Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1912-08-21
Statement by Gov. tBiease De-
MED by MIR. Thurmond.

J. VIM. Thurmond yesterday
made the following reply to Gov.
Blease's reference to him at Green
wood:
Gov. BIease is quoted by the
papers as saying at Greenwood: One
J. VIM. Thurmond came to mo and
tried to get me to violate the law in
regard to Greenwood county. Sam
McGhee brought me petition to
cut off part of Edgefeld county in
to Greenwood county. Thurmond
was interested. for some reason in
trying to get North Augusta cut
off into a new county. told Nc
Ghee it was first come first served,
and from that day Pussy Foot had
been fighting him. This statement
of Gov. Blease is misleading and
full of errors. I did not see him
about the Plum Branch annexation
scheme to Greenwood county until
he had recalled the order of election
in the proposed North Augusta
county. When I appeared before
him on the Plum Branch matter
North Augusta county was not men,
toned, as l feel sure j. w. Hardy
and J. W. Collins of Johnston and
one of Gov. Blease's closest friends
in Edgefield, S. MCGOWAN Simkins,
will confirm. If Gov. Bleass had de-
sired to prevent the formation of
the North Augusta county he could
have done so very easily by post
poning the election called therein
until the i'll shaped county bill had
been passed and then signed that
act; but instead he held that act up
frcin the time it was passed in Feb
ruary of 1911 until the Legislature
convened in 1912, and d. S. Hen
derson of Aiken and myself, and
others, were in Columbia doing
what we could to override the gov
ernor's veto Of that act, as we had
been informed that it was his pur-
pose to veto it, and we desired that
bill to become law as 1t would
Llock the formation of the North
Augusta county. The gentlemen in
favor OF the North Augusta county
and those opposed to it, among
whom was D. S. Henderson, know
this to be fact; also Senator Thos.
II. Rainsford, NJ. P. Wells and Je'
rome Courtney of Edgefeld county.
MY purpose in appearing before
Gov. Blease to have the Plum
Branch election recalled was to give
an opportunity to make the i'll
shaped county bill law, as l be-
lieved quite a number of people in
the Plum Branch section preferred
to remain in Edge6eld county, but
would vote to annex to Greenwood
if there was a probability of being
left in little corner in the north
western section of Edgefeld coun-
ty, which would be the case if
North Augusta county is formed. l
am op ,osed to any scheme to cut
Edgefeld county anywhere.
The governor is in error when
he asserts that l tried to get him
to violate the law. My effort was to
get him to pursue a just course
and follow the law. But without
hearing the petition or learning the
facts or law which we desired to
call his attention to, he stated it
was no use to hear US, for he had de-
cided and his decision was final.
His order of election on the Plum
Branch annexation scheme was
dated March Q, 1911, and the re-
,auirements of an act that went into
effect February 10, 1911, had not
been complied with. See exhibit
"a"
''The governor charges me with
fighting him ever since l appeared
before him on that matter. Why,
after that he applied to me to re-
cover from Edgefeld.county claim
by one of his detectives whom the
governor had been requested by the
supervisor of Edgefeld county, and
others, to withdraw from the coun-
ty, as his services were of no value
to the county. refused to lend my
aid to burden the taxpayers of
Edgefeld county with the payment
of lot of money for which / did
not believe they had received any
consideration. One of the governors
Edgefeld friends, S. McGowan Sim
kins, carried the county into the
court, on this claim and l suppose
hn