The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-07-23
COLUMBIA MEETING
Was DEMONSTRATIYE
RJCHLAND VOTERS HEAR THE OF.
FICE SEEKERS.
Rembert DenOunces Statement as Lie.
Blease Pleaded For Respectful
Hearing For Jones.
Columbia State, goth.

in the Columbia theatre yesterday 10
hear what reasons for election
Sshe several candidates for State offlces
he'd to present. Industrial workers
largely predominated in the audience.
Business and professional men were
sparsely represented. The mass OF the
crowd was orderly, but disturbing eie-
ments made their presence felt early
and the noise became Inendurable to
those who wished to hear, when Ira
B. Jones, candidate Tor governor,
launched into a severe arraignment
of the Blease administration. Sup
porters of BIease evinced so unmis-
taxable a determination to silence
gudge Jones that the speaker was un-
able to proceed until the governor
Ahimself called On his followers to be
silent. Thereafter Judge Jones had
va reasonably respectful hearing. The
noise broke forth anew from Blease
hackers when Gov. Blease began his
address, and there were occasional
misses from citizens who disapprcved
of the governors utterances
Disappointment was generally ex-
pressed in the audience over the
failure of the governor to read an
expected statement in refutation OF
charges brought against him by
plication at the Burns-S'elder hearing
in Augusta. The governor did not
undertake to discuss The Augusta,
Charleston or Columbia hearings OF
the legislative investigation commit
tee, but Judge Jones referred briefly
to the graft charges deEeloped, and
Gov. Blease commented caustically,
In characteristic terms, upon the
course of Judge Jones in sponsoring
: these charges. On this point the re-
marks of Judge Jones were as fol-
lows:
Finally, when he became governor,
he asked for committee to investi-
gate the Ansel board. The legislature
passed the bill, but gave the COM
nittee power to investigate charges
against any one. That was just what
,Blease did not want, so he vetoed the
bill. The legislature passed it over
his head; and that is the same COM
mittee that has been nearing charges
In Charleston about the blind tigers
paying $4,000 month to the chief
constable Of the governor. and the
governor still stands by the chief con-
stable. Do you wonder that he vetoed
the bill? Only one CRATER, John
Black, has been convicted, and Blease
pardoned him before ne ever got in
sight of the penitentiary. Oh, yes, he
@stan0s by his friends: Hasn't he stood
by the grafters?''
u Replying to this statement, Gov.
BIease said he was surprised that a
man, who had been speaker of the
houAs of representative and chief
Justice of the supreme court should
read such a statement AS Judge Jones
had read, making himself par1iceps
criuinis with Fielder and Burns" men
.sno were trying to ruin and disgrace
both the governor and the State, and
who were unworthy of the respect
of decent people" Judge Jones was
supposed, the governor said. to know
the law, and, therefore, he must know
that not word in the testimony taken
at Augusta connected Blease with any
\ crime. "This proves his character -
81 said the governor, "his getting down
T' into the mire with these creatures,
and knowing now what manner of
Imam he is, shall treat him hereafter
/ as a man of his kind deserves to be
treated, and that is with the utmost
contempt" At another stage the gov
ernor said of Judge Jones that as
i speaker Of the house he made ''the
Sslirtiest-z6d blacklist record ever made
II by a white man in South Carolina. "
This reference was to the position OF
- Judge Jones in the years between 1890
III and 1895 on various separate coach
bills.
& Naturally, in so large an audience,
binder circumstances so likely to ex-
cite partisan feeling, there was much
hoisy expression of sentiment. The
Rsupporters of Judge Jones made their
preference evident by the clapping OF