The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-07-23
Cole Blease Described as COM
bination Type of Small
Town Sport and the Court
House Politician

COLUMBIA, S. c.. July 2<.-South
Carolina il undergoing now the most
tempestuous political campaign in her
history since Ben Tillman grew OLD
and quit the fight or oratory and
anathema and guns.
Cole please. governor for year and
ten months, charged now with selling
pardons, accepting brides from the IL
auor interests and sending his con-
4icted clients scot free from prison.
Is out upon the stump to save MS
political life and poEsipiy his personal
liberty The other prominent candl-
date, former Chief Justice Ira b. Jones
Of the South Carolina supreme court
has taken the stump against him, some
times In joint debate declaring that ne
liz running for Office not because ne
wants to he governor, but to rid South
Carolina OF Bleaseism and denagogy.
70 stamp out the pafdon graft and the
blind tiger graft that he charges have
found their way to Beases own
| pocket He declares that Blease is
| prostituting the powers of a sovereign
states chief executive in any way lie
| can devise to fill his TIL with campaign
! funds and to finance his personal dlssi-
| pations,
| Duriug d debate at Florence the for
mer chief justice advanced upon the
! governor with cienched fists and the
! lie direct and was only prevented
| from striking him in public by the
| interference of friends,
! Shooting Occurs at Eiease nesting
| At Kingston. still later, SHOOTING
ARRAY followed a. hectic meeting, ana
one man lies still dangerously wound
| ed as result of the things that the
governor said about Justice Jones.
| Blease stun is upon the stump n
a campaign custom that prevails N
south Carolina, and will keep both
the chief candidates in debate until
FIVE days before the primary. 'Hes
| cowardly liar." Is the nightly denuncia
! ton Governor Biease hurts against the
more conservative Judge Jones, aao
| from the same stage Jones nightly
| shouts back. Down with the dema"
sogue and the pardon CRATER
| Friends OF both men declare that a
personal encounter Of most serious ma
| ture Ia inevitably before the primary
! determines whether Blease or Jones II
, to win
| Meantime, while they parnstorn
around the State, South Carolinians
are finding out thoroughly for the nrs'
time what Bleaseism and anti Blease-
ism means.
/ Blease lis combination type OF
| small town sport and court house
politician. He wears the long frocF
| coat and the wide SLOUGH hat of the
near-sta tesman. He wears the hign
standing collar OF the vintage of 1885
and, habitually giving his bristiins
mustache a few extra upward twists
| he easily suggests the composite pic
ture or the country dude and pirate
on parade.
He'll Take Drink With Anybody
He takes a drink with anybody "ho
comes along and makes no objection,
anywhere, upon visits to the snail
] towns of his constituencies, he VIII
strike an attitude in front of the VIZ
lage hotel and entertain a semi circie
| of iders with ioquacioHs answers u
all the questions that may be asked
him, barring none, replete with pro-
family and abusive references to peo-
pie who have criticised or opposed
him
His paramoust political principle
according TO his own version. is te
stand by his friends He has MADE
that principle Of sticking by my
friends at any cost the cry of Ms
| political campaigns. All men wht
aren't his friends he has frequently
declared 10 be his enemies, for whoT
he will do nothing
Blease is native Of Newberry' >. Z
! He came OF good pareutage. ano
though he was bit bonibastic In ths
! schools there and used to bully some
OF the smaller boys, nobody ever
| thought anything about II and nothing
| serious cropped ouI in his youth
career until he was just about to grad
uate from the South Carolina univer-
sitv.
He had been a prominent student
In the university ready debater IL
private tits as we'll as III the debatins
society. One night they held grea'
college meeting at which Cole Bleast
delivered an Grafton which the judges
all said had easily taken first prize
They gave him gold medal. amid 9
great cheering, but II was afterWaro
charged on the stump that the wonder
Yui Grafton Blease had spoken was no.
Blease's grafton at all. but had beer
almost bodily culled from the earlier
| speeches OF one OF the most giftee
statesmen In America.
| Blease was expelled soon after ant
he went from Newberry to the littl'
i town OF Helena, near by. and begar
10 practice law. He had married q
Miss Lillian Summers, Of Helena, ant
he made his home in her father,
house and entered INTO politics Al
ways, from that early day to this
Biease mixed politics with his practics