Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-05-30

believe was untrue, and which on that
account, has been a source Of much
regret to us.
Upon the arrival Of the campaign
party in Yorkville that year, and while
the party was here, there was circu-
lated circumstantial story to the eff
| feet that Mr.. Blease had gotten beast
F! ly drunk at the previous campaign
meeting and was so drunk on his arri-
val In Yorkville that he had to be help
/ ed from the train and carried to his
hotel. In the following issue Of The
ENQUIRER, and without suspicion OF
anything but the truth, we described
how Mr.. Blease was in the habit OF de-
scribing himself to his audiences as
man who took q drink when he felt
like it; but never used liquor to excess
and Immediately afterward was as
liable as not to be as full as a goat.
The article, which included our hon
est impressions of all the candidates
then running, some complimentary and
some otherwise, was copied in several
of the papers, and there was a good
deal Of talk about It; but there was no
suggestion of grounds for libel so far
as we ever heard, and we never
thought of such thing until one day
several years afterward, Mr.. Robert
Latham, then news editor oft News
and Courier, recalled the article in
general conversation with the writer
thereof. and suggested that 1t came
dangerously near being libelous. AT
the time of the conversation referred
to. the editor Of The Enquirer still had
no other idea than that the article was
warranted by the facts, and was re-
solved to stand by It to the limit.
Although during subsequent cam
paigns, The Enquirer continued to
support Mr.. Blease's opponents-GoV-
ernor Ansel twice and later Mr.. Fea-
therstone. Mr.. Blease never said any
thing about the matter either from the
stump or in the form Of legal action
and we were warranted in concluding
that the res son lay in one Of two
things-either the drunkenness al
legation was true, or 1t was not the
policy Of Mr. Blease to take up his
time in legal rows with the newspa-
pers. ..
During the campaign Of last year
The Enquirer having decided for rea-
sons that 1t considered satisfactory and
iustifiable that 1t had nothing to gain
for its readers or state either in mix
ing up in a factional fight where 1t was
unable to give either side It's full ap-
proval, contented itself with giving
both sides as fair treatment as 1t knew
how, and without showing any prefer
ence to either. This attitude gave con-
siderable concern to many extreme
anti-Blease politicians, who believing
II would be impossible for us to hold
such a position. devoted themselves
with as much energy as possible to the
task of driving us from 1t, in the be-
lief that to whichever side Of the road
The Enquirer should veer, they could
use the circumstance to their personal
advantage. .- ...
After the campaign meeting at
Yorkville last summer, In company
with certain people interested In the
relief of the Glover storm sufferers,
the editor Of The Enquirer called on
Governor Blease at the Shandon hotel.
The governor had not taken room OF
his own, but was the guest of Attor-
ney General Peoples. The room had
been full Of callers; but most Of them
had gone and the governor was trying
to get a chance to wash his face and
hands preparatory to going to dinner
He left off, however, and gave his at
tention to the Glover storm relief dele
cation. In connection with what is to
follow, 1t is proper to say here that ne
was perfectly sober, and although the
editor of The Enquirer remained In
the room for half an hour. the only
whisky that he saw was less than
gill in a half pint bottle that was pro-
duced by some one present at the
suggestion Of a gentleman In the
room. AS to what became Of this Ii
auor Is probably nobody's business.
The governor continued to talk to his
visitors until a negro boy come up to
summon him to dinner. He gave the
boy a coin, and one of the governors
friends told the boy to go to the din
ing room and turn down four chairs.
The boy replied that that would not
be allowed; that everyone must 90
into the dining room and take his turn,
whereupon Governor Blease remarked
that he did not care much whether ne
got anything to eat or not. Governor
Bleases friend invited the editor Of
The Enquirer to dinner, and the gov
ernor seconded the invitation; but the
invitation was not accepted for the
reason that the editor had a long re-
port to write of the meeting, and need!
ed to get at 1t.
The next day there was a story on
the streets to the effect that Governor
Blease got so drunk Immediately af-
ter the speaking that he could not go
down to dinner: that he was drunk on
the streets later. and that when the
hotel people went TO Gear up his
room later, they found a hundred or
more beer and whisky bottles. Sever
al Of the governors friends were told
about these things the night before
and invited to investigate for them
selves. The matter was thoroughly in
vestigated, and it developed that i'm
mediately after the governor left, GER
tain persons who can be named If ne
cessary, had collected all the empty
bottles they could find and placed
them in the room he had occupied.
Friends of the governor came to The
Enquirer office at once with a request
that the whole thing be exposed; but
the editor Of The Enquirer advised
that it would be just as we'll not to go
into print; that while the editor of
The Enquirer knew personally that
tho otoriaa of tho covenants drunken