The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1913-11-05
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3 STATE PRESS COMMENT. {
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The South Carolina Situation.

ing over the Palmetto State. BleaS-
ism is still dominant, but seems to
be diminishing temporarily in in
tensity, although in the race for the
United States scnatorship, nine
months hence, lines will be as sharp
ly and bitterly drawn a sever before.
In that election Blease will either be
shorn of the powers incident to pub
lie office or will be sent to Washington.
If his candidacy succeeds, he will be
out of the State, however much innu-
ence he may still WELD; If he is re-
tired to private life, he can have no
offices with which to reward his
friends and no official power with
which to punish his enemies. There
is but one Blease in South Carolina,
and even we're his most trusted lieu
tenant to be promoted to the govern
ship, that man would lack much of
being a second Blease.
1t is almost certain that the sole
candidate against Senator Smith in
his campaign for reelection to a sec
ond term in the United States senate
Will be the present chief magistrate
of the Palmetto State. There has been
much ak of inducing Representative
Asbury f.. Lever, Captain Lambs sue
cessor as chairman of the national
house Of representatives, and the most
efficient member of South Cardinals
hpnCn 1nlnUatinn IN ontnr tIo oan h.t
1T seems at this time unlikely thai he
will do &c. AS things now stand, Le-
Yer is the logical successor to Sena-
tor Tillman, who is in ill-health, and
h will, in all probability, never
again seek election to the senate. Le-
YER is Il self-made man, a farm boy,
who, by unfagging energy and quick
acceptance of every opportunity, has
become II of the strongest men in
South Carolina politics. A college gra-
duate, n man of a high degree of in
tellectual capacity, Lever possesses
Il quality somewhat rare in South Ca
roiina now-ability for constructive
public service. He is neither Il dema-
cog nor an agitator; he said last week
that he often thinks that South Caro-
lima is politics ridden, as it undoubt-
edly is. He stands for the upDuilding
Of the State through Improvement of
the conditions of country life and the
scientific development of South Caro-
lina's agricultural po~tentialties.
Blease will have the fight of his
life getting into the senate, although
he will receive aid from rather I'M
expected sources. Senator Ellison
Durant Smith, the apostle of the high
est price for cotton doctrine, is an in
vincible rough-and-tumble stump
speaker, who can easily hold his own
with Blease, especially before rural
audiences, for Smith is extremely pop
ular with the farmers and can point to
some achievement for their welfare,
Blease cannot Forecasts of the out
come at a time so far removed from
the PRIMARY as this would be absurd.
y great number of Bleaseites have
undoubtedly been weaned from their
former faith and yet. on the other
hand, a considerable number of
South Carolinians will vote for
Bleasc because they either do not
like Smith or believe that it
would be better to foist him up
on the senate than have him
in South Carolina. Moreover, the act
that Tillman is so vigorously opposed
to Blcasc will transfer to Blease the
votes of many of the dyed in the wool
anti-Tillmanites, who rejoice to find
any opportunity, direct or indirect, to
rebuke and repudiate the Pitchfork
Senator.
No matter what the result of the
senatorial primary may be, the stu
alton in South Carolina Will be decid-
ly improved after next August. Wheth-
er he shall thereafter be Senator
Blease or Citizen Blease, he will never
so injure South Cardinals name and
fame or impede her progress as Gov
erno Blease has done and is doing.
Blease has illustrated to the extreme
the possibilities of abuse of the gov
crnorship of any American State.-
Richmond Times Dispatch.
Decay OF Country Churches.
a good deal has been said lately
about the decay of country churches.