The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-01-29
Capitol Correspondence,
fContinued from page 81

| fContinued from page g.
is a matter for you. I do not care
personally, but I call it to your
attention, so if any shortages dc
occur, and you find there !are nc
bonds behind the officers, the
people to whom I am pledged tc
do my duty can not say, "You
did not call the attention Of the
Legislature to it.
Now, gentlemen of the Gen
eral Assembly, today the Gov
ernor's Office is clean. There is
not a letter in it to be answened,
they are all answered, unless ii
be one or two which have come
lin this morning. All the mess
Ages which I have proposed tc
send to you have been sent,
possibly to the extreme gratih'
cation Of some of you. The re-
cord is clear. If another man
were to go down aud take charge
OF the Office now, he would find
it clean, with nothing on bis
hands. The petitions for pardons
have been passed upon. And ]
shall try-and God help me that
I may-to wipe off the slate and
let the past be the past. I hold
so help me God, in my heart,
| malice for no South Carolina
citizens-remember, l said South
Carolina citizens. I hold no NAL.
ice in my heart. so help me God,
towards any true-blooded Amer
lean citizen-and only a few who
are not, and they are not far
from US. What I say here I am
responsible for on the streets. I
often walk the streets of Colum'
bia by myself. I go to the office
at 10 o'clock and stay untssl 2,
and 20 back about 4 and stay
until such hour in the evening
as the business will permit me
to leave. I am personally respon.
s,ble for every word I say, and
those who think otherwise will
find themselves mistaken if they
will simply make up their minds
and get the courage and back.
bone to resent an insult. But
lhave endeavored to wipe the
slate clean and I shall start my
| tnew administration as Governor,
forgiving everything that has
been done against me in the past:
because I am taught that it !
want forgiveness I must forgive.
I have wiped the slate clean.
Those whose duty it is to come
to the Governors Office will re-
ceive the kindest treatment
Those representatives of the
people who have recommends
tions to make-their recommen-
dations, unless there be some
good reason given to the con
trary, will receive proper con
siaeration. I hope to serve the
people as they would have me
serve. But understand, gentle
men, if I am struck I propose tc
strike back, and say to the mar
who strikes, Lay on Macdutf,
and damned be him who frst
cries, Hold, enough" :"
Tell your people, please, Wien
you go back home, that you saw.
at five minutes past one o'clock.
on the 21st day of January, 1913
the happiest man that God AL
mighty has ever created. l work
ed from 1890, as an humble mem
Der Of this House, until the l7tt
of January, l911, to be Cover
nor of my State. That was the
height of my ambition. l 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 I could not be re-elect'
ed, I proposed to show some
astute politicians that they dlo
not know what they were talk
ing about. But, standing before
you today, having had my term as
Governor endorsed, I have re-
ceived the highest honors thai
can be given to any man.
would rather be Governor Of
South Carolina than to have any
other position in the world, ex
cept the Presidency of the Unit
ed States, and that I do not have
the slightest idea of ever having
But, gentlemen. if one of youl
Senators were to resign today
and you were unanimously tx
elect me to serve you in the
Senate of the. United States,
would thank you and decline, be
cause T can do more for my
friends as Governor than l cal
lin any other capacity. There
fore, I say to you that l start the
new administration, having at
tanned the highest ambition o:
my life, perfectly satisfied at 1T:
end, or, if it please God, in the
midst of it, to retire forever ane
forever from public life. and g
back to old Newberry. Ane
when the day shall come that .
shall meet my father in heaven
on that great judgment day
can look him in the face and say
"Father, 1 promised you on youl
|dying bed that I would be Gov
ernor of South Carolina, and