The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-07-11
MAYOR GRACE MAKES
WARM REPLY TO BLEASE
Gives Out Statement Answering Governors At
tack.-Tells Why He Did Not Resent
Epithets When Made by Blease.

who were not then, nor have ever
been, my political friends. Are
Messrs. Nathans and Sinkler also ne
gro lovers? And do they believe in
social equality? Certainly not. 1t is
almost sickening to have to answer
such tommy-rot
The Dspensary Constables.
There was but one cause, and
that was (as I said in published
article recently,) Blease had broken
his public promise and his private
word. 1 expected him to be governor
of South Carolina, and when he was
elected was happy. Any intimation
by him that 1 wished to usurp those
functions is more than absurd. In
the presence of many others he asked
me if I would name a man for chief
constable, and in their presence I
denounced the whole proposition,
said that I would hold him to his
word not to appoint any, as 1 knew
and had told him in writing, that
they would be grafters. They have
since demonstrated it. What more
proof does he need?
Talk about facing Stothart! Wit
ness after witness under oath faced
Stothart, and then finally Stothart
faced himself, and looking himself
and his own guilt, (and I believe,
Blease's mountainous guilt) in the
eye, he refused to answer on the
grounds that it might incriminate
himself. Why didn't Blease read the
constable letter-the letter of a pro-
phetic warning which 1 wrote him,
and in which I told him that be had
broken his word, rather than switch
off on the irrelative tangent of alleg-
ed social equality?
Blease's Threat.
''Of course, his nasty threat about
the metropolitan police is in keeping
with the rest of his character, but it
is in no way disquieting. If it means
anything it means simply this: Up
to August 9th, no matter what the
people of Charleston do, the con-
stables will stay here as graft agents.
On August 28th, if by their votes,
the people of Charleston have resent
ed his dirty administration, he will
take it as a sufficient crisis in the
history of the State to justify his re-
sort to whatever extraordinary pow
er he can stretch the laws to mean.
The metropolitan police bill has been
repealed, but he refers to some
vague, obsolete power whereunder a
sort of martial law might be foisted
upon us-a power of course, under
our institutions necessarily lodging
in our executive, if upon any rare
occasion a city held itself in open
rebellion against State authority.
THAT such conditions IN Charles-
ton could suddenly spring up over
night upon his defeat could only ap-
peal to his diseased and lawless mind,
and were he even so disposed, he
would find that the courts of South
Carolina, for which he processes such
utter contempt, would stay his venge-
full hand.
1--WE know that Charleston also too
long has bent under the fear OF
usurpation, but believe that there is
still pride and resentment left, and
from now until election day / expect
to call upon her people by their unan-
imous vote to spurn the bribe of
peace at the price of independence,
and l ask them now in the language
of Patrick Henry, is life so dear, or
peace so sweet, as to, be purchased
at the price of chains and slavery!
charleston News and Courier.