The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-12-10
BLEASE'S UTTERNANCES
STIR Up CONFERENCE
SOUTH CAROLINA STANDS BY AND
DEFENDS HIS CONNECTIONS.
Resolutions Adopted Condemning
Position = Blease Receives
Threatening Letters.


governors conf >"ence UNANIMOUSLY
repudiated TO-DAY tie recent uf%er-
ances of Governor Blease, OF South
Carolina, concerning the lynching OF
negroes. By a vote of "A to 4 it adopt
ed a resolution declaring against moi
violence and for the impartial enforce
ment of the law. The four governors
who opposed the resolution declared
themselves as strongly endorsing It's
support, but voted no because they
thought they had no right to reprl-
mand colleague.
Governor Blease himself, target for
the attack, hotly defended his conYlc-
tions, snapped his fingers in the face
of his colleagues, told them to "go to
it, declared he cared not whit what
the conference said, thought, did, or
did not do, and announced that all the
resolutions they might ever adopt
would neither keep him from the gov
ernors chair nor from a seat IN the
United States senate in 1915 or earlier.
Four times within as many hours ne
asserted his life had been threatened
because of his utterances, but this ap-
pealed to him as little as the resolu-
ton.
The four threatening letters Gov
ernor 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,
@eYou 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 Ca
rey, of Wyoming, denounced him for
claiming a monopoly for South Car
olina of the respect of the white men
for women" Governor Hadley, Of Mis-
souri, declared that the floor of the
conference hall was not a clearing
house for local and personal contro-
versies." Governor Goldsborough, of
Maryland, declared that he stood SOL
idly by the resolution because it was
a matter of right Governor Dix, Of
New York, thought it would be "most
unwise" not to adopt the resolution.
Governor o'Neil, 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 Caro-
linian's remarks and that it was the
sworn duty of every executive to up
hold the law and enforcement of law
To these declarations Governor
Blease replied that he had been quoted
yesterday as saying 'to hell with the
and that what he said
yesterday he repeated to-day to '|all
the good governors here; to all the
governors of all the States" Once
when his voice was drowned in a storm
of Kisses, he turned to the galleries
and to his colleagues and laughed.
What care I for your hisses?" he
asked. Then shaking his clenched i.
fist, he exclaimed, 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
aot undertake to control the individ-
lal views of it's members upoa any
questions of law or ADMINISTRATION: it t
declares that this government is based
,pon the fundamental principle of law
md order; that the constitution OF .
,ach State imposes upon its Chief Ey-
,cutive the supreme duty of taking
are that the laws shall be faithfully
md equally enforced; that it advo- T
:ates all proper methods for strength
ming and Simnlifvjno o1Ir methods of
ivil and criminal procedure
''This conference protests against
ny disposition or utterances By those
ntrusted with the execution of the law
4 any of the States of this Union I
rhieh tends or could be construed as
ending to the encouragement or Jus
6eation of mob violence of interfer-
ace with the orderly processes of :
aw.'