Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-07-09
THAT CHARLESTON SPEECH.
Governor BIease Correets Alleged Mis-
representation.

Columbia Record of yesterday under
the head of Political Advertisement:
Columbia, s. c., July Sth, 1912.
The Editor of the News and Courier,
Charleston, South Carolina.
Dear Sir: i would say that I was
surprised at the attitude Of your pa
per in regard to my Charleston speech
were it not for the fact that have
heretofore been so Indignantly and
wilfully misrepresented by it.
l requested the reporters to take
down carefully what I said and told
them that 1 had part of it written out
that part in reference to metropoli-
tan police and injunctions and in re-
gard to the charges Of graft, and that
l would be pleased to hand 1t to them.
They took it down to suit themselves
and made their own report, and the
inference which you draw therefrom
81 sIeH 'sq pInoo oil Gue So esIBJ sB 81
what l said, as I now read from the
original notes:
Ira Il. Jones voted to put metro
politan police on Charleston-see page
500, house journal 1894"
Ira b. Jones voted to deprive the
people of Charleston Of the right Of
trial by jury and for injunctions-see
page ass, house journal 1894"
I'm addition to this, while he was on
The supreme court bench, many in
functions were put on Charleston.
Il have given you independence and
.reedom; Ira u. Jones has given you
metropolitan police and injunctions.
.,ow, l ask you to answer, down in the
bottom of your hearts, question for
me, ana snow by your ballots your
answer: Do you want metropolitan
,,u,..e and injunctions, such as Ira b.
Jones gave you, or do you want tree
LON OF thought and liberty Of action
such as Blease has given you? If you
want metropolitan police and injunc-
tions, l will be governor OF this state
Tor the balance of this year and for
the next Two years and will give 1t to
you. If you want 1t, you shall have
it,
l made no threat towards Charles
ton, but simply said that whatever
she wanted l would give here during
September, October, November, De-
.ember and 21 days in January, and
for the next two years. The construc-
ton which you have placed on my Ian
guage-that it was threat against
Charleston-is absolutely wrong. l am
wiling to leave the construction of my
words to Lieut.. Gov. Charles A. Smith,
Railroad Commissioner John G. Rich
ards, Senator John H. Wharton and
any other honorable gentlemen who
are impartial and are willing to state
the truth.
In this construction, will you please
tell me why you did not publish what
| read about Jones speech against
Gen. Hampton? You are mighty quick
.,rIke me. Why do your reporters
not report the truth, and why do you
not publish it? Here is what Jones
said when he seconded Col. Irby's
nominations: when Independentism
was about to blot out the fair escutch-
con of South Carolina, who was 1t that
stood by the state and the Democratic
party? Was it Wade Hampton? Was
it Donaldson? 1t was Irby, of Lau-
rens." This is taken from the files Of
your paper, as printed in your issue of
Thursday morning, December 11th,
1880. You failed to give 1t in the re-
port of the meeting in Charleston,
thereby showing your unfairness, by
endeavoring to shield Jones and mis-
construe my words. 1t Is great pity
that the newspapers cannot be fair,
but the people do not expect 1t, they
are on to your game and your mis-
representations will cost me no votes,
but on the contrary will help me, as
it has done in the past, and / will be
reelected governor by handsome
majority in spite of your falsehoods
and your Misrepresentation.
l quote from Section 1928, Code Of
Laws of South Carolina, 1912:
"Sec. 1928. The governor shall have
authority, whenever In his judgement
il shall be necessary. to arm the con-
stabulary, and, in any emergency, to
assume the sole control of the whole,
or any part Of the municipal police In
cities and incorporated towns"
From the above, you will see that If
Charleston wants me to, l can take
absolute control of her police force
and hold them as long as l deem 1t
necessary This, of course, shall not
do. and do not expect to do unless
Charleston wants it. believe In local
self government. and I, therefore, be-
lieve in giving each county what she
wants, and l repeat that II Charleston
wants me to take charge Of her police
force and to place injunctions on her.
why. l will give her what she wants:
that Is what / said and that Is what l
meant.
Very respectfully.
(Signed) Cole L. Blease.