The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1911-08-15
GOVERNOR BLEASE TO
NEWBERRY AUDIENCE
MATTERS TOUCHED ON IN ADJ
DRESS AT YOUNGS GROVE.
Pardons Granted by Him, the Beiton
Incident Negro Societies and
Other Matters.

During the course Of his splendid
fraterna1 address On the "Princlples
of Redmanship," at the Red Mems
rally, at Young's Grove, near Pros
perity,H on Friday, on the occasion OF
the meeting of the eighth district con-
vention of Red Men, Governor Cole.
L. .Blease branched off once or twice
to the discussion of matters affecting r
his administration and Ito reply to
personal attacks which had been made
UPON him. He defended his pardon ,
record, referred to the Be1ton incident,
a history of which is given in another
column Of this issue of The Herald
and News, and discussed the. negro
question. - -. -.
It was towards the close Of his adj
dress that Governor Blease referred
to the Belton incident-to the accuse
ton that he had shown grave discour-,.
tesy to the woman in the ticket Office
Of the Southern railway at. Belton
some days ago, when the governor
was attempting to exchange mileage
for a ticket, as required by the rules
of the company. This accusation was
brought in the Be1ton Times. n.
touching upon this incident at
Youngis Grove, Governor Blease said:
The Belton Incident. q
81 have been 'vilifed and abused,
but nothing has hurt me so much as
an accusation brought against: nae a
day or two ago I hate to refer to it
here, but must. I was accused q
few days ago Of insulting a woman. :.
MY friends, Henry Blease = was my
father: If there was one thing in tins
world he tried to impress upon his
boys it was to be polite to everybody,
and particularly to old people and to
ladies, and he has told me many
time that the cheapest thing in this
world, so far as monetary value was
concerned, was politeness, and that It
was the best paying thing q man had
ever dealt in. I have tried to be polite
to everybody; I have tried to treat
>.
everybody courteously. When they
stabbed me with the charge OF recelv-
ing money ought not to take, / could
face that, because I knew that those
things would come in the heat Of poli-<
tics. When they charged me with be-
ing traitor to my country I could
stand that, because I knew it came
in the political battles Of life. But
when they charged me with impollte-
ness to a woman it hurt me and hurt:
me badly. I shall say nothing about
her. She may be as pure and as spot,x ::
less as an angel in heaven, but the,
man or the woman who was present
on that occasion and heard what took
place. and tells the truth, will tell you
that did not insult her. And I want
to, say to you here, today in unmls-- :
takble terms-to you, good women
roanv of you 1 see before me out there
that have known since my Doynooo
days-that I said nothing on earth 70
hurt that woman's feelings, and notn-:
Ing to cause her to be the least offend
ed. And why they concocted tnat>
scheme is plain to my enemies, anu
will be understood by my .fr1ends:,
They have fought me- with every kind
m 7ttuperation, abuse and slander'
and could not beat me, and they went
IN that extreme to which all dirty,
INSCRIPTIONS hounds like them Will
20. thinking, NOW we will strike MIN
with q woman, We will bring him Into
2 controversy with a woman. fney
couldn't attack my moral character
along that line, and, thank God, they
have never done it, but they thought,
il we can't find anything in the dark
ness of night, we will attack him along
that line, with a crowd Of towards and
poltroons surrounding him for the
purpose, in order to drag him down
POLITICALLY"
Continuing he said: Ladies, those
of you who have known me all their
lives, if there is one of you in that
crowd that believes I would insult
woman without cause or without pro-
vocation, I will thank you from the
bottom of my heart if you will stand
up or raise your hand" There being
no standing up or lifting Of hands on
the part of the ladies, he said: "Men'
you who have known lie all my llre'