Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-07-31
The State Campaiqners.

The candidates for the various state
offices addressed the voters OF YORK
county in the court house last We'd
nesday and elsewhere in this issue. we
are giving as comprehensive an ac-
count Of what was said and done as is
practicable under the circumstances.
That different people have been i'm
pressed in different ways. there is no
question, and in view of the fact that
such impressions are often Influenced
by individual preferences and interests,
it is not practicable for one man to be
too free with his own impressions with
out stepping on some other man's toes.
However The Enquirer proposes to-
give some of its impressions as to the
meeting last Wednesday, and leave it
to the public to agree or disagree with
those impressions as it sees proper.
The race for railroad commissioner
is practically a repetition Of the same
situation that has been witnessed each
two years since the people have been
electing commissioners. All the new
aspirants to the job insist that the
commission has done practically moth
ing; that the man whose commission
IS expiring has done worse than moth
ing, and that there should be a change.
The only difference of opinion among
the outsiders is over the single queS-
ton as to which of them could best fill
the position and work great and needed
reforms in behalf of the dear people.
AS the result, the people have been
steadily and consistently turning out
the incumbent and putting in new
man not so we'll qualified to attend toI
the duties of the flee because, If for
no other reason Re is without expert
ence About the strongest plea that
any one of the present candidates Is
able to make is that he has as much
ability and is generally as well quail
flied to fill the office as is the incum-
bent. AS a matter of fact it stands to-
reason that if the incumbent is as hon
est and as competent as the others, the
interest of the people requires that
they hold on to him for his experience,
if for nothing else.
While we cannot fail to be impressed
with the fact that Mr.. Blease is a
shrewd campaigner, somehow we are
not very much impressed with the case
he tries to make out. That the gener-
al assembly is rather liberal in it's ap-
preparations, we are not disposed to
deny; but it is difficult to see how Gov
ernor Ansel is to be held responsible.
AS Il member of the senate, Mr.. BleaSeI
has been in a better position to hold
down appropriations than has Gov
ernor Ansel. The governor has practi-
cally nothing to do with the matter,
as he very clearly explains There is
nothing wrong with the governors rec
ommendatiOn for an increase of sal
aries. 1t was not only his right to rec
Ommend the increase, but his duty If
he thought such an increase wise. The
general assembly has not seen fit toI
authorize the increase. For that the
governor is no more responsible than if
the increase had been made. And no
body understands that better than does
Mr. Blease. The argument that If the
incumbent finds the salary too small,
all he has to do is to get out Of the
way for some one else who will accept
the job at the price, is rather specious.
There can be found men who would
gladly give from $4,000 to $4,000 a
year for the privilege of being govern
or. And neither are we impressed with
the capital that Mr.. Blease would make
against the governor because of the
governors appointment of a negro as
notary public. Mr.. BleaSe told his story
originally as if Mr.. Ansel was the only
governor who ever did such thing;
but it was not long in coming out that
it has been very common practice, 50
common in fact that it is not difficult
to imagine that Mr.. Blease himself
would have done the same thing had
he been in a position to do 50. But TAX
en- all in all it seems to us that the
governor, by his plain, frank statement
of the situation made the whole matter
as clear as is necessary.