The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-09-24
GOVERNORS ADDRESS
TO PEOPLE OF STATE
URGES EXECUTIVE COMMlTTEE TO
DECLARE THE PRIMARY.
Says the Committee by Continued De-
lay Has Placed in Jeopardy DEM
ocratic Party of State.
To the people of South Carolina.

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, I was renominated for a second
term as governor of the State. My ma
jority was over 5000 votes over both
my opponents, and I had lead of
$500 votes over my nearest opponent
in the race. l received in that elec-
ton, according to the official returns
transmitted by the several county
chairman Of the State, 72,043 votes,
which is possibly the largest popular
vote ever received by a candidate for
governor, with opposition, in South
Carolina.
The people of South Carolina are
familiar with the odds against which
l had to contend in that primary,
these odds being 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 delagate-atzlarge 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 a matter OF
fact, in the great majority of the
counties, in fact, in nearly all Of them
it was in the hands of my opponents.
So far as l can recall, there are only
eight, if that many, of the county
chairmen Of the State who were elec-
ted at that time who are friends and
supporters of mine, and about a like
number on the State executive COM
mittee.
Notwithstanding these facts, l had
confidence in the character, honesty
and integrity of the white people of
South Carolina, and repeatedly stated
on the stump during the campaign
that in an honest election I would be
renominated for governor, and that
the only thing and my friends had
to fear was that l would be counted
out or that the election would be stol-
en- from me after it was won. While
l have not the complete figures at
hand. from information I have it is.
conclusively shown that out of the
total number of the managers OF elec-
ton at the various precincts through
out the State at least two-thirds Of
them were opposed to me politically.
The executive committees Of almc't
every county in the State were and
are against me, and the State Demo-
cratic executive committee is doninat-
ed by my political opponents.
In the organization of the party, in
nearly all OF the clubs, the club rolls,
which ale the registry lists, the re-
quiremenl being Inat a mans name
shall be on the roll five days before
the election, were n ine hands OF the
secretaries, most of whom were my
political enemies; the registration
committees of tle clubs, whose duty
it 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
iications 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
-alnst lue and the State executive
committee against me, how could any
fraud be committed by any OF the
Blease men, with all this election ma
chinery in the hands of my polltlcal
opponents. If fraud there was, it
must have been committed by men
who are not my friends, or else sure
ly those who had charge of this Or
ganization must confess extreme lg-
norance, and must admit that if there
were cheating and fraud committed i
was not practiced in my Denal1, oue
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
a rule, no greater in number in the
various counties than the total ballots
for county officers, and in some in
stances were less. So if fraud was
practiced as to the State officers, then
the executive committee permitted, II
their view be correct, an election for
county officers, including the legisla-
ture, to be held and declared, which
was fraudulent and should have been
s,,0$