Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-01-28
NO. 8.

D. Fortners NJ C. Creech. z. M. Fripp,
H. +. Harrelson. p. DsIaughter. w
8. Rogers, Jr., M. Hfott"
Now, that shows you, gentlemen,
that, with all the pardoning have
done your legislators can come down
here and In a fifteen minutes walk find
where aother people ought to be out of
the penitentiary. How do you expect
me to stop It?
Il Now, gentlemen, suppose you have
noted that / had no prepared speech.
have simply said, In rambling way,
some things that thought should be
called to the attention Of you gentle
men today. There is one other matter,
and that Is the matter Of bonds, and I
shall have finished. You gentlemen
ought to pass a law prohibiting any
bonding company from carrying more
than a certain amount Of the bonds of
the county or state officials of your
state. There is bonding company In
your state, which, I understand, has
500 600 capital, which Is possibly
worth $4,000. That company Is on the
bonds today of very large number of
the county and state officers of South
Carolina. Now. gentlemen, / say that
Is not right. The American Bonding
company sent me bond for the state
treasurer Of 10000. signed II after
Investigation with Attorney General
DeBruhl. The American Bonding COM
pany sent me some, other bonds /
signed them. Then the American
Bonding company sent me other bonds,
and turned them down. Why? Be-
cause believed the state treasurer's
bond OF $4,000. with these other bonds
which Ihad already approved, gave that
bonding company all the responsibility
South Carolina should have II carry.
In the Gulf and Atlantic states COM
pany they sent me bond after bond. /
approved some Of them, but do not
believe company with only 500 900
capital has any business being on the
bond Of every county treasurer In
South Carolina. Now, turned good
many Of them down.. Some people said
1t was politics. turned down the bond
| OF Solicitor Gunter, whom appointed
| to the Office Of solicitor. and whom the
people unanimously reelected. I turn
ed down the bond OF Solicitor Albert Z.
Hill, and do not think anybody-not
even Otts-would say that Albert E.
Hill was not a Blease man. That shows
you 1t was not matter Of politics, but
matter Of business, and you ought to
look into 1t. Your county treasurers
will come up to take charge OF their Of
fees on the first of July, by special act
OF yours. Is II right for all Of them TO
be bonded In one company? Why, gen.
tlemen. you may say there win not be
any defaulters; you may say you won't
have any defaults. Why, nobody would
ever have blamed. the officials Of Lex
ington for putting money In .he Lex
ington Savings Bank: nobody blames
the superintendent of the penitentiary
for putting money there: and yet, find
out what South Carolina and what Lex
ington county have lost by putting too
| much money In the hands OF one man.
You ought to have an act that after a
bonding company Is on the bonds OF
state or county officials for certain
amount, they can not be on other bond
OF state or county officials. That Is a
| matter for you. do not care person
ally; but ! call 1t to your attention, so
II any shortages do occur, and you
find there are On bonds behind the Of
fcers, the people to whom am pledg-
ed to do my duty can not say, 'sYou
did not call the attention of the legis-
lature to It." In . ayil,isJs
Now. gentlemen of the general ass
sembly today the governors ONCE Is
clean. There Is not a letter In II te, be
answered-they are all answered un-
less II be one or two which have come
II
which have proposed to send to you
have been sent, possibly to the extreme
qualification of some Of you. The rec
ord Is clear. II another man were to
go down and take charge Of the Office
now, he would find II clean, with moth
ing on his hands. The petitions for
pardon have been passed upon. And
shall try-and God help me that I may
Ito wipe Off the slate and let the past
be the past hold, so help me God, I'm
my heart, malice for no South Carolina
citizen-remember, said South Caro-
lima citizen. I hold no malice In my
heart, SO help me God. towards any
true -blooded American citizen-and
only few who are not, and they are
not far from US. What say here am
responsible for on the streets. often
walk the streets Of Columbia by my
self. go to the Office at 10 o'clock and
stay until 2, and go back about and
stay until such hour In the evening as
the business will permit me to leave I
do not hide behind the governors Of
fee to say or do anything. am per-
sonally responsible for every word
say. and those who think otherwise
will find themselves mistaken II they
will simply make up their minds and
get the courage and backbone to resent
wipe the slate clean and shall start
my new administration as governor,
forgivlng everything that has been done
against me In the past; because I am
taught that II want forgiveness !
must forgive. have wiped the slate
clean. Those whose duty 1t Is TO come
to the governors office will receive the
kindest treatment. Those representa-
tives Of the people who have recon-
mendations to make-their recommen-
dations, unless there be some good
reason given to the contrary, will re-
ceive proper consideration. I hope to
serve the people as they would have
me serve. But, understand, gentlemen.
and say to the man who strikes, "!-ay
on, Macduff, and damned be him who
first cries. hold, enough"
Tell your people. please, when you
go back home, that you saw, at i've
minutes past one O'Clock, on the 21st
day of January, 1913, the hapliest man
that God Almighty has ever created. i
worked from 1890, as an humble MEM
ber Of this house, until the 17tE OF jan
uary, 1911, to be governor Of my state.
That was the height Of my ambition. /
could have retired at the end OF my
first term and truly said to my people
that they had given me all wanted.
But when was told that could not
be reelected, proposed to show some
astute politicians that they did not
know what they were talking about.
But, standing before you today. having
had my term as governor endorsed.
have received the highest honors that
can be given any man. / would rather
be governor of South Carolina than to
have any other position in the world.
except the presidency Of the United
States, and that I do not have the
slightest idea Of ever having. But, gen.
tlemen, II one Of your senators were to
resign today, and you were unani-
mously to elect me to serve you In the
senate of the United States, would
thank you and decline, because I can
do more for my friends as governor
than can in any other capacity. There
fore ! say to you that start the new
administra' ION. having attained the
highest ambition Of my life, perfectly
satisfied at its end, or, IL 1t please God.
in the midst Of 1t, to retire forever and
forever from public life, and go back to
old Newberry And when the day shall
come that I shall meet my father In
Heaven, on that great Judgment day
can look him in the face and say.