The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1912-03-15
Blease Addressed
Union People

Union Peopl'
SPOKE HERE SATURDAY TO
LARGE CROWD ON MAT
r. STREET IN FRONT OF HOTRI
SAYS, @BOB HAMILTON Is o. X.
SCORED THE PREACHERs AM
PRESS AS USUAL. =
Governor G. L. Blease addressed
crowd OF about thousand people O,
Main street In front of the hotel II
this city Saturday afternoon after th,
7sion Of the district convention O
Red Men which had been held in tn,
s opera house.
Governor Blease received a great
deal OF applause as he has many SIM
porters in this section, different ones
shouting out during his speech, Go It,
you VIII be governor 25 years II You
want #" Pardon more people," aTelI
Us about It," and sentences of like ma
ture.
The harangue lasted about forty-fiye
minutes. and during It he covered the
subjects that he has been treating in
4 MS speeches for some time.
He devoted particular attention to
his veto of many items of the appro-
priation BILL saying that he said, mo.
when 1t came to spending $4,000 for.
putting in heating plant I'm the negro
college. declaring that he was against
doing this for the beautiful black
faced doll babies" when many white
teachers and pupils IN this State had
TO do without such things and the tax
payers are paying for them.
He was against the appointing of
g state insurance inspector and the
railroad inspector, the state geolosist
also came in for his part.
81 He asserted that he had been fought
from every side, but that he had kept
mis- temper and kept cool. In his in
stroductory remarks he referred TO the
fact that he would have been a great
governor had he taken some Of the
politicians and. Spanish Incubators.l
and mixed breedE" into his cabinet,
hut that he had been elected BY the
'pe0ple and not by fhe press. and IN
fIf - sAs-Alvss sst1 sfzss1s>ese}
! Wat fn5y said. q.
In speaking Of his sxerciping Of ems
.pardoning power. he alluded to an In
cident when Senator Tiliman, then !
governor, was speaking. A little boy
nd a rA
then during the speech, would ask,
Didn't you pardon him?" At last
Governor Tillman said to the boy,
Eyes, and II you had not been par
doned by Jesus Christ, you would be
In hell" Governor Blease used this
as text with which to say that his
idea was to give men chance to
make good, for II he kept them In
prisons or penitentiaries, they might
die without having desire TO better
themselves and would go to hell and.
whereas, when he pardoned them
they might become better citizens. "If
you don't want man pardoned. don't
send petitions down there with your
come to my Office with the names Of
the highest and lowest signed to them,
all begging for executive clemency
for which ! am afterward abused"
He cited an instance Of how In Spar
tanburg a negro had been convicted
OF something and sent to the peniten-
tiary, and six months later 1t was
found that he was inocent. Gov.
Blease said that he thought the ne
gro should be compensated for six
monthes labor.
He criticised the legislators. saying
that they had been unfair to him,
particularly in passing bills over his
veto. At this point some one called
out, "How is Bob Hamiltonf" "Boh
Hamilton is o. K" replied the Gov
ernor. "If South Carolina had more
men like him in the legislature there
would be better laws passed. and they
would be more strictly enforced"
Governor Blease emphasized the
fact that he was in the race for re-
election as governor, that he intended
to stand by his friends, that non'
others might apply, for be would no
appoint them TO ofices, unless nomi
mated in the primaries. He spoke o
aristocracy and said that 1t mean
honesty and straightrorwardness II
dealing with your fellowmen.
He declared that he saw improve
ments in Union, both material an
.naral thaf when he first came TO I'm