The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-14
BOUNDING BLEASE INTO GOVERNOR
SHIP.

The victory in the South Carolina primary
Of Cole l.. Bleasc. for Governor, over c. G.
Featherstone is the result looked for by impartial
observers of the contest. As was to have been
expected, also, it is already heralded as defeat
of the policy of Statewide prohibition. Mr..
Blease being local optionist and Mr.. Feather
stone an advocate Of prohibition, this conclu-
sion is natural if unjustifed The movement
for Statewide prohibition was definitely set
tied for the time being by the result of the prim-
AIRY Of several weeks ago, when the Legislature
nominated showed a majority against that pol
icy. In the second primary the question of
liquor had no place Mr.. Blease was named by
the virulency with which he was attacked
In a heated campaign practically every South
Carolina newspaper, including the Charleston
News and Courier and the Columbia State, both
OF which have on every occasion fought all move
ments looking toward Statewide prohibition,
knew no limit iii personal abuse of the NOW sue
cessful candidate. Having oppos, aIher
stone in the first primary, the Colmns.J State
IN particular knew not when to stop in dcnounc-
ing his opponent iii the second one 1t and
other papers iterated and reiterated that pro-
hlbition was no longer an issue. Featherstone
himself took the same ground And all along
the line, Blease was attacked and pilloried with
strange >avagery. The issue, it was declared,
was one between men 1t was one between de.
cencv and crime Ii was character against vice
In every issue of South Carolina papers for
weeks it has been stated again and again that
Blease stood for nothing meant nothing, wanted
nothing except corruption and graft. Now
Blease is nominated by decisive majority. and
/ th,,
either admit the want of decency in the public
or the want of honesty in themselves.
We know little about Blease, despite the vol
umes that have recently been printed concerning
him. Violent abuse Is never enlightening. True
as 1t Is that these papers must honestly have be-
lleyed in Featherstone as the better man. it
stands to reason that Bease cannot be the mon.
ser he has been pictured. Not being the black
CRATER that he drawn. it is equally clear
that the people pat their own measure upon the
agencies that sought TO destroy him with in
tamies In recent issue the Columbia State
carried a cartoon characteristic of its campaign
method-a ballot box above which stood two
figures a symbolica one of woman bear
ing shield inscribed Justice, Honesty, Pro
gresS Ability, the other that of cloaked, bat.
like creature with the face of Blease. with it's
platform indicated Graft, Blind Tigers. Ring
Rule, Prejudice, Ignorance If this cartoon
be true, South Carolina is in a bad moral state;
il il be false, Mr.. Featherstone has simply been
sacrificed to the folly of his friends. We rather
incline to think that it was false
The entire campaign with its result. shows
once more the passing of the old time abusive
methods in politics. South Carolina and
Georgia have particularly offended against the
better and higher methods that have come into
vogue There is no place left in civilization for
Western methods of journalism, or for the tac-
tics of the bully and the gun man. When they
are resorted to, they gain, and properly gain,
public contempt and popular resentment They
are effective with the reverse English. with
boomerang action. They kick like an old-fash-
Toned musket, and are more dangerous at the
stock than the muzzle end. If Mr.. Blease il a
bad man. the almost unanimous voice of the
South Carolina press, that has bounded him
into martyrdon, is responsible for South Caro-.
lima having bad Governor.
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