The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1912-08-07
COUNTY CAMPAIGN
OPENED MONDAY
Large Crowd Present to
Hear Speakers.
PLENTY OF LIFE
BUT NO DISORDER
County Campaign Opened with Large
Number Of Out of Town Spectators
Monday Morning. Both Blease and
Anti-Blease Candidates Received
Liberal Applause.

The campaign for county Offices op-
ened in the court house Monday morn
ing, when q large and representative
audience gathered to hear the candi-
dates express themselves. Although
the meeting was primarily a meeting
for the voters of Laurens township,
the audience was made up Of men
from all sections of the county, though
of course most Of them were from this
immediate vicinity. All of the can
didates dwelt at length on the usual
planks of gond roads, education, econ
omy, pensions, ware house bills, labor
laws and many things attainable and
unattainable The audience however,
was mostly interested on how the can
didates stood on the gubernatorial
race. Although some of the county
officers were not called on to state
where they stood at this meeting, it
was evident that they would later be
called on and in fact were later called
on at the Laurens mill Monday even
ing. How each candidate stands will
be found on the front page of this
paper.
Though enthusiastic applause was
generously accorded candidates rep
resenting both factions of the fight,
good order prevailed. Only one time
did anything like a howl down" oc-
cur and this only lasted for a few
seconds when Mr.. e. w. Copeland,
candidate for the legislature and a
Jones supporter, attempted to make
statement after having sat down at
the close Of his speech. He arose to
say and succeeded in saying that he
did not expect to part friendship with
any man because of his vote in the
election.
A very dramatic occurrence of the
meeting occurred at the close of the
speech of DR.. j. H. Miller candidate
for reelection to the honse of repre-
sentatives. After stating the plat
form upon which he was running and
asking for the support of the voters of
the county, he asked in a quiet man
ner if there were any questions which
any voter desired to ask him. After a
very short silence rang out the Ques
tion How do you stand for govern
orr" DR.. Miller quickly wheeled and
demanded who it was that asked the
question. No reply came and a Sc
cond demand was made and still no
reply A third time DR.. Miller asked
who it was asking the question. No
reply coming from the questioner, who
was standing about twenty feet from
the doctor and against the railing
which during court separates the law
yers from the audience, Chairman
Cannon stated that perhaps DR.. Mil
Ter did not understand the question.
Taking advantage of the intervention
of the chairman, the voice rang out
again with the SAFE question. DR..
Miller, thereupon, in a very solemn
voice said that he was very sorry that
the question had been asked, that it
was sad state of affairs when the
right of private suffrage was made so
light of. After stating that in all his
votes heretofore as a representative of
the people he had voted from the die
tates of his conscience and that he
expected to do SO in the future, he
declared in ringing voice that he pro-
posed to vote in the coming election
for Ira b. Jones. He sat down amidst
the greatest applause of the day.
Judge o. G.. Thompson, president Of
Laurens club No. 2, acted as chair
man. In calling the meeting to order
he said that this campaign ought to
be and he hoped would be campaign
of education. He asked FOR a fair
hearing for each and every candidate,
declaring that at the first meeting
an example OF toleration and moder-
alton should be set for the remaining
meetings. Tolerance, he said, is
vital principle OF democracy and
against intolerance our forefathers
have fought.
Clerk of Court.
Mr.. j. f. Bolt was the first speaker
introduced. He is a candidate for re-
Il ngKn nd