Smyrna times., 1912-12-11
MANY GOVERNORS
DENOUNCE BLEASE
South CaTOIIniHn Answers In
Strong Terms.
AND THEN COMES UPROAR
His Views on Lynching Stirs Confer
ence of GoVernors-Mixed MarSiages

SHSc OI 0ONSTHOIs- "~' SS~S
Denounced.
A sweeping resolution, repudiating
the remarks of Governor Cole l..
Bleas, of South Carolina, in support
Of lynch law, in which he said Ito h
with the constitution" was adopted by
the governors conference in Washing
ton by a 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. 81 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 l 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 l 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 it before; did not
receive it; know nothing of its con-
Tents
'It doesn't matter" continued Gov
ernor Bhease. 81 speak nobody's opin-
ion but my own. The newspaper head
lines have misrepresented me. When
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 l 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.
Long after many of you gentlemen
are resting in the retired shades o
private life, will be reaping the re
wards of public service. Long aftei
you good governors are no longer gov
ernOrs, the white women of Soutl
Carolina will pray for me with thei
arms around their girls, and will aris'
from their knees to kiss their hus
bands and beg them to go to the bal
lot box and vote for Blease to protec
them from their daily terror"
A faint round of applause ripplet
over the conference hall, succeeded b.
a storm of Kisses.
A dozen governors, thinking tn
South Carolinian had ended, clamore
for recognition. But he held the foo
and smiled at the turmoil.
What care for your hisses?" h
shouted, shaking his clenched fist a
the chairman and turning to face hi
colleagues. Hiss if you must! Onl
snakes and geese hiss"
Again his voice was drowned in tn
storm. When the vigorous rapping {
the chairman had brought order b
continued:
you are making yourselves ridicl
lous in the eyes of the nation. VIII
do you have to declare against mo
law? They ought to know you baC
in your homes. They ought to me-
you each one at the railroad static
with brass band and say, 'Governo
we're glad you did not endorse the L
terances of that South Carolinian.'
when l said l never would ord
out the militia to protect the neg
brute who laid his desecnating hal
upon a white woman 1 spoke the trut
l say it now again. That is my po
tion, gentlemen, and if you don't agr
with me, in the words of the gre
Virginian, Go to it!'"
= The four governors who vot
against the resolution declared e
phatically that they opposed mob v
lence. They voted in the negatil
they said, because they thought tn
would exceed the rights of the conf
ence and violate the courtesy due
colleague should they vote to reI
mand him.
The governors showed their dis;
proval of the Johnson-Cameron W,
ding in Chicago by openly advocati
stringent miscegnation laws for tn
several states, or by upholding the
4 it was on their statute books.