The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1912-12-07
MANY GOVERNORS
DEN0UNCEB BLEh
South CarOiiIlIdA Answers
Strong Terms.
AND THEN CONES UPhj<.
His Views on lynching stlrs Confer
ence Of Governors-Mixed Marriages

His Views on Lynching stlrs Confer
ence Of Governors-Mlxed Marriages
Denounced.
Richmond, Va, Dec. IA sweeping
resolution, repudiating the remarks oi
Governor Cole L. Bleas, Of South Caro-
lima, in support of lynch law, in which
he said ito h with the constitution,
was adopted by the governors con
ference here by vote Of IA to 4.
Governor Blease, defending himself
snapped his fingers in the faces of the
other governors and declared that he
cared not one whit what the confer
ence did or left undone.
-Four times has my life been threat
ened for my utterances," declared
Governor Blease. II was quoted as
saying to h with the constitution.
1 say now to all the governors of all
the states and all the people of the
United States what said then"
The conference hall was thrown In
to an uproar. Governors of Alabama
Wyoming. Missouri, New York. Mary
land and Wisconsin denounced the
South Carolinian in strong terms for
his utterances. Governors of North
Carolina, Arkansas, Connecticut and
Idaho voted against the resolution.
81 hold in my hand" said Governor
Blease when he rose to defend him.
self. "the fourth letter threatening my
life which I have just received. 1t
was handed me just now by some one
l did not know and it was addressed
me. in the care of the governor Of Vir'
ginia.
81 know nothing of the letter, sir, y
retorted Governor Mann, of Virginia.
Il never heard of 1t before; did not
receive it; l know nothing of its con.
tents"
1T doesn't matter" continued Gov.
ernor Blease. Il speak nobody's opin.
ion but my own. The newspaper head.
lines have misrepresented me. When
I spoke of the marriage Of Jack
Johnson, in Chicago, did not
say he would be lynched in South Car
olina. l did say that the laws of my
state forbade the marriage, and l did
say that 1 did not know, if the mar
riage had been performed in South
Carolina, whether the law protecting
him would have been possible of en-
forcement or not.
Nov what l want to say to you II
this: I don't care one whit whetrer
~
may expe1 me for all I care. On the
21st day of next January will begin
my second term as governor. On the
4th of March. 1915, If heaven spares
me, I will be sworn in as member
Of the United States senate. snap
my fingers at your resolutions, for all
the resolutions and all the motions
you may act upon will not avail to
keep me out.
Long after many Of you gentlemen
are resting in the retired shades OF
private life, I will be reaping the re-
you good governors are no longer gov
ernors, the white women OF South
Carolina will pray for me with their
arms around their girls, and will arise
from their knees to kiss their hus-
bands and beg them to go to the bal.
lot box and vote for Blease to protect
them from their daily terror"
A faint round Of applause rippled
over the conference hall. succeeded by
q storm of Kisses.
A dozen governors. thinking the
South Carolinian had ended, clamored
for recognition. But he held the fioor
and smiled at the turmoil.
What care for your hisses?" he
shouted, shaking his clenched fist at
the chairman and turning to face his
colleagues Hiss if you must! Only
snakes and geese hiss"
Again his voice was drowned in the
storm. When the vigorous rapping OF
the chairman had brought order he
continued:
"You are making yourselves ridicu.
lous in the eyes of the nation. Why
do you have to declare against mob
law? They ought to know you back
in your homes. They ought to meet
you each one at the railroad station
with a brass band and say, Governor,
we're glad you did not endorse the ut.
..erances of that South Carolinian.'
when I said l never would order
out the militia to protect the negro
brute who laid his desecrating hand
upon a white woman I spoke the truth.
1 say it now again. That is my posi-.
ton. gentlemen. and if you don't agree
with me, in the words of the great
Virginian, Go to it,"
The four governors who voted
against the resolution declared EN-.
phatically that they opposed mob VIC
lence. They voted in the negative
they said, because they thought they
would exceed the rights of the confer
ence and violate the courtesy due y
colleague should they vote to repri
mand him.
The governors showed their disap
proval of the Johnson-Cameron we'd
ding in Chicago by openly advocating
stringent miscegnation laws for theil
several states, or by upholding the aci
II 1t was on their statute books.