The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-01-12

and ESPECIALLY upon Il iI4o.44 VIII ---to-~
public life. Today you can hear 1t
stated by many, many good citizens
when they are, asked to become can
didates for Office, NO, no, under no
circumstances or conditions would ]
allow my name to be used; l would
not have the newspapers of the coun-
try bounding me down, publishing lies
and abuse about me, for any office
within the gift of the people," and to-
day many good men are kept from
running for Office because of the cow
ardly and infamous lies which are
published on men who are already in
! Office. Then, gentlemen, do you not
know that any character, black or
white, however loW-doWn or Infamous,
that will write an article, criticising
some State officer or some member of
your legislature, and send it to the
editor of a paper who does not like
the one that it is written about, that
it is published and broadcasted all
over the country for the purpose of
injuring the reputation of the man
about whom it is written? Need I
call your attention to the scurrilous
articles which have been written
about your governor by disreputable
and filthy element and published in
that dirty and Infamous sheet edited
in Columbia by Cuban mixed-breeds.
Need I call your attention to an article
published in the same paper, from a
negro preacher, about a member of
your own body? 1t IS useless for me
to further trespass upon your time.
The men who edit the paper today,
and the men who report for the news
papers, are looking for filth and slime;
they are looking for ISLANDERS and
vituperation; they are looking for
dirt to, cause sensation, and in do
ing so they regard not whom they
hurt. In order to injure one/ they do
not like, they will publish part and
leave off a part of a story. For the
same reason, they will make up a
story in their own minds. For the
same reason, they will say that man
said something that he never said, or
they will leave out enough of what he
does say to give what he did say an
entirely different meaning. 1t is
pity, but it is true, that the standard
of newspapers in South Carolina is
low in the extreme, and it is further
pity, but it is true, that many men
with pure South Carolina blood in
their veins are simply me Tooing" to
a set of foreigners and mixed-breeds,
and I repeat that this is an iniquitous
measure, and if you pass it, I firmly
believe that it will cause bloodshed
and cause the erection of granite
slabs in other parts of your capital
city and possibly in other parts of
your State. These falsehoods and
vituperation have not injured me, be-
cause the people of the State know
that they are absolutely false, and
have reached the point where they
believe nothing that they see in these
lying sheets about me; therefore, if
injury is done, it is done to our State
by the newspapers publishing this
filth and these lies about the governor,
giving to the people of the outside
world, who do not know the man, the
idea and opinion that South Caro-
lina's chief executive IS a man of no,
character, blackguard and one con-
tinually looking for trouble; and, as
I say, while this does not injure me,
it does injure the State, yet these
cowardly assassins are wiling to do
any injury to the State or her people
in order that they may.
And, further, beg to call your at
tention to the fact that by the pas
sage of this act you are extending
protection to the newspaper editors
which you deny individual citizens,
even yourselves; for if one of you or
any other citizen of this State were
to write an article or to write letter
detrimental to the character Of an
other citizen, you are liable for dam
ages and also to prosecution for libel
If you were to apologize within seven
days, whether requested to do so or
not, you would not be eXcusable either
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