The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-06-15
WRITES TO COLE
BLEASE
Warm Open Letter Addressed to
Carolina Governor.

4uOI4do OA0C4, VI AG1duOd,
has issued the following open let
ter to Cole Z. Blease, governor of
ISouth Carolina:
To Cole Il. Blease: Realizing
that my card, published in the
press of today, is open to the crit
icism of being too general in its
terms, this is intended as a sup
plement, designed to embody only
specifics.
If the charges / herein lodge
against you r true, you are net
fit to be the governor of a mig
GER colony, much less the chief
magistrate of the grand and glori-
Gus commonwealth of South Caro-
lima; and unless you take steps
without delay to refute them, you
owe it to the position you dishonor
and the people you disgrace to
forthwith tender your resignation
and retire to the "shades of prl-
yate life," where you will reap the
reward of obloquy and execration
to which your Infamous achieve
ments in public life SO richly en-
title you.
IF the charges I make are false,
they are libellous per Sc, aud | ain
suably solvent.
Meet You Outside State
Moreover, with apologies to the
shades of my departed ancestors,
I in modesty ca claim to be your
equal, and if you are aggrievcd
by the charges, it will be my
pleasure to meet you at snch time
and place without the confines Of
your state that may suit your con-
venience, to the end that abundant
opportunity may be afforded TO
redress your gricval oes
If my charges are groundlass
and libellouS aud yea do not VS.
to seek personal satisfaction, you
can institute suit against me in
the United States court in the city
of Atlanta-should it be objected,
however, that this is my home
county, then in any of the subdivi-
sions of the district. As soon as
suit is filed l hereby promise and
agree, in order to facilitate and
expedite the same and by way of
circumventing any excuse you
may offer for inaction, that ]
will acknowledge service and will
enter into a recognizance with
good and approved security in an
amount covering the sum sued
for, the fees of your counsel and
the cost of court, together with
your personal expenses and the
expenses of your witnesses; the
only condition of the bond be, that
you shall finally prevail in the Ii
tigation.
An Investigation of this court
will disclose that it is presided
over by a distinguished iurist.
who, in the administration of the
laws, knows neither friend nor
foe, and while his decisions r
occasionally reversed, they abound
in such rigid integrity that they
are universally interpreted to be
without variableness or shadow
of turning"
Even and Exact Justice
You will find that the juries of
this court are selected with such
care that they r composed Of
gentlemen who will mete out to
itigants Something that you
least desire) even and exact JUS
tice.
So much by way of premise.
Now, then, In order to afford you
: grounds for this suit, | charge
that you, both in official life asia
private citizen, have been a bride
giver and a bribe-taker, "Iess of
the former than of the latter
that during your incumbency as
a state senator from the county
of Newberry you were on the pay
roll of at least a half dozen liquor
dealers doing business with the
late defunct dispensary (and that
you received from one alone the
sum Of about $4,000, and from the
others sums aggregating many
thousands of dollars.) I specif-
cally charge that these moneys
were paid by them and accepted
by you with the distinct under
standing that it should be for
compensation for your services in
protecting their interests from
hostile legislation and for corrupt
ly influencing the states agents
- IL 1919 - e. L.