The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-06-19
Especial to Press and Banner.)

Especial to Press and Banner)
Sumter, June 18.-With citizens Of 81!
counties In attendance and with the whole
State on tiptoe and expecting the warmes
campaign in the history of South Caroline
In many years, the initial meeting Of tn
Statewide circus was held here today.
The meeting was held on the green IL
front Of Sumter's new S11s,oOO court house
the speakers haranging the crowd from
the portico Of the temple Of justice.
Owing to the fact that many peopl
from other counties were expected, mos
of them decided partizans Of either candi
date for governor, every precaution hat
been taken to insure order, but no CLASHES
of any kind occurred and the meeting
passed off quietly.
1t was expected by some that the acer
bidity which has characterized the cam
paign so far would find an outcrop
ping in. the meeting today, but the two
leading candidates, Ira B. Jones, former
chief justice, and Cole L. Blease, candidate
for reelection, contented themselves with
reading their typed platforms. They
were each allotted three-fourths of ar
hour. Governor Blease was forced to sus
pend for several minutes during his
speech on account of minstrel band
which played furiously while marching
past the court house.
The Governor reviewed his record, cit.
ing the recommendations which he had
made, but which the general assembly
had disregarded, as we'll as the measures
which had been passed over his veto. He
renewed his declarations OF policy made
in his platform Of two years ago and re-
iterated in his inaugural address.
The Governor paid his respscts to the
newspapers, charging unfairness, but his
attack was couched in more parliamen-
tary language than that which have char
acterized former attacks on the same line.
Blease claimed that large sums Of money
were being used to put the office OF COVER
nor into the hands Of ring rule and corpo-
rate interests, but had no proof that Judge
Jones was party to such effort.
Jno. IT. Duncan in his speech criticized
the dispensary commission for resuming
work on the eve Of the opening of the
campaign.
Judge Ira B. Jones was cordially
received when his time came to speak,
though a noticeable feature of the
meeting was the absence of cheering
for either candidate.
Judge Jones recited his platform,
commenting on the several PROPOSE
tions as he went along. He said it
was his earnest wish that the cam
paign be conducted on a high plane.
He deprecated the appeals to race
prejudice which had been made, and
the arousing of prejudice between
working men in the mills and work.
ing men in towns and on the farm.
Down with such contemplate poll
tics" he declared. What shameful
demagoguery Blease talks"
Judge Jones said that the governor
had spoken of corporation control of
the governors office, and yet B. L. Alb
ney, chief counsel for the Southern
railway, was a cousin of Blease and
resided with him in the mansion in
Columbia. Nobody owns me-" said
the speaker dramatically, emphasizing
the fact that he was not owned by
corporations or newspapers, but was
a man Of the people, sprung direct
from the working classes. Judge
Jones said nobody had ever given
him anything and that he had paid his
way as he went.
Referring to the second term prece-
dent, Judge Jones said that the COVER
nor himself had disregarded this
precedent by opposing Governor An
sci in the latter's campaign for re-
election.