The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1911-04-27
A NEAR VIEW OF BLEASE
A NORTHERN WRITER'S ESTIMATE OF
STATES CHIEF EXECUTIVE
man OF FORCE BUT ERRATIC
Attributes Featherstope's Over
throw TO Tyranny of Prohibition.
Some of the Governors Doinps
Revealed

Some of the Governors Doings
Revealed.
! Special correspondence from Col
umbia to New York Sun.
The Hon. Coleman Livingston
biease, Governor of South Carolina,
Is straight, slender we'll kept man
OF about 45, very dark and bright
eyed, with a small black mustache
and compelling pompadour He is
alert, active, evidently combative.
and by all recognized indications as
fearless personally las they make
EN-. Already he has made so
much trouble in South Carolina, up
Set 50 many time-honored conven-
tlons, antagonized such rock-rooted
observances and easy-going customs
that he is regarded with horror by
the staid and the serious. They say
that ne is destructive and not con-
Structive, in which, as inyestiga-
ton shows, he differs from his pre-
decessors of the last twenty years at
! least in trying to do something,
whereas they tried to avoid every
thlng. 1t seems clear that he is en-
deaVoring to break down here and
there, and it is difficult to see
where or what he is trying to build
up. AS matter OF fact, however, he
than few months. and il is too
soon to pass Judgment. For the
present he has, among other things,
taken issue with the Supreme
Court of the State i'm respect TO
appointing circuit court Judge
Both the constitution and the stat
utes referring to the case indicate
that he was wrong, but Blease is a
good lawyer who has been success
iul In many important matters. and
ne says eh is right. The plain facts
are that Blease appointed a special
Judge to sit in an emergency, and
the next day the Chief Justice re-
commended for the same place an
entirely different person. The CON
stitution says that the Governor
! shall" appoint on the Chief Jus
tlces nomination. The Governor
claims that he has the power of ap-
polntment, certainly he has the
power of commission, and so, as
the Governor will not confirm the
! Chief Justices selection, and as the
/ Chief Justices choice cannot sit
without the Governors commission.
there is a deadlock and daily
growing bitterness.
/ This is typical only. though of
course extremely inconvenient. 1t
suggests Blease's determination to
have his own way for one thing but
in combination with all that he has
done since his Inauguration it il
lumlnates the very shrewd oracle of
a local observer. This gentleman
said: "Blease has made up his
mind to punish all who worked and
voted against him in the campaign,
and, by the same token, to reward
all of his supporters and advocates
when opportunity offers.' And
this really seems to contain an ex-
planation of much, if not all, he
has done
Blease was elected Governor be-
cause he was an outspoken, not to
say violent, enemy of prohibition
his antagonist at the last was 2
Mr.. Featherstone, whom everybody
respected and liked except in his
capacity as the prophet of State
wide teetotalism. The better class
felt inclined toward Featherstone.
he was a gentleman in all the re-
lations of life. But South Carolina
was weary of prohibition, with all
its hypocrisies and all the corrup-
tions and abuses that attend it's op-
Grafton. The people had also wit
messed the monstrous tyranny of
the dlspensary as conducted by the
State. They had seen men of hum
Die means and heavily mortgaged
possessions manage on a salary of
few hundred dollars a year to free
their properties, to purchase large
ly on the outside, TO accumulate
heavy devosits in the banks, and
1lnally to bourgeon forth as capi-
tallsts OF high consequence and SOL
Id establishment. SO they wanted
neither Statewide prohibition nor
continuation of the State dispen-
saries, which were robbing them in
plain view. 1t happened, therefore
that when Blease appeared before
them denouncing prohibition and Of
ierlng instead the supreme aIterna-
i've, namely, local optino, Blease
trlumphed and his adversaries
were cast down. 1t is now evident
that Blease was not their choice.
He was merely a makeshift. Thus
the old antogonism, with the over
shadowing issue eliminated, has
reared its head again, and now the
upper class opposition to Blease is
raging afresh, aided by the import
ant newspapers and famed by every
latent prejudice of class condition
and acquired precedence.
Blease has never been persona
grata with the aristocracy." He
comes of humble parentage. His
iather kept an inn and livery sta
BILE at Newberry, and in the old
days the quality" knew him only
as useful servitor. But Blease
himself has been well educated. He
Is lawyer of parts, ready and eff
1ectlVe speaker and has been
SHOWN, man of great force, high
courage and commanding personal
ity.
1t is characteristic of Blease that
on the same day on which the Su-
preme Courts decision Is announc-
ed declaring its right to nominate
Judges GOVarnnr pIaaoo a