The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1913-07-24
What TiIlman Says about Blease

Washington, July 16:-Referrlng
to affairs in South Carolina, Senator
Tillman said today: L notice that
Governor Blease has broken loose
again. He makes misstatement, to
speak mildly, ,and l feel compelled to
correct him. He went to Henderson
vile the other day andin a telegram
to the Columbia Record he is made
to say:
Senator Tillman ruined himself
with the people of South Carolina in
lust the same manner when he went
about lecturing instead of remaining
in Washington and attending to the
business in the Senate
''I have lectured very extensively
throughout the country, but | never
neglected any Senatorial work to do
it, as the record will show. do not
recall ever having left Washington
while the Senate was in session ex-
ceeding half a dozen times to deliver
lectures. Then | went to nearby
points | could reach after the Senate
adjourned for the day, deliver the
lecture that night and return to
Washington the next morning. l
have received offers time and again
to lecture while Congress was in
session. Butt always declined. l
could have made tens Of thousands
of dollars had | believed it right to
do so.
Governor Blease has recently
done two things about which | want
to say something. l have been anus
ed at the subtleness and cunning he
has shown in getting out of the mil
itia muddle. He double-somersault-
ed instantly. and was so anxious to
comply with the requirements of the
War department that ne telegraph
ed his acquiescence to the Secreta-
rvs demands. The mail was too slow
for him.
Another thing the Governor has
done recently is the letter he wrote
to the supervisors of registration or
dering them peremptorily to register
all white men. His exact words are:
Let no white man be refused
Il have examined the law careful
ly to see just how far the supervis-
ors ought to go, and take the lib
erty of advising them to obey the
law, the strict letter of the law. and
register only men qualified under
the law who will take the oath re-
ouired. That oath is as follows:
"'I do solemnly swear Tor affirm
that am male citizen of this State
and of the United States; that | am
Fl years of age or more, that l have
resided in this State for two years,
and in this county for one year, and
in the polling precinct IN which l
apply to be registered and in which
will offer to vote if registered. for
four months, and that | have not
been convicted of burglary, arson.
obtaining goods or money under
false pretences, perjury, forgery.
bribery, adultery, bigamy ,wife-beat-
ing, housebreaking, receiving stolen
goods, breach of trust with fraudu-
lent intent, fornication, sodomy. in
cest, assault with intent to ravish,
miscegenation, larceny or crimes
against the election laws
Il am very anxious to have all
white men who can take the above
oath register and thus cable to full
fill their duties as citizens. But it
will be fearful blunder and crime
for anybody in South Carolina to
lay the foundation or give excuse for
the House of Representatives or the
Senate of the United States to throw
out a Senator or Congressman elect
ed from South Carolina because of
illegal registration. The Republicans
are not now in power, and the dan