The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1912-08-07

/ .Aoith tudt ne nOI COnSl0er mC
very close to him.
II expressed great surprise in my
recent interview that Blease, not
withstanding his inconquerable au-
dacity, would go SO far as to init
mate at this time that he ever had
any doubt that supported him in
both the first and second primaries
and he repeats these doubts in his
recent interview, going even so far
as to say he (meaning mel told me
himself that he did not support me
in the first primary.
Mendacious Lie.
81 would like to know where and
when l ever told him this. This is
the most mendacious lie that Blease
has ever uttered, because it carries
! with it monstrous and manifest alb
| surdity. / would be in very diff
cult position but that fortunately the
proof is clear not only that | did
support him in the first primary, but
that he and everybody else knew it,.
Moreover, as l said in my interview,
1T is all in writing, but unfortunately
l nave not copy OF my newspaper
files with me at Glenn Springs. l
will take this phase up later.
He said he was informed by those
who had charge of his affairs in
Charleston that l was against him
and for McLeoI / don't know who
his informant was, and, in fact, doubt
that he had any informant capable
Of telling such plausible lie. be-
lieve IL he had any such informants,
they also misinformed him.
MLeOd Sought Support.
1T would be very easy for me to
prove, even by the Mcleod people.
where l stood McLeods own first
cousin, who, in way, was looking
after his Charleston interests, came
personally to me seeking my support
for Mcleod, and, strange to say, per-
sonally my preference was for Nc
Leod, but | distinctly declined to sup
port Mcleod and wrote editorials
along these lines upon the express
reason that, while Mcleod said he
was local optionist, his idea of local
option was to let the law stand where
1T was, namely, choice between pro-
hibition and the county dispensary
to both of which I was opposed
whereas Blease's alleged platform was
choice of three-prohibition county
dispensary or the private sale Of Ii
quor under dispensary regulations
This latter was what | preferred.
knowing the constitutional limitations
against the only true solution of the
question from Charleston stand
point; namely, u license system
Il told all this to McLeod's cousin
and he went away regretfully, as he
said, but with frank declaration
from me that ] was against him, and
| Immediately wrote editorials that
will bear me out.
Nobody knew this any better than
Blease, who read these editorials. He
said l claimed to be for him in
the second race. This also is a tac-
tic lie. He knows | was with him in
both races, and, as | said when
get back to Charleston | will show
letter from him, thanking me for
what I had done.
Moreover, only recently in his
| Charleston speech. he acknowledged
his appreciation of what | had done
for him in the same speech in which
he now says he branded me as a char
acter thief and liar, upon which
Will dwell little later on. In fact, it
was so we'll known that | had been
for BleaSe that for months and
months after the actual rupture
came it could not be believed through
O"I tilt oldlC lllCI L was really against
him. 1t initiated greatly against me
at the state convention and my enc
mics there sedulously insisted that
my breach with him was all a sham
and succeeded in convincing many
people much to my detriment, at that
convention that such was the case.
"JOhn Was All Right"
I'm the meantime Blease was him
self cultivating this idea Whenever
he was asked about the alleged breach
he denied any knowledge of 1t and
even when he came to Charleston and
was asked about it, his answer was
that John was all right And all
the while emissaries were coming to
me, begging me to overlook any cause
which might have created breach
between US. An editor Of a certain
weekly paper came to me and said
to me that 1T was too bad, and want
ed to know if it could not be patched
up. My inVariable answer was that
1t was simply useless to talk to me.
"As to Blease's ungratefu fling,
that in the first primary | could get
only 663 votes for him, my only
answer is that he was so hated in
Charleston and Mcleod was so well
loved and SO favorably known, that [
consider it miraculous that we got
even 663 votes. Nearly everybody of
any standing and strength whatever
in the first primary was a Mcleod
man.
"The fact that Blease, in the sec
ond primary, pOlled almost Charles
tons unanimous vote was due entire
ly to the fact that the alternative was
Featherstone and prohibition
The Dirty Episode.
Il have no comment to make on his