The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-01-25

(dIollna. Gentlemen'
have just read Governor Blease's
message sent To your honorable body
yesterday. and have been informed
that both houses did me the justice
60 order publication In It's journal to
be suspended until my reply could
20 along with II. For this considera-
tion. please accept my thanks.
What Governor Bleases motives
were are very evident In the message
He desires To continue the bitterness
engendered last summer: and wishes
10 be revenged on me; but the prl-
mary object he has in view is to keep
the minds of the peope stirred up
and not allow the waters TO clear snf-
iciently to let them see what sort OF
man he really is. Catiline among the
Romans. and Aaron Burr among the
Americans. are the only other men
have ever read OF who were equal
TO Blease in bainboozling the people.
He has persuaded thousands OF good
South Carolinians. honorable. clean,
patriotic citizens. into believing that
he Is their best friend and that Till
mans mantle has fallen on his should
ers. He Is a past master in the arts
OF n demagogrs. He knows full well
when the angry passions OF the mass
es are aroused, they lose their reason.
He desires to come TO the senate, as
ne boasted he would do at Richmond
In December last. and feels IL obli-
gatory on him to aggravate condi-
tions In South Carolina as a .ch as
possible. Whether this Is the right
way to electioneer or not will be
shown by the result OF the next SEN
atorial primary. III the South Caro-
lima newspapers do not help him by
abuse and Misrepresentation, he will
never get here.
Five charges against me boiled
down.
1. With writing Secret letters
stabbing him in the back"
2. Hypocr.cy.
3. With conspir,ng with w. E. Con-
zales.
4. Jealousy.
s. Feebleness OF mind.
s. Having lent myself, which could
only be expected OF an imbecile to
sign my name to an article dictated
by someone else whom re designated
as "A statesman without a job" and
This astute Big Ex."
will take the charges up seria-
tim:
III ever a man wanted to be hands
of In a political contest, 1 was that
man last summer. Time and again
WIS importuned TO take a hand and
to come out for law and order and
decency. But 1 steadfastly refused. /
received hundreds OF letters first and
last urging me with intense earnest
ness to come out and announce my
preference as between the candidates
who were running for governor. But
i was unwilling to do so.
After Mr.. Sims wrote me and made
the appeal that l should answer GER
tain inquiries which he prcpounded in
defense OF Tillmanism, wrote him
the letter did. Immediately a
phrase in IL was seized on by the
newspapers and proclaimed that had
come out for Judge Jones The head
f.t.
people and misrepresent me. felt
called on 10 take notice OF this and
wrote the article OF August 12, which
Governor Blease quotes.
have the original letters at Tren-
ton Co the evidence going TO show
that Governor Blease and certain OF
his friends were in conspiracy, the
friends TO write me pretending TO he
my friends. draw me out as TO my
attitude toward him. and then show
him the letters. otherwise. how did
ne come into possession OF so many
OF my letters marked personal and
conhdentlal?"
have the original letters at Tren-
ton To show that perhaps one hun
dred men wrote me along the same
lines These letters came thick and
fast and my answers were always
marked personal" II is very evident
that Blease has seen many OF my let
ters which were marked personal and
the recipient ash a rot TO show them
TO anyone. Thus II can be seen wheth-
er they wer secret or not. Some
of those correspondents who wer,
Bleases friends fastened 20 show
them or To- send him copies. They