Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-09-20
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1912.
AN ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE
Governor Says Delay 10 Jeopardizins
Democracy

AN ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE
Governor Says Delay 10 Jeopardizins
Democracy.
The Columbia State of this morning
contains the following address by Gov
ernor Blease, published as a political
advertisement:
To the people of South Carolina:
On the 9th day Of August, 1912,
after one of the hardest fought and
bitterest campaigns in the history Of
the Democratic party in South Caro-
lima, l was renominated for second
term as governor Of the state. My ma
jority was over 5000 votes over both
my opponents, and l had a lead Of
$500 votes over my nearest opponent
In the race. / received in that cleo
ton, according to the official returns
transmitted by the several county
chairmen of the state, 72,043 votes,
which is possibly the largest popular
vote ever received by candidate for
governor, with opposition, in South
Carolina.
The people Of South Carolina are
familiar with the odds against which
these odds being a elimination Of the
stubborn, bitter and persistent fight
which has been made upon me since
I have been In politics. and which in
creased steadily during my term as
governor.
Early this year an active campaign
was begun against my candidacy for
reelection, with view Of obtaining
control Of the party machinery. To
this extent that campaign was sue
cessful, and my opponents absolutely
dominated and controlled the state
convention which was held in May,
that convention refusing to send me
as a delegate-at-large to the national
Democratic convention in Baltimore.
The county conventions which elected
the delegates to this state convention
put in operation the party machinery
In the various counties Of the state,
and, Of course, and as q matter Of
fact in the great majority of the
counties, in fact In nearly all of them,
1t was In the hands Of my opponents.
So far as can recall, there are only
eight, II that many, Of the county
chairmen Of the state who were elect
ed at that time who are friends and
supporters Of mine, and about a like
number on the state executive COM
mittee.
Notwithstanding these facts, I had
confidence In the character, honesty
and integrity Of the white people Of
South Carolina, and repeatedly
stated on the stump during the cam
paign that in an honest election /
would be renominated for governor,
and that the only thing I and my
friends had to fear was that I would
be counted out or that the election
would be stolen from me after 1t was
won. While I have not the complete
figures at hand, from information I
have 1t is conclusively shown that out
Of the total number Of the managers
of election at the various precincts
throughout the state at least two
thirds Of them were opposed to me
politically. The executive committees
Of almost every county in the state
were and are against me, and the
state Democratic executive committee
Is dominated by my political oppo-
nents.
In the organization Of the party, in
nearly all of the clubs, the club rolls,
which are the registry lists, the re-
quirements being that a mans name
shall be on the roll five days before
the election, were in the hands Of the
secretaries, most Of whom were my
political enemies; the registration
committees of the clubs, whose duty
1t was to see that the voters names
were on these lists, were for the most
part my political enemies; the man
ayers, who were to judge Of the quail
ifcations of the voters, in the large
majority Of instances throughout the
various counties, as shown above,
were my enemies; and when the votes
were cast, these same managers, most
of them political opponents Of mine.
took the ballot boxes, had charge of
the ballots and made the count. Now,
with the club secretaries against me,
the registration committees against
me. the managers against me, the
county executive committees against
me, and the state executive committee
against me, how could any fraud be
committed by any Of the Blease men,
with all this election machinery in the
hands Of my political opponents? II
fraud there was, 1t must have been
committed by men who are not my
friends. or else surely those who had
charge Of this organization must con-
fess extreme ignorance. and must ad-
NIT that II there were cheating and
fraud committed It was not practiced
In my behalf, but on the other hand
would have been exercised and used
against me.
It is shown by the statistics that
the ballots for state officers were, as
rule, no greater in number In the
various counties than the total ballots
for county officers, and in some in
stances were less. So IL fraud was
practiced as to the state officers, then
the executive committee permitted, II
heir view be correct, an election for
county officers. including the legisla-
ture, to be held and declared, which
was fraudulent and should have been
so declared II there was any justifica-
tion for such action.
My fruitless efforts for an extra
number Of ballots in order that there
might not be a shortage at certain
boxes will be recalled. and II will also
be recalled that one Of my opponents
laughed at me, saying I was making
charges because I saw defeat staring
me in the face.
When 1t appeared on the face Of
the newspaper returns that I had a
majority Of the votes cast, and had
without doubt been renominated for
second term, the cry Of fraud was
Immediately raised, even in the face
Of the facts have above recited. The
first cry Of fraud was based on a SEEM
ing discrepancy between the vote for
governor and the vote for United
States senator and other state officers,
which at first was paraded by the
newspapers as something like 10000,
Notwithstanding the fact that the
newspapers must have known that the
vote for governor was almost COM
plete, and that the vote in the races
for other state officers was far from
complete. Anderson, at that time, for
instance, not having reported its vote
for United States senator. To one
who took the care to study the re-
turns even for a moment, the absurd
ity Of this charge as basis for fraud
was easily apparent, and, Of course,
this matter was only urged in order
to incite the people and prepare them
for other charges to be made, and as
soon as its absurdity became appar-
ent on it's face, 1t was dropped. Then
came as a basis for the charge Of
fraud the fact that the vote was some
$4,000 in excess of the vote in the
primary two years ago. This was
persistently urged. Mr.. William Muir
Gibson of Dillon. requested a state
ment from Mr.. E. Dana Durand, di-
rector Of the census, as to the number
OF white males in South Carolina 81