The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-10-03
The BLEASE FORCES
TO HOLD A MEETING
WILL LAY PLANS TO CAPTURE
PARTY MACHINERY.
Conference Of Governors Followers
Called III COlumbia.-Win Begin
With Club Meetings.


party in South Carolina will meet in
a conference in Columbia during Far
Week, to map out plans for capturing
the next democratic State convention
and controlling the election machinery
of the democratic party. This an
nouncment was made today by Cover
nor Blease, in conversation with The
News and Courier representative. The
conference will be participated in Dy
the Blease leaders from every county
in the State. 1t likely that the ball
room of the Jefferson hotel will be US
ed as the meeting place of the con-
ference
The call for the leaders to come to
the conference has already gone out
Administration leaders at every coun-
ty seat and in every section OF the
State have been summoned to gather
in Columbia for an important meeting
during the week of the State Fair.
The conference may last two days.
Clubs to State Convention.
Plans for a full attendance OF the
Bleaseites at every democratic CLUB
meeting next April, when they assem-
BILE to elect delegates to the county
conventions, will be talked over.
Through control of the club meetings
the Blease forces plan to capture the
county convention, or majority there
of. and through them the next State
convention, which meets in Columbia
on the third Wednesday in next May.
Control of the county conventions Will
insure control of the State democratic
executive committee and the State con-
yention, and thus place the machinery
\of the democratic party, under which
the primary elections are held, IN the
control of men friendly to Governor
Blease.
Any radical change in the rules and
constitution of the party will be de-
feated if the Blease forces carry out
their plans and capture the next State
convention. Governor Blease, in talk
ing this morning, said he believed IN
every white man being allowed to vote,
believed in letting him go to the polls
untrammelled, either by money persua-
sion or threats of losing his position.
He said ne AMI his faction would favor
every plan which would afford the
freest expression of the will of the
white people, but they will fight to the
uttermost any restriction Of the pr1-
mary to registered voters, or anything
which will make it cumbersome and
burdensome on the voters casting their
ballots.
Marked for Slaughter.
Former Governor John Gary Evans
the present chairman of the State
democratic executive committee, and
the others who are at present prom
inent in the running of the party, are
marked for the slaughter by the ad-
ministration forces. If the Blease
forces control majority of the coun-
ty conventions throughout the. State
next May, there will be a complete
overturn of the election machinery OF
ficials. Chairman Evans and mis- tel-
low workers of the Anti-Blease faction
will be relegated to the rear and new
men, high in standing with the present
State administration, will be placed at
the helm of the democratic party.
At the Blease conference here Fair
Week the plans will be mapped out to
the smallest detail and the leaders will
then return to their various home
counties and pass tDe word around for
all the Blease voters to attend their
club meetings in force.
eve are not going to be caught nap
ping, as was the case last year, said
Governor Blease this morning, refer
rng to the overwhelming manner IN
which the anti-administration people
captured club meetings, county con-
ventions and the State convention IN
1912. eve are going to have full
attendance at every club meeting IN
the State and we propose to capture
the county conventions. Rest assured
we are going to control the next dem
ocratic State convention, emphatical-
ly declared the governor.
Plans Formed Long Ago.
The plans for the Blease forces to
control the conventions and election
machinery next year were formed r1gnt
on the heels of the reelection Of Gov
ernor Blease last summer. Leaders OF