The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-08-14

have been allowed to predominant
The States good name has been
dragged in the mire Of the disgust
and shame of all right.thinking Car.
OlinianS. Patriotic citizens must take
counsel together, how to lift these
! meetings back to q high plane and
make them the great educators they
are intended to be.
Judge Jones ought to have been
content with what / said and stopped
! there. He had no right to incite
Gov Blease's friends to lombard me
with kilograms and letters, by offer
! ing $100 reward to any one who
would get me to declare Blease or
Duncan were eminently qualified for
the governors Office. I do not see
that it is my business to dictate to
The people of South Carolinl as to
whom they should elect governor.
2 Preferred Richards
IF could have done that, John
G. Richards, Jr., would be govern
or now. l am naturally frank and
blunt and somewhat impulsive, there
fore, in writing to my friends In
South Carolina l have not been on the
watch lest some phrase in my letter
would lay me under suspicion OF be-
ing a Bleasite, Jonesite, or Duncan
lite. For instance, some days ago, IN
writing to a friend in Marlboro, l
said: Sensible men will never
weigh Senator Tillman and Gov.
Blease in the, same scales. II the
fools do, it is not any fault OF mine.
| said this in the same spirit In which
| said: No sensible man In the
State believes that Judge Jones is in
favor Of social equality, so no one bat
fool will regard Blease as the Only
representative Of Tillmanism or It's
best exponent. There are hundreds
of Tillmanites In the State who are
better eXponents Of botl than either
| Jones or Blease or Duncan. do not
lsee what that has to do with 1t any
| way. The issue is, or ought 10 be-,
integrity of purpose, patriotism and
ability, cleanness of character, high
ideals capacity to lead the people and
show them the best way 10 go, cour-
age to execute the laws unflinchingly
and without fear or favor.
..... Has Shamed Him e..
81 have been made ashamed, as
every South Carolinian must be, at
the vulgarity, indecency and coward
ice that has been shown on the stump.
When my brother senators read about
the passing Of the lie being in every
meeting in South Carolina, they with
a yelled sneer allude to it in sur
prise. have no word to say because
/ can not. I resented the lie with a
blow on the floor of the senate and
that has been regarded here as an
illustration of the States spirit The
people of the State ought to compel
| those who seek their votes for high
official positions behave and speak
like gentlemen. The people can do 1t
and the people alone can do it. One
can speak boldly; aggressively and
truthfully, and not finch from stat
ing the facts, and do it in ,parlia-
mentary language, and public ,opin-
ion should demand this, and the peo-
pie should enforce it as rule. Else
for the States good name, we had
better cease having these State cam
paigns at all; and they are too val
liable to give up because OF the man
ner' in which they are being prosti-
tuted. 1t is disgrace to have them
conducted in the way they have been
this year. 1t would be little short of
calamity to have them cease alto
gether. - ... -
zone word in conclusion, and the
most important word Of all. There
are men in the State who believe II
Judge Jones is not elected that the
State will go to the dogs. There are
others equally honest and patriotic
who believe that il Blease is not elect
ed the reform movement and prin-
ciples it stood for will be destroyed.
Both are wrong. The fabric Of our
government is not built on such a
flimsy foundation, but it is OF vital
importance-and I say this with all
solemnity of which I am capable
that the legislature to be elected this
year is of more importance than is
filling the governors Office. II we
have brave, true men, who are honest
and not to be browbeaten or bribed
or seduced into betraying their con-
stitutents, no bad governor can do US
any irreparable injury, and without
them no good governor can do much
good So l implore my fellow citi-
zens to see to it that the very best
men in each county are sent to the
house of representatives and the SEN
ate. Then, whether Blease or Jones is
elected, we will be safe.