The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1914-02-27
GOVERNOR BLEASE ON
THE ASYLUM REPORT
SAYS COMMITTEE NEGLECTED
CHARGES BEFORE 1T.
Report, He Says, Makes Him Only
More Determined to Exercise His
Constitutional Powers.

!
Special to The Herald and News.
Columbia, Feb. 26.-Governor Blease
on Wednesday night sent to the gen
eral assembly the following special
message stating his views upon the
report of the legislative asylum inves-
tigating committee:
Gentlemen of the General Assem-
bly,: On January 20, 1914, 1 sent you
special message No. 10, in which call
ed your attention to letter which had
in my possession, charging that there
was being an effort made to oust DR..
Babcock from the Hospital for the In
sane" tnat Governor Blease's under
lings and satellites want to manipu-
late the sale of that property, and the
building of the new institution out at
State Park" and that "an effort will
be made to smirch DR.. Babcock and
his lady assistant, DR.. Saunders, as
these men must have some excuse,
you know, and are not at all scrupu-
! lous."
"In this message / set out facts and
statements which it is unnecessary
that l should repeat here. Upon re-
ceipts of this message you appointed
committee, under a resolution which
il is unnecessary for me to repeat, or
dering an investigation Of these mat
ters.
81 notice the report of your commit
tee has beea filed, and would like to
ask the chairman, or some other mem
Der, of that committee, please to state
! if they have investigated the charge
"taat an effort was being made to oust
DR.. Babcock," and what the findings
of the committee we're there
on; if they investigated tae
charge that Governor Blease's
underlings and satellites want
to manipulate the sale of that proper.
ty and the building of the new institu-
ton out at State Park and what their
! fadings were; and if they Investigate
! ed the charge that "an effort will be
made to smirch Dr.. Babcock and his
lady assistant Dr. Saunders" and
what taeir findings were
"If I can read correctly their re-
port, they have aot touched the sub
jects which they were appointed to in
vestigats.
"The report does not touch in the
least the charges made in that letter
which / transmitted to the gepral as
sembly in my special message No. 10.
Tne people, of course, will understand
this, and will know why it is done and
wnat it means.
I'm my opinion, the concurrent res
olution which followed the report OF
the committee will simply become g
nul!ity. The constitution makes GER
tain provisions and the general
statutes cover certain matters in con-
nection with the State Hospital for
the Insane (See section 1854 down to
and including section 1888, Vol 1, code
of laws of South Carolina, 1912, and
any lawyer with any ability at all,
and any man with common sense,
knows that a simple concurrent reso-
luton can not change an act OF the
general assembly. (See also article
12, section ?, constitution of 1889.
"The report of your committee only
makes me more determined to exer-
else the power given me under the
constitution, as 1 clearly see from the
report of the committee that the one
thing that it does find is that the In
stitution has not been properly hand
led. The principal thing l was fight
ing for-as 1 was fighting in the pdi-
tentiary fght-was to help the in
mates. 1 won in the penitentiary fight,
and / am going to win in this, for
have some constitutional rights, as
governor, which, 1 am proud to say
the general assembly can not tako
away.
every respectfully,
'tCole. L. Blease,