The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-09-03
TLLMAN WRITES TO
GOVERNOR BLEASE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1.)

WQSCQGr OT uOl lu4S is lluS. OlnOAS
can determine for themselves, and
convict or acquit you according to the
evidence. When the question was ask
ed by the infuriated Tillmanites who
felt that they had been betrayed by
their cid leader, what induced him
to~do this?' some of them IL their rage
shouted che has been bought Who in
: South Carolina wnows what the price OF
asTillman is? In Washington where
he has worked for the last 1S years
for the State and nation he had oppor-
tunities almost innumerable to get
money for official action. When he was
in charge of the railroad rate bill,
where there were hundreds of mil
lions and even billions of dollars worth
of property involved and a slight
change in the law, which Tillman
could have aided to obtain, meant un-
told money for the railroad interests,
no one ever limited nor did anyone
ever believe ne was approachable as
a bribe-taker. 1t has remained for
some crazy South Carolinian, drunk
with Bleaseism, to hurl this suspecion
at an old man lowering on the brink
of the grave, man whose purity in
private life and whose purity as a
servant of the people has made him
above suspicion.
Had Dream.
On the night of the election had
a dream in which something told me
"Blease is elected" Becoming fully
awake 1 thought over all the conse-
euences as the people dreaded them
and considered what was best to be-
done in the event the dream should
prove true. I thought of your threat
to make the people sweat blood and
of what it really meant or could pos
sibly mean The only Interpretation
that occurred to me was that the gov
ernor would make a general jail dellv-
cry by emptying the penitentiary and
turning the convicts loose upon So
ciety. You have that power, sir. 1t
was given you for purposes Of mercy
and not for the punishment of your
fellow citizens The governor takes
an oath to see that the flaws are exc
cuted in mercy" There is in the con-
stitution nothing which permits him
to trample the law under foot on tie
pretense of mercy, and nothing but
venality and greed of money can make
him place the pardoning power in the
hands of a lawyer who charges big
fees to obtain pardons. AS for par
doning the criminals by wholesale nc
body but a lunatic would do such a
thing and nobody but a lunatic would
threaten it. Let me beg YOU to beware
what you do and say hereafter. Put
bride on that unlicensed tongue of
yours. You owe it to your friends,
you owe it to yourself, and you owe il
to the State
1 have been trusted by the people
as we'll as you They have shown
\ their love and confidence in 40 uncer-
Rfain> way and 1 therefore claim the
fright TO warn and to offer to help you
Yin all matters of pardons if you will
deign to ask my advice. Nobody in
South Carolina will doubt the justice
of any pardon I recommend. This is
s a thankless burden l am willing to
assume for the public welfare, and l
do not expect to do any of the 'iredg-
cry of it, but I know men can trust
whose honor and patriotism are not
only above suspicion, but who have
the respect and confidence Of their
fellow citizens l will enlist the help,
if I can, of these to examine the peti-
tons in order 10 help you' bu1 you
shall not, if 1 can prevent it, carry
out your threat to make the people of
South Carolina sweat blood" be-
cause so many of them have not been
1bamboozled and debauched'' bv your
demagogic appeals. Consider, COVER
nor. what il means to turn loose
criminals, murderers and cut-throats,
and then consider the infamy of bold
Enly sand openly offering to pardon any
knan-whe would kill certain people.
Don't you see to what criminal folly
/ yos have been led to give people the
right to think that you will pardon
men who assassinate your enemies?
Such an infamous idea never entered
any but crazy mans brain.