Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-08-09
EVANS REPLIES TO BLEAsE.
State Chairman Denies Request OF
Governor for Tickets.


Governor for Tickets.
On the first page Is printed the cor
respondence of Governor Blease with
Hon. John Gary Evans requesting the
privilege of buying extra ballots for
use in the primary election, and here
with follows the reply Of Chairman
Evans, as published in the afternoon
papers Of Monday.
August 8, 1912.
Cole L. Blease, Esq, Columbia, S. c.
Dear Sir: I beg leave to acknowledge
receipt of your letter Of August 2, In
which YOU state that "it Is common
rumor told and written you from dif-
ferent parts Of the state, that there ls
going to be a scarcity Of state tickets
at the cotton mill precincts, at the
country boxes and at such other places
that you are particularly strong, the
purpose being to keep the Blease men
from casting their ballots"
I do not feel that !, as chairman
of the state Democratic executive
committee, am called upon to pay any
attention to rumors which nave no
foundation whatever, for the reason
that persons responsible for such ru-
.mors can not have any knowledge as
to a scarcity Of tickets, before such
tickets have been printed or distribu-
ted, It must appeal to you that such
rumors are absurd. / will say, how
ever, that as chairman Of the execu-
tive committee, 1t Is my duty and Will
be my pleasure to provide more than
a sufficiency Of ballots for every quail
flied voter at the primary, every
precinct in every county throughout
the state.
can not comply with your request
to furnish your manager, Fred n.
Dominick, with $4,000 extra tickets.
A compliance with such request would
inevitably lead to q. similar demand
from every candidate in the field and
render null and void the provision In
the constitution Of the party. which
requires the tickets to be voted to be
furnished by the state and county
executive committee respectively, ana
no other tickets shall be used. l know
of no more effective means OF prevent
ing any other tickets from being used
than to see that no other parties are
furnished tickets, save the legal au-
thorities authorized to receive the
same in the manner prescribed by the
rules Of the party. A departure from
this rule might open the door for fraud
and vitiating our elections by the use
Of unauthorized and improper tickets.
Under my construction Of the consti-
tuition, the executive committee, II mot
expressly, Is implicitly forbidden to
furnish the official ballots to anyone,
save the authorities responsible there
for. 1 must decline, therefore, to fur
nish any candidate, whoever he may
be, the official ballot except through
the respective county officials or the
party. There will be no scarcity or
tickets, rumors to the contrary not
withstanding. In declining this re-
quest, I am performing my duty as
see 1t and am not responsible for any
beliefs that any candidate may harbor
from my acts.
The imputation Of contemplated
fraud made by you against the man.
ayers of the election and the county
chairman and the state executive com
mittee as to not counting your ballots
is peurile and unworthy Of notice. TO
make imputations against the honesty
of men, some Of whom have not yet
been appointed, should merit the con-.
demnation of all honest men.
The request on your part, that l ask
the county chairmen to give you rep
resentation on each board Of the man.
AYERS OI eleCtlOIl dppSoi W 49,
as foolish under the law Of the party.
The state executive committee has no
Jurisdiction whatever over the county
authorities in the appointment of the
managers Of election, and as you have
been a member Of this committee for
many years, no one should know this
better than you. Not only this, 1t
would be impossible to give every can
didate who has opposition and who
imagines that he will be treated un-
fairly representation on the board Of
managers the number being limited
to three. The practice is to appoint
honest and intelligent men to fill these
positions and when this Is done, no
candidate has just cause to complain
You state that you know Of my Bit
terness towards you. 1 am frank to
state that there are some people for
whom I have a contempt and some
whom I pity, but for none have l any
bitterness and my enemies may rest
assured that they have monopoly OF
such If any exists. In my position as
state chairman, l endeavor to repre-
sent every Democrat from the hum
blest to the most exalted without con-
sideration of my friends" or foes.
Respectfully yours.
John Gary Evans,
Chairman State Dem. Elk. Com.