The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-08-02


or so is he good witness in respect
to a matter of corruption in which he
was the stakeholder.
"Recollect he had been elected gov
ernor after a campaign in which he
had posed as the peoples friend, the
anti-corporation man and at the very
time when he was making his hyp-
ocritical speeches against the corpora
tions he was doing out money in
driblets to a. common drunkard for
the Southern railway so that it might
get at least one man On the railroad
commission.
perhaps he could tell whether or
not he is doing the same thing in this
campaign so that they might get an
other.
The Blease Interview.
"And now as to Blease's character
istic interview, 4 am very glad that
he has spoken at such aength and that
he has again lost his head because
he invariably tells lies when he does
$50 and lies that are easily detected.
I will take them up seriatim.'
"He says, in speaking of me: I
knew that he, opposed me in the first
primary two years ago and I have
never believed that he supported me
,or even voted for me in the second
primary
esThis of course he knows is a lie,
and fortunately for me the proof of
it is in writing. Not only did sup
port him before and in the first pri-
mary, but I wrote the strongest kind
of editorials which were sent to him
and copied in some of the few State
papers that were supporting him; if
I mistake not, in the Newberry Her
aid and News, Tor one.
9sI am at Glenn Springs and have
not access to my letter files, but I re-
member distinctly receiving a very ap-
preciative letter from him thanking
me most cordially for this support
that is, in the second primary. More
over everybody in Charleston knows
as they knew at the time, that it was
practically through me in the first
primary that he got the votes that
ssI had been entreated to support
Mcleod and in supporting Blease I
went hostile to the overwhelming SEN
timent CT Charleston and all it's poll
tical leaders, including his friend,
Capt. Martin, who supported Mcleod
as he we'll knows.
"I was severely blamed by the pec-
ple of Charleston for this and it op-
Grated seriously against me in my sub
sequent canpaign for mayor, but 50
clearly did Biease himself understand
the situation that Immediately after
the first primary he sent a man to
Charleston and it was through him
acting in direct communication with
him by telephone with Blease at my
Office that all arrangements and con-
ditions for the second primary were
made. And I am satisfied that when
T go to Charleston I will be able to dig
up the original stenograpnic notes OF
my stenographer, taken down over the
long distance telephone in respect to
what Blease would do for Charleston
if we elected him and which I at once
made the basis for the campaign
against Featherstone. In fact, when
I get back to Charleston I will make
this lie of his perfectly clear.
The Staff appointment.
"I have told before about my ap-
pointment upon his staff. went into
it in detail under oath in my testimony
before the investigating committee.
Here is what I then said:
"He\ said: John, I want to express
to you the gratitude I feel for what
you have done I want to give you an
appointment on my staff, one to each
of the original Blease countless and
he said: charleston is one,' and he
said: L want to ask you to serve on
my staff 1 said: Governor, that
doesn't appeal to me at all. I never
have been inclined in the direction OF
display, brass buttons, etc. I said: 1T
really would be distasteful to me
from that standpoint And I said:
Give it to some one else He said: