The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1912-06-26

class passenger tickets sold, and the
people buying these tickets usually
went into separate coaches. The rail
roads of this State at that time were
hard up and struggling for existence
and was anxious to bring capital into
the State and to promote and develop
It's resources, and 1t was emphasized
before the House that the law would
place great burden on some Of the
railroads In the State, especially the
weak, short lines. Besides, first and
second-class fares gave the white peo-
pie an opportunity to be separate from
the negroes; one color occupied one
end Of the coach and the other the
other end OF the coach. and as the
Acts were imperfect and appeared to
me to be unconstitutional, did not
vote for them. The contention that both
colors used the same toilets Is abso-
lutely untrue, and an appeal to pre-
judice. l am in favor Of the law as
1t now stands and would oppose any
effort to repeal 1t.
"The purity Of the white race Is one
of the greatest bulwarks Of the safety
Of the Anglo-Saxon race, and I am
willing to compare records with the
Governor or anybody else as to my
private or public conduct in that line.
The effort to make 1t appear that
have ever favored social equality be-
tween the races Is a malicious mis-
| representation of the facts.
Race Prejudice.
"(S) That the last State Convention
did not pass a resolution favoring the
repeal of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth
amendments to the Constitution of the
United States.
Again an appeal is made to excite
| prejudice against me with some peo-
| pie by the effort to make it appear
that | favored negro suffrage. Why
such an argument is bosh The State
Convention had no power to repeal
any section of the Constitution of the
! United States, and any resolution in
| that direction would be demagogy.
| However, am on record on the Ques-
tion of white supremacy. | was in the
Constitutional Convention in 1895 and
| helped to pass the suffrage law which
has disqualified the negroes of this
State from eXertins any influence in
the politics of this State. / am for
white supremacy. | am absolutely
against the participation in our cleo
| tions by the negroes of the State, but.
of course on this question we cannot
/ run counter to the Constitution and
laws of the United States, and any in
/ sane resolution or action on this mat
| ter is childish and ineffective.
Governor Blease was member of
the last State Convention and never
/ opened his mouth in favor of the reso-
luton recommending the repeal of the
Fourteenth and. Fifteenth amendments.
Decisions Criticised.
/, (9) Then of the thousands of deci-
sions that l have written and con
CURED In, as Justice and Chief Justice
of the Supreme Court, fault is found
with only several. Is it possible that
| have made only few errors in all
of the decisions / have written and
concurred in? Why, the attack on me
alongthis line is an astonishment to
me for it's weakness, and it gives me
more satisfaction with my work than
have ever had before. In the dis
| charge OF my duties as Chief Justice
regarded the trust with the same
sentiment that a woman regards her
virtue. | knew neither friend nor foe,
| and, so help me God, no man or in
nuence can warp me from such a
course, whether 1t comes from friend
or foe. Consider the charges preferred
against me by the Governor not en-
! tirely in the light of the situation of
this day, but confronted as l was t
the time. and answer whether any one
of them unfits me for the duties of
the governors office or reflects upon
my character or should be weighed
against me from Whatever standpoint
you view them. 1t has been my policy
in life to be frank and open; never to
deceive or obtain a vote or anything
else under false pretences. My pur-
pose has always been for the de-
velopment of the highest manhood
and womanhood by my individual con
duct as we'll as precept.
Governor Blease until very recent
ly seemed to have very high opinion
of me, for in 1908 he voted for me
for United States Senator. See Sen