The Sentinel=record., 1912-12-07
GOVERNORS CONFERENCE PASS RESOLUTION UNANIMOUSLY
 REPUDIATiNG SAYINGS.
BLEASE MAKES A HOT REPLY
South Caroinaian Snaps His Fingers in Face of Governors and Repeats His Statements to People of
 the United States.

Richmond, Va, Dec. 6.-The goyer- nors' conference unanimously repudi- ated today the recent utteraaces of Governor Blease, of South Carolina, concerning the lynching of negroes. By a vote of II to it adopted a res olution declaring against mob violence and for the impartial enforcement of the law. The four governors who op- posed the resolution declared them selves as stongly endorsing it's pur- port, but voted mo" because they thought they had no right to repri- mand a colleague.
 Governor Blease, himself target of the attack hotly defended his convic- tions, snapped his fingers in the faces of his colleagues, told them to go to it." declaring that he cared not whit what the conference said, thought did Or did not do, and announced that all the resolutions they might ever adopt, would not keep him from the goyer- nor's chair nor from a seat in the United States senate in 1915 or earlier. Four times within as many hours, he asserted, his life had been threatened because of his utterances, but this ap- Ipealed to him as little as did the res olutions.
 All of the four threatening letters, lGoyernor Blease said he received were anonymous. One was mailed in lRdchmond, another in Washington, the third in Louisville and the fourth in ratA 41, srrff ltold him he would pay the penalty II he ever came to that city; the Pitts burg writer said: You will be taken to account on sight for your words" ;; the Richmond and Louisville missives were not fit for publication.
 Governor Blease was taken to task by a dozen governors. Governor Carey, of Wyoming, denounced him for claiming monopoly for South 1 Carolina of the respect of the white man for women."
 Governor Hadley, of Missouri, de- clared that the floor of the conference hall was not clearing house for To- cal and personal controversies" Governor Dix, of New York, thought it would be most unwise" not to adopt 1 the resolution.
 Governor OlNeal, of Alabama, in a ringing speech which was drowned time after time by applause, asserted his belief that the entire conference had been belittled by the South Car olinian's remarks and that it was the sworn duty of every executive to up- hold the law and the enforcement of law
 To these declarations, Governor Blease declared that he had been quoted yesterday as saying ito hell with the constitution" and that what he said yesterday he repeated today. I"To all the good governors here; to all the governors of all the states; to all the people of the United States" Once when his voice was drowned in a storm of misses, he turned to the galleries and to his colleagues and laughed.
 What care I for your hisses?" ne asked. Then shaking his clenched fists, he shouted:
 Hiss if you must, only snakes and geese hiss"
 Governor O'Neal unloosed the storm when he introduced the following res olution
 This conference of governors does mot undertake to control the individual views of its members upon any ques- tions of law or administration; it de- clares that this government is based upon the fundamental principles of law and order: that the constitution of each state imposes upcn its chief executive the supreme duty of taking care that the laws shall he faithfully and equally enforced; that it advocates all proper methods for strengthening and simplifying our methods of civil land criminal procedure
 This conference protests against any disposition or utterances by those entrusted with the execution of the law n any of the states of this union ] which tends or could he construed as ltending to the encouragement or justi- lfication of mob violence or interfer- ence with the orderly process of law
 To t1is Governor Mann, of Virginia. objected and offered the following sub stitute which was accepted and adopted:
 Resolved. that it is the sentiment of the governors conference in session at Richmond, Va, today that the whole power of the several states should be used whenever necessary to protect persons accused of crime of every kind against the violence oi mobs and to provide for speedy, or derly and impartial trials by courts oi competent jurisdiction to the end thai the law for the protection of life and