The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-09-11
The Rule of the People and the South
Carolina Election.
Baltimore Sun.

l.. Blease as Governor of South Caro-
lima was obtained by fraud, any de-
oucuons therefrom as to the value Of
popular rule must be more or less
faulty. But assuming that the elec-
ton was a fair one, what are those
VINO believe in and boast of govern
ment by the people to think of it?
on the face Of things it looks very
bad. Blease is a man of ruffianly
manner and language. frank spoils-
man, a Governor who has grossly
abused the pardoning power, even. if
he has not, as charged, granted par
dons for pay He is the kind Of a
Governor who could threaten to make
his political opponents Sweat blood"
II they succeeded in defeating him. in
the time between his defeat for q re-
nomination and the relinquishing Of
his office. He is the kind of Governor
who could offer pardon in advance to
certain offenders against the law.
What is the explanation of the sue
cess of a man like that? We have all
ready suggested one, which is that
Blease may represent some ideas or
politics which the people Of South
Carolina consider so vital as to cause
them TO overlook the apparent evil
qualities of the man. Blease is said
to be exceptionally strong with the
industrial workers Of his State. We
have heard much Of the evil condi-
ton attendant upon woman and child
labor in the Southern mills 1t may
be that there are some problems con-
nected with the mills that are more
important to the laborers of South
Carolina than the language used by
Blease or the granting of innumer-
similar explanation.
But there is doubtless another ex-
planation, even more deep seated
than this. Blease is looked upon as
peculiarly a product Of South Caro-
lima, but as a matter of fact he is a
representative, albeit an extreme one.
OF type Of politician recently sprung
up in various parts Of the country.
Many sections we fancy, are "in for"
Il period Of Bleaseism. There is a
yellow politics as we'll as a yellow
journalism, and just as the yellow
journalist sprang up and thrived for
season, so we imagine, will the
yellow politician thrive for his brief
day.
There is a similarity between the
two that is not at all superficial. The
essence Of yellow journalism is it's
demagogic spirit and it's incorporate
utterances and that is precisely the
essence of Bleaseism.
1t is no real discredit to a country
| that yellow journalism should appear
| in it any more than it is a disgrace
to popular government that Blease-
| ism should flourish ephemera
These things are sores on the body
| polite, but they serve the useful pur-
pose Of warning US Of unhealthy con-
ditions in the body Correct the trou-
bic ana We will be much better off
| than if they had not made their ap-
| pearance. The yellow journal was
made possible because the SNUG, re-
| spectacle newspapers of the country
were not doing their whole duty. The
yellow politician is made possible be-
| cause the respectable officials sup
| posed TO be looking after the interests
of the people have not been faithful
to those interests. Yellow journalism
| Is now in a moribund condition be-
! cause the decent papers of the coun-
| try have awakened to a sense of what
| Is required Of them, and the Bleases
will die off when the representatives
! of the people really and fully repre-
sent
There is another connection be-
tween Bleaseism and journalism
which no one who has watched the
South Carolina campaign can fail to
nave noted. Blease, like all the yell
low politicians, has made a great out
cry against the newspapers of his
; state. He has posed AS the champion
of the people against newspaper
domination. And that cry has had a
certain effect simply because of this
thing we are talking about; the news
papers have not been blameless in
the past; they have been guilty of
sef-seeking and the suppression and
coloring Of the news and the law of
action and reaction works in this
case. 1t Is an unfortunate fact about
that law that ii frequently requires
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