otton mill workers feared that if (ones should be elected a great co^. on mill merger would be effected md that the workers would be presented from moving about from mill 0 mill unless the mill owners would onsent. 11c said that a man named Rhodes nice incurred the enmity of the manigement of the Granby cotton mills ind was placed on a "black list" and vas refused employment by the nianigers of other mills. He sued for >10,000 damages, and, because there verc courts and a constitution, he vas able to obtain damages through 1 decision of Judge Memminger?the :ame man whom Blease is going up ind down the state villifying?and he same Judpe Jones, whom Blease s also villifying, affirmed the decison when the case came before fnt lupreme court and allowed the mill vorker to obtain compensation foi he liberty which had been stolen rom him. Went to the Courts. "Did Rhodes go to the Governor?" isked Mr. Grace. "No, he went into he courts. And what would you do vithout the courts? "What is the government comin" o when the governor says, as he did, To hell with the constitution?' "Your father and mine put muskets ?n their shoulders and fought across he fields of Virginia for that which 'our governor says 'to hell with.' It vas a South Carolinian who drew up nosi of that document which your governor says 'to hell with.' " "To Hell with Blouse." Mr. draco quoted at length from vh;.l Daniel Webster s:ii;l of the saredness of the constitution, and he hen added: "Hasn't the day at last onie when we shall say not 'to hell vith the constitution," but 'to hell nth t'ole I.. B lease' ".Mr. Grace next took up Blease's la:in that he is "the poor man's riond," and proceeded to riddle it, le said he had listened jruillessly at irst and had been deceived. He had , tetlei claim himself to hein^f called 'the poor man's friend," havin.tr mine? all that he had from adveritv. Love of Their Sons. Mr. Grace appealed to his hearers ove for their children, and asked hem if they would want their boys o become men like Cole Blease, even vith his positiop of governor. He onlidently replied, he said, that they vould shrink from the thought of lavintr their sons become real men ike Blease. "Would you want your boy," he sked,'"to be the accomplice of ^raftrs?a man who by his filthy utternces drive your wife from audiences i/hich he addresses? No, I am sure ou would not." His parting from Blease. He fell out with Blease, he said before it became known. Blease enied that Grace had parted from lini and said, when asked about the natter, "John is all right." And /hen it could be denied no longer, House said that Grace had deserted lim because he had refused Grace's equest for the appointment of a ne;ro notary public. As to this, Mr, Jrace said, Ben Tillman and John lary Evans had appointed negro noaries. Mr. Grace was again interrupted at his juncture. Some one shouted: Cole Blease is coming!" Hlcase Going Fast. "No, he isn't," quickly answered dr. Grace. "He is going fast." Mr. Grace took up the charge that le had made the charges of graft ng against Chief Constable Stothart ,nd Blease because he had beeen shut ff from participating in the graft limself. He denied this and explained /hy it was not true. Mr. Grace said that if a man passed , counterfeit bill once it might be by nadvertence, but if he repeatedly rieri to pass the bill the conclusion /as inevitable that he was a counter r feiter. , Judging his Whole Life. "We're not judging Blease by one ! incident," he said, but by his entire > life." s He proceeded to tell that Blease 1 was expelled from the University of South Carolina for plagarizing an ^ssay. He continued Blouse's career into the legislature, where he was the > upologist for the grafting of the old State dispensary. It was at this point that the two 1 eggs came (lying down from the bal5 cony, narrowly missing the speaker, - and smashed on the floor near him. , Mr. Grace hotly challenged the ruffian to come to the stage, calling him a dirty, contemptible coward, l'ardoned Grafters. Resuming his speech, Mr. Grace > said that Blease, before his election. ( piomised he would not pardon the ):>ciui;i9, aim IIIIIIIVdiaUMy ancr nis election proceeded to pardon them. "And when Cole Blease pardoned . John Black," said Mr. Grace, "he he! came his partner in crime." His attempts to speak thereafter were continuously interrupted. There > were incessant shouts for Blease hy i a howling mob, both in the theatre { and without. He concluded with the solemn prediction that Blease would 1 he overwhelmingly defeated on Au> post '27 and would afterward be con[ victed and sent to the penitentiary. , Apologize to Grace. When he retired a crowd surged up ' on the stage and shook his hand. 1 Many persons apologized for the , treatment which he had received, some saying they had been inclined favorably towards Blease, hut were now through with him. Mayor Johnson was roundly denounced and a petition was at once . drawn up calling on him to resign. , M AYOR ORDERED MEN TO ARREST NO ONE FOR YELLING. "What were the orders you had from any one in connection with the actions of the Spartanburg police force on last Saturday night?" asked a reporter for the Journal this afternoon of Chief of Police J. E. Vernon :i< ho wtiu ctnn.llnif i" ?f ' 1 . .. ...... .......v....