The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-06-19
TIE CAMPAIGN OPENS.
Continued from page ID


He criticised both Hiea.e and Jones
and Informed the crowd that if they
failed to vote for Duncan they would
make mistake that they would re-
sret. lie a.So said that he had final
~ got the political scalp Of Willie
Jones and would get Bicase's this year.
He spoke 10 the full limit of his time.
hut repeated the main theme So fre-
qucntly that the crowd began to grow
FESTIVE. and along toward the last he
was interrupted considerably by sever
al jokers i'm the crowd.
Among some of the pointed re-
marks that he made were. referring
To Hlease. IF am elected governor
VIII tc governor and not dodge the
Issue. will not sign only seventeen
out of one hundred bills | will either
sign them or veto them like a man"
II won't open the doors IF the prisons
ana turn lose on the honest people Of
the state more than 600 criminais' -
Il will never take the popular side
when it suits my convenience, or he a
twV-faced politician. l won't call the
negroes balloons when talking to a
white crowd, and then attend negro
conventions and 80 to negro churches
and tell the negroes that | am their
best friend and just talk the way
do TO fool the ignorant whites"
When Judge Jones was introduced
he was greeted with liberal applause.
the cheers being general throughout
the crowd. but there were counter
cheers for Blease. also.
Judge Jones without preliminaries
stated that he would first read his
platform of principles, so that all men
might know exactly where he stood on
issues Of moment to all the people of
the state.
The platform which is printed here
with was read. but the reading was in
terspecsed with comments on each
paragraph, So that the speech was
really explanatory Of the PLATFORM
Judge Jones made strong and lucid
presentation Of the the principles for
which he stands, despite frequent in
terruptions by few Blease men who
took position directly in front of
the portico from which the speeches
were delivered, and kept up run
ming comment, punctuated by cheers
for Blease. There was no general dis
order, however, and there was dis
position on the part of nearly all Of
the crowd to hear all that Judge Jones
had to say.
The strong points in the speech were
his reply To Governor Blease's charge
that his candidacy was backed by the
corporations. In this connection he
said that if the corporations were
backing him he did not know it, that
every dollar that he had spent or
would spend in the campaign. were
his own hard earned dollars. But in
any event that charge came with poor
grace from Gov. Blease, whose most
active supporter was Mr.. Andrews,
the head of the great Atlantic Coast
Lumber Corporation. which had ac-
qured vast areas of timber land in
this state. This corporation was not
only supporting Gov. Bleasc. but was
figthing Jones. because the Supreme
Court. had while he was a member
rendered a Just decision limiting the
timber leases held by this corporation
to a reasonable period for the removal
Of the timber and thereby restored the
control Of the land to its owners.
citizens and taxpayers of the state. 1t
also was worthy of note that the gen
cral counsel of the Southern Railway.
the greatest railroad corporation doing
business in this state is Ben Abney.
Bleases first cousin. active supporter
and who lives i'm the White House" in
Columbia
He ridiculcd Blease's plea for a sec
ond term, saying that if man had
been true To his oath of office. had
been loyal to his duties and the whole
people of the state. had taken the lead
in constructive work for the state. he
would be given Il second term he
cause he deserved it, If the present
executive had been true to his duty
We would all say vote for him, but
he has not and the man who votes
for him stultifieS himself and is untrue
To his country. He deplored race pre-
judice and denounced as a dcmagoguc
the man who endcavorcd to make
political capital by an appeal to this