The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-04-17
CAPERS SAYS He WILL RUN FOR
CONGRESS IN THE
COTTON Mill DISTRICT
Says There Are Twelve Thousand
Voters Working in the Mills Who
Are Republicans and Who VILE
Vote for a Republican to Repre-
sent Them in Congress.

The spartanburg Herald says Capt.
John G. Capers, Of GreenYille, South
Carolina memb Der Of the Republican
National Committee, announced We'd
resday that he would be candidate
for Congress against Joseph T. John
son, the present representative.
In an interview at the Gresham
hotel, where he was comforting with
Republicans from several counties OF
the Piedmont, Captain Capers declar-
ed that he would give Mr.. Johnson
hot race.
There are $4,000 voters in the
Fourth congressional district" said
Captain Capers, "who have come here
from North Carolina and Tennessee
and are working in the mills. These
men will vote for Republican candi-
date If he IS clean, decent white
man. There has been no oppoztun-
ity here to vote for a Republican OF
good repute tor sixteen years. Thase
men are naturally Republicans aud
would vote the Republican ticket IL
there were Republican organization
and Republican candidate Of which
they were not ashamed. AS there
has been no respectable Republican
party, they have had to turn to the
Democratic primary.
Furthermore, the mill presidents
will remove their estoppel If the Re-
publican party will put forward re-
spectacle candidates. Heretofore they
have discouraged In an elective way
any movement on the part Of their
employees to support the Republican
party, but that was because the par
ty was controlled by negroes and such
men as Joe Tolbert. The mill prest-
dents like Lewis W. Parker, Of Green
vile, are friendly to. me- and would
have no objection to their employees
voting for me-
Captain Capers said that he es~
teemed Congressman Johnson, but
that the latter was not in position
to do much for the district. "If the
voters Of this congressional district
will send me to congress-" said Cap
tain Capers, II will be Of great value
to them. I will secure public build
ings, for one thing
The Republican nomination Is
rade by convention and not by the
Democratic method Of a primary.
There is no doubt, however, Of Cap
tain Capers' ability to secure the
nomination.
However, the "black and tan" Re-
publicans may also put out a candi-
date. They nominated Tom Briar, a
Greenville negro, for congress twe
years ago.
Captain Capers said he was more
interested in the establishment Of a
clean, respectable Republican party
in South Carolina than in the ques-
ton of whether Taft or Roosevelt
would be nominated.
81 will frankly admit" said he,
that the party in South Carolina as
I'D to this time constituted, has been
a disreputable organization. I have
been in disgrace with my family and
intimate friends for being Repuo-
lican. And as the principles for
which the Republican party standrs
are dear to me as my personal integ-
ritv, it is necessary for me to remove
the stigma which attaches to the
name of Republican in South Caro-
lima BY establishing respectable par
ty.''
Capt. Capers said that the title
.sIly whites was misnomer, as
negroes would not be entirely ex-
cluded from the Capers-Blaloek par
tv. In some of the coast counties
there are no white Republicans at ALL
re said, and it would be necessary TO
have a few negro delegates, but col
ored men of unQuestioned respect
ability would be chosen.
He said that probably SIX OF the
..lilv white" delegates to the Repuo-
Ucan National Convention would be
negroes.