^ ... ..urn, VII quarters on Broad street in company I with another gentleman, whose name L ' the reporter did not know. "I have absolutely nothing to say," teplied Mr. Vernon. 1 "You won't make any statement ! whatever?" persisted the reporter. J "I refuse to say anything about the matter now," continued Chief Vernon ; Thus, after the reporter had traced the orders given the policemen up ' to the chief, it was impossible to de' terminc whether or not they were given by the mayor or the chief, j Whether Mr. Johnson or Chief ' Vernon ordered the men on the police force not to arrest anyone unless they 1 cursed in the building or became ' otherwise obstreperous, it is impossi[ ble to say. ' Dr. O. W. Leonard, and it must be ' said that he was powerless to do anything in view of the order the dc1 partment had. stated to n renortm this morning: "I, as acting mayor, requested Chief Vernon on two occasions to remove any persons in the house who were disorderly and his reply was that Mayor Johnson had instructed L arrest no one for hollering. ' I was powerless to preserve order ' when the chief of police refused to carry out my instructions." 1 Mayor Johnson was in Spartanburg Saturday night. He left at 3 o'clock Sunday morning for the mduiwtains of North Carolina. Lieutenant Johnson, ' a member of the police force and a relative of Mayor Johnson, stated to a reporter this morning that Mayor Johnson left on this train and lie , thought he was in the country near ' Brevard. NT. C. Efforts to get in communication with him over the nhonc j proved fruitless today. ' There is no doubt about the orders " given the police to oust no one un- |g i less that person was using profnnity, II as more than one member of the forccll | stated to a reporter that such was the I case. ! Alderman J. T. Willard is much 1 grieved over the matter. Aside from 1 , j . >vessin?r his regret at the occur-; rence and stating that he would rath-1 er have paid $1,000 out of his own I nocket than to have had it happen in ' Spartanburg, refused to make : formal statement, sayinp; he would , reply to a statement which he expects Mayor Johnson to issue on his re- i tourn to the city. i! Hay fever and asthma make August a month of intense suffering to j many people. Foley's Honey and Tar i | Compound jrives prompt ease and re-! lief, and is soothing; and healing to i , j the inflamed membranes. Wm. M. 1 I Merethew. N. Searsport. Me., savs: i "A few closes of Foley's Honey and Tar Compound relieved me of a se! vere attack of asthma and less than I a bottle caused a complete cure." Ke- i fuse substitutes. .Jonesvile Drug Co., Glymph's Pharmacy. j The Democratic executive commit-! tee of Darlington county have ar-1 ranged for placing money boxes at | all the voting precincts of the county at the coming primary. The money will go to the Wilson fund. George L. Higbie, Manton, Mich.,' used Foley Kidney Pills for kidney ! and bladder trouble. He says: "I j 1 find for my case no other medicine l ; equals Foley Kidney Pills for beneil- S I cial effect." They are a safe and re' liable medicine for kidney trouble and rheumatism . Contain no harmful drugs. Jomsville Drug Co., and 1 Glymph's Pharmacy. Large Loss by Fire. Nashville, Aug 5. A fine resulting in an estimated loss of $100,000 at I Sparta, Tenn. ,today. Seven business houses were destroyed. The origin ; Robert W. Herter, Lawrenceville, ; Mo., who had been bothered with kid; ney trouble for two years, says: "I ; tried three different kinds of kidney I pills but with no relief. My neighbor told me to use Foley Kidney I Pills. I took three bottles of them, ' and got a permanent cure. I recom' mend them to everybody." i Jonesville Drug Co. Glymphs' Phar macy. IFI HAD ONL mm wf/i IT i!S NEVER TO LEARN; i UANIC AjLC-d HAVING MONEY OF Y you lo borrow more want It to start a busin Make OUR Bank We pay liberal interest c< Citizens Nati UNION, SOUTH Capital and Surplus _ 41 4* 4* 4* 4* 414 4? 4 4 4 4 4 4 * f Columbus ai 4 l WAG 4* i.,__^ i 4 j; Do you need I See the Colt | Webber Wag 4 you buy. 4 4 -fc | Peoples Ss 4* ?v* 4* 4* 4" 4* v v v "s? 4 ici r "~J -J? ** BEWARE OF SUD THAT MAY PRG YOU CAN SOON MOST DANGEI DR. Kl NEW DIS< THE RELIABLE f1 COUGHS AND C< WHOC AND OTHER 01! 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