Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1910-09-08
BLEASE AND FEATHERSTONE
CENTRE OF PUBLIC INTEREST

loCn lnSC-, when ". ~. rSdCler-
stone and Cole l.. Blease will be
the opposing candidates, as a
Times representative learned on
a visit to that city a day or
two ago. In the hotels, in
the cigar stores, on the street
corners and in other places
where men are won't to congre-
gate one hears little else dis
cussed. Both men have warm
friends and supporters in the
capital city who do not hesitate to
express their opinion as TO what
the result of the election will be.
Bets are being freely made, as
The Times is informed by one
who ought to know, but neither
side will offer odds. The con-
sensus of opinion is that the race
will be close and that neither of
the candidates will win by more
than few thousand. Blease's
friends appear confident that he
will get the nomination, while
the friends of Featherstone are
none the less sanguine that the
Laurens man will be elected.
An influential Blease supporter
whom The Times interviewed on
the subject of the election ex-
pressed the opinion that the prin-
cipal part of the Mcleod vote
would go to the Newberry man
and that he would get many of
the Richards votes. According
to this authority, if there are
less than a hundred thousand
votes polled, or approximately
that number, Blease is almost
certain of $4,000, which means
that he will have to gain not
over $1,000 of the 1000 votes
which went to Mcleod and Rich
ards in the first primary. With
the more than 1000 Charleston
votes which went to Mcleod in
the first primary all but assured
for Blease in the second primary
and the 1,5OO Duncan votes
slowed away in his vest pocket,
he has less than $4,000 votes to
gain in the forty-odd other
counties of the State, which
would not seem a big task
from the standpoint of Blease's
friend who is here quoted.
Attention was called to the
fact that the newspapers of the
State were almost a unit against
Blease, but this fact seemed to
please rather than discourage his
supporter. THE day is gone, ="
said he, when the people of
South Carolina will allow the
newspapers to dictate to them
how they shall vote. 1t does not
matter an iota to Blease and
his friends whether the newspa-
pers support him or not. We ex-
pee to win without their support.
Blease's friends all over South
Carolina have been busy night
and day since it was definitely
known that he would be in the
second race and they will keep
busy until the votes are all in on
the afternoon of the 18th inst.
All this newspaper screaming
against Blease Is not doing him
any harm. 1t is expected, and
the people are therefore able to
discount it. Put it down that
Blease will be the next governor
of South Carolina.
There's nothing to it but
Featherstone in this race" said
a well known newspaper man.
He is absolutely certain to be
elected, and there is every reason
why he should be elected. Do you
know of any reason why Blease
should be elected over Feather
tone? don't. All this talk about
Blease being the friend of the
poor man is the veriest rot and
will not count with any man who
will stop to think that it is nothing
but the cheapest kind of peanut
politics, got up to deceive the peo-
people into voting for a man who
is trying to be elected on plat
form of false pretenses., What
can Blease do for the people that
Featherstone cannot and will not
do? Absolutely nothing. Of the
two men, Featherstone is the
superior in so many respects that
it would take too much time to
tell about it. But if he is elected
governor, and / am certain he
will be. the people will have in
the Office a gentleman in whom
all South Carolina will feel pride.
There is nothing shady in his
past. He is absolutely honest,