The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1912-09-25

haheS IL necessary Tor Governor
Blease, as the nominee of the demo-
cratic primary, to contest in the gem
eral election against Ira b. Jones or
some other independent candidate for
governor, we have from various men
OF more or less prominence in poll
tics the following state ticket sug-
gested to us for the Bleaseites of
regular democrats to put out:
For governor, Cole l.. Blease. of
| Newberry; for lieutenant governor,
Thos. F. Brantley, of Orangeburg;
secretary of state, j. V. Wallace. of
| Charleston; Comptroller General Jas.
III. Craig, Of Anderson: state treas
urer, Newton l.. Bennett, of Spartan
burg; adjutant general, Oscar w.
Babb Of Laurens; commissioner of
agriculture. Jas. Norton, of Mullins:
attorney general, Thos. II. Peoples,
of Blackville; railroad commissioner
John q. Richards, of Kershaw; SUI
perintendent of education, j. e.
Swearingen, of Edgefield, is the bold
statement in a letter dealing with the
general political situation in South
Carolina. written by one of the "inner
circle" of the Blease camp and be-
lieved to be agreeable to the COVER
nor himself if appeal must be made
! to the general election to decide
the state officers for the next two
years.
The naming of ticket headed by
Cole l.. Blease makes it certain that
no matter what the action of the
state committee, provided they find
Blease not the nominee or order a
second election, that the governor will
refuse to recognize the action of the
committee and will go into the gem
eral election claiming to be the regu-
lar nominee of the democratic party.
In fact it is believed on all sides
that the governor would refuse to 20
into second primary if ordered now
and that he will claim that the
state committee mas usurped power
in ordering another primary. That
they have no legal right to do so.
Election Officials.
Another significant part of this
letter which is recognized here as at
least "semi-offcial," is this: AN
other thing which will add strength
to the regular ticket is the matter of
election commissioners and managers.
! The governor appoints the commits
sioners, both state and national, and
! he being the regularly recognized
nominee of the democratic party, he
will, of course, see to it that none but
| regular, straight-out democrats are
! appointed to fill those positions. and
they, in turn, will select none but
| true-blue, and regular democrats for
election managers. In that way the
white men of the state will retain
control Of the election machinery. and
it may be that in case there are inde-
pendent candidates in the field the
regular democrats will still be able
to hold the black peril down 10 the
usual minimum, thus giving these
misguided people lin case they &C
to that lengthD an opportunity TO re-
turn to the fold, after inevitable de-
feat has shown them the folly of such
a course, as did the old time Haskell.
ties"
The letter, which is taken as a
statement of the Blease side of the
present wrangle in South Carolina
and outlines the course which that
faction will follow. attacks the state
executive committee as a partisan
body overriding the will of the peo.
pie, taking unto themselves powers
which they haven't, and procrasti.
mating as much as possible Partcu.
lar attention is paid to John Gary
Evans. state chairman and w. f
Stevenson, chairman of the sub.
committee probing into the alleged
frauds. Reference is made to the
dilatory tactics of the committee anC
bitterly attacks the action they have
taken. The semi-ofFicial statement
declares that the committee has nc
power to order another primary now
and intimates that an ordering of an.
other primary would be illegal anG
that If the election for governor is
thrown out on account OF fraud il
will invalidate the nomination fol
general assembly and all country off.
GERS and throw them into the general
election
| The War Talk.