The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-07-24
CAMPAIGN MEETING
AT COLUMBIA


in South Carolina" Judge Jones re-
marked, as he resumed his speech,
"when a candidate for governor Is
howled down, and the governor of
the State refers to those against him
as kissing snakes"
Ira B. Jones' address was in part as
follows: :
South Carolina, the State you call
yours the State for which your faith
ers have fought in four wars, Is on
trial You are to decide her fate. What
1 say may help you to decide right.
Think it over.
eve are to elect a governor-a gov
ernor to represent you and your chill
dren, to make laws and to enforce
them. Do you want friend of the
people, an enemy of the criminal and
CRATER, or one who has pardoned
more criminals than any other gover-
nor South Carolina has ever had? A
man who has acted in defiance Of
law and order? Whose message to-
the legislature was so vile and vulgar
that that body, by an overwhelming
vote, struck it from the record-some
thing that has never been done be-
fore in the history Of the State? A
man who poses as a friend OF the
poor man and an enemy to lawless
corporations, but whose votes and
whose acts show he cares nothing for
the poor man and has only protected
the criminal and the CRATER? .
Blease and the Grafters
"Blease voted not to Investigate the
dispensary. (Senate Journal 1907,
pages 6S and 69.) .
"He voted not to take up and con-
slider the bill supplying money to
prosecute the grafters. ...
"Then he voted to kill the bill sup
plying money to prosecute the
grafters. (Senate Journal 1908, page
573.)
"He voted against the bill to help
the State in the federal court In her
desperate fight with the grafters
(Senate Journal 1908, page 253) The
State finally won and recovered back
many thousands Of dollars stolen by
the grafters. II the other legislators
had voted with Blease, would the
State ever gotten their money? The
echo answers, when and how?
FINALLY, when he became COVER
nor, he asked for a committee to In
vestigate the Ansel board. The legis-
lature passed the bill but gave the
committee power to investigate
charges against any one. That. was
lust what Blease did not want, so he
vetoed the bill. The legislature pass
ed it over his head; and that is the
same committee that has been
hearing charges in Charleston about
blind tigers paying $4,000 month to
the chief constable Of the governor,
and the governor still stands by the
chief constable. Do you wonder that
he vetoed the bill? Only one CRATER
John Black, has been convicted, and
Blease pardoned him before he ever
| got in sight of the penitentiary.. on,
yes, he stands by his friends-hasn'
he stood by the grafters?
"A Friend of the Poor Man,
Governor Blease voted not to"taX
the income of the rich (senate jour
nal 1907, page 1922 ,.: :.
"He voted to shut the school house
door in the face Of the child OF the
man who is too poor to pay his poll
tax. (Senate Journal 1906, page 493.)
"He voted against the bill providing
for federal help in road building,
which would have made the road tax
lighter on the poor man. (Senate
Journal 1907, page 337.)
tile Is In favor Of abolishtng the
office of bank examiner, thus leaving
it easy for an INSCRIPTIONS and dis
honest banker to rob the small de-
postor.
"He vetoed the appropriation OF
s4,133.64 to pay for the medicine
! furnished for the poor mans child
in cases Of diptherla and smallpox.
"He favored putting a burden OF
! $500, 900 on the taxpayers to i'm
prove the State house. which every
body knows is one Of the finest State
houses in the country.
els he the poor mans friend? he
will tell you so. but does his RECORD
show It?
"Opposed to Corporations
! "In 1892 he voted for free passes
! and for free express and free tele-
graph franks to legislators. Qiouse
Juornal 1892, page 2570
/ "In 1907 he voted to let the rail-
roads keep it secret who were carry
ing free passes. (Senate Journal, page
311)
In 1907 he voted against the bill
recurring the railroads to reduce pas
senger rates, as they were doing in
other states.
"He told President Finley of the
Southern Railway that he would have
friend in the mansion when he
Blease become governor. When he
Continued on last page.