Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1910-09-21
HENpHILL ON THE ELECTION.
Gubernatorial Situation Sized Up by
D Former CarOlinian.
(Richmond Times-Dispatch.) }

INA for Governor Of that State. This
Is the third trial he has made for
the place--"one 7 love, two love to
say, three l love with all my heart"
1t is the proudest moment Of his life
and one of the sorriest experiences
in the life Of the State. In spite Of
the powerful opposition Of the press,
the antagonism Of the pulpit, the Bit
ter resentment Of many, perhaps
majority Of "the better people Of
the State" If, indeed, 1t can claim
to have any "better people," after
Tuesdays work at the polls. Blease
won the race by very substantial
majority. We think it can be claim
ed that 1t was the vote of Charles
ton which gave him the ofllce-not
that the people OF Charleston pre-
ferred Blease to Featherstone, but
that they took him as the lesser Of
two evils, as more nearly represent
ing the Democratic idea of local self
government. But for the whiskey
bottle, in which sign South Carolina
has been doing business for nearly
seventeen years, Charleston would
probably have voted for Featherstone
rather than for Blease; but stand
ing for Statewide prohibition, in
State which is already practically
Statewide In IFS prohibition Of the
sale Of intoXicants, the Charleston
ians emphasized their objection to
the prohibition movement against
the protests and warnings Of many
of their self-conscious advisers, on
the outside and the daily thunderings
Of their two daily newspapers, one
In the morning and one in the even
ing, the morning paper being, as
LII Sum Ling described it, the best
paper in the morning and the even
ing the best paper in the evening.
Speaking Of the part the papers
played in the campaign against
Blease, we were told on Monday by
the news and Courier that "only
three newspapers in South Carolina
have ventured to endorse the candi-
dacy Of Mr.. Blease." "Ventured to
endorse" was not an altogether hap
py expression; but the statement was
true that only three papers in the
State supported him, and they were
weekly papers OF small circulation
and supposedly little influence. All
the other papers, daily, Sunday,
morning and afternoon, religious, oc-
casiona' and weekly to the number
OF fifty or sixty, or more, piled on
him to such an extent that he could
scarcely breathe, and yet he beat
them all, not by any virtue of his
own, but because he seemed to be
nearer right on the main question
than his opponent; Fcatherstone
standing for Statewide prohibition,
Blease. as nearly as we can make it
out, for local option.
Blease's nomination, which is
equivalent to election, will result in
some embarrassing situations in
South Carolina. The Lieutenant Gov
ernor Of the State, Hon. G.. A. Smith,
is an out-and-out prohibitionist, and
he will be, cX-oflicio, president Of the
State Senate. The Attorney General
has been pursuing the whiskey graft
ers of the old State dispensary sys-
TEN with remarkable energy, and
among them several of the clients of
Mr. Blcase, who has been elected
Governor; for Blease is also a law
yer and has been charged with some
rather shaky transactions in connec-
ton with the dispensary looters.
Blease's election will place him at
the head Of all the State institutions
OF higher education-the University,
tho Citadel Academy, the College for
Women, Clemson College and the
State College for Colored People at
Orangeburg; that is 10 say, he will
be chairman eX-oflicio of the govern
ing boards OF these several institl-
hons, and this relation is likely to
produce some strained conditions.
lie has expressed himself at times
IN very pronounced way against
the higher education of the negro.
ana that does not promise we'll for
the negro college and for other ef-
forts that may be made for the edn-
cation of the negro. Tho most en-
barrassing Of his experience, how
ever, Will be his first meeting with
the trustees of the University from
which he was expelled for the Of
fense Of giarism--cXpelled, we
have been informed, by the faculty,
by the studcnt-body and by the liter
ary society.