Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-12-10

ernor Blease Of South Carolina con-
cerning the lynching Of negroes. BY O.
vote Of IA to 4, 1t adopted a resolution
declaring against mob violence and for
the impartial enforcement Of the law.
The four governors who opposed the
resolutions declared themselves as
strongly endorsing its purport, but
voted no because they thought they
had no right to reprimand colleague.
Governor Blease hotly defended his
convictions, snapped his fingers in the
face of his colleagues, told them to "go
to It," declared he cared not a whit
what the conference said, thought, did
or did not do and announced that all
the resolutions they might ever adopt
would never keep him from the gov
ernor's chair nor from q seat in the
United States senate in 1915 or earlier.
Four times within as many hours he
asserted, his life had been threatened
because of his utterances, but this ap-
pealed to him as little as the resolu-
ton.
Threatening Letters.
The four threatening letters Govern
or Blease received were all anony-
nous. One was mailed in Richmond,
another in Washington, the third in
Louisville and the fourth in Pittsburg.
The Washington writer told him he
would pay the penalty If he ever came
to that city; the Pittsburg writer said,
You will be taken to account on sight
for your Words" the Richmond and
Louisville missives were unprintable..
Governor Blease was taken to task
by a dozen governors. Governor Carey
of Wyoming denounced him for
Claiming a monopoly for South Car
olina Of the respect of the white men
for women"
Governor Goldsborough of Maryland
declared that he stood solidly by the
right. Governor Dix of New York
thought it would be most unwise" not
to adopt the resolution. Governor
O'Neal of Alabama in a ringing speech
which was drowned time after time by
applause, asserted his belief that the
entire conference had been belittled by
the South Carolinian's remarks and
that it was the sworn duty of every
executive to uphold the law and the
enforcement Of law.
Kissed by Conference.
To these declarations, Governor
Blease replied that he had been quoted
as saying "to hell with the Constitu-
tion," and that what he said yesterday
he repeated today to "all the good gov
ernors here; to all the governors of all
the states, to all the people of the
United States" Once when his voice
was drowned in a storm of Kisses he
turned to the galleries and to his COL
leagues and laughed.
What care l for your hisses?" he
asked. Then shaking his clenched fist he
shouted, hiss if you must only snakes
and geese hiss"
Governor O'Neal unloosed the storm
when he introduced the following res
olution:
This conference of governors does
not undertake to control the individ-
ual views of it's members upon any
questions of law or administration; 1t
declares that this government Is based
upon the fundamental principle of law
and order; that the Constitution of
each state imposes upon its chief exc
cutive the supreme duty Of taking care
that the laws shall be faithfully and
equally enforced; that it advocates all
simplifying our method Of civil and
proper methods for strengthening and
criminal procedure.
This conference protests against
any disposition or utterances by those
entrusted with the execution OF the
law in any of the states of this Union
which tends or could be construed as
tending to the encouragement or JUS
tifcation of mob violence, or interfer-
ence with the orderly processes of
the law"
To this Governor Mann of Virginia
objected and offered the following sub
stitute. which was accepted and adopt
ed:
Resolved, that it is the sentiment
of the governors conference in session