Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-01-20
Pretty Warm Address Out Of the
Ordinary.
PLATFORM OF CAMPAIGN REITERATED.


Ellenton, who was made notary pub
lie the day before in order that there
might be no question as to the legality
Of the proceeding. The galleries of the
house of representatives were crowded
to their capacity with friends and ad-
mirers of the new governor from all
parts of the state, and there were fire.
quent bursts of applause during the
delivery Of the inaugural address,
which on account Of the physical ina
bility of Mr.. Blease was read by Mr..
MCGOWAN Simpkins, reading clerk Of
the house. The inaugural address,
which in many respects is very much
out of the ordinary, is as follows:
Gov. Coleman Livingston Blease in
his inaugural address to the legislature
Tuesday afternoon, said:
Mr.. President, Mr.. Speaker, mem
bers of the general assembly of South
Carolina, ladies and gentlemen:
Independence of thought, freedom of
action, an abiding trust in and devoted
love for God have won for me the
greatest political victory that has yet
been recorded in the history of South
Carolina. Aligned against me were
a united daily press and an almost solid
weekly and semi-weekly press, pouring
forth all kinds of falsehood, vitupera-
tion and abuse, receiving the assistance
of a number of men who call them
selves ministers of the gospel-God
save the mark!-who stood behind
their pulpits and gave vent to envy and
malice and slander of the most virile,
malicious nature against me-
These hypocrites had left their masks
and stood
In naked ugliness.
They were men who stole the livery
of Heaven
To serve the devil in
all Of these combined with others, max
ing set of political character thieves,
the meaneSt and most contemplate
people known to man.
Never Discouraged.
I was never discouraged. 1 know
that God did not love ugly, and that
the people of South Carolina were for
fair play to all her sons alike.
His Noble Band.
Men have rallied and fought In hun
dreds of battles, but no hand % truer.
men or braver soldiers or more loyal
and devoted friends ever rallied for a
fight than those 56,602 brave and hon.
orable men of South Carolina, who on
September 13, 1910, said to my enemies,
You shall not press him down; you
shall not destroy his reputation; you
shall not cruelty him upon a cross Of
vituperation, SANDER and falsehood;
you shall not crown him with a crown
of persecution, envy and malice" And
by the help of an all-wise and all-pow-
erful God, the victory was won, and we
can and do today say,
Praise God from Whom all blessings
flow,"
and my prayer is that His choice
blessings of this earth rest upon my
friends, and may each of them some
day be crowned with diadem in
heaven.
Pities His Enemies.
For those who opposed me honestly
and fairly, have no word of censure.
1t was their right to do so, and feel
that they were but exercising their
high right of American citizenship.
For the others 1 have but pity, for I
well know that their consciences, if
they have any, are giving them GEN.
sure and punishment enough for their
cowardly and underhand manner of
opposition.
Zenith of Ambition.
l thank, and wish for you to con-
Vey my sincerest, most heartfelt
thanks to your constituents for their
assistance in giving me the position
which was the zenith of my political
ambition. Should 1 never be elected
to any position again, personally will
have accomplished all that my life's
work has been for, so far as political
preferment is concerned. The only
ambition that is left is that may per-
form the duties of the office of govern
or in such a manner that may receive
at the close of my term the well done"
from those who placed me in the po-
sition.
His Friends the Editors.
At the campaign meeting at Florence
L
ial columns of the State newspaper of
this day, We shall in a day or two have
something to say in regard to the can
didacy of Candidate Blease that will
not be regarded as endorsement
believe that the people of South Car
olina are in favor of fair play, and
now request and invite the man who
wrote that article to come on the ros-
trum at Columbia at the state cam
paign meeting at Columbia, next Sat
urday, August 9Th, and have his some
thing to say in regard to the candidacy
Of Candidate Blease, to my face, where
l can and will have the opportunity
to make reply. And If he declines this,
then ] demand that he name a time
and place where he will agree to meet
me face to face and make his state
ment. Two years ago this paper pub
lished articles about me, and when
my friends sent replies to these arti-
cles, the publishers of the paper refus-
ed to publish them, thus cutting me off
from any opportunity to prove their
statements false to the readers of their
paper. A brave man comes out in the
open and fights face to face; a coward
turks in the dark, or hides behind his
strikes from behind. To which class
does the writer of this article belong?
His future actions will show"
The Columbia Meeting.
At the campaign meeting in Column
bia on August 6. l repeated the state
ment as made at Florence, and called
for the writer to appear. He failed
to do so, and l repeated the question,
ITO which class does the writer of this
article belong?-and said, He is a
coward"
l do not believe that it would be
possible for any other man ever to
have to undergo the vituperation and
abuse from the press that | had. And
why did l have it? Because of my
professional connection with a noted
criminal case in this state. l most res
pectfully recommend that you gentle
men of the general assembly pass at
this session an act providing that any
newspaper editor or reporter who shall
publish, or cause. to be published. any
article rejecting upon the private
character or the public record of any
citizen of this state, which Is not true,
shall be punished by fine and impris-
onment. An act Of this character, In
my opinion, will save much better feel
ing, and possibly bloodshed in future
campaigns of our state.