The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1914-01-23


secretary of the State hospital COM
mission, and for no other.
This certainly proves that l was
in favor of going on with the work
at State Park, and that my friends
were in favor of going on with the
work at State Park. You gentlemen
failed to make an appropriation to
carry on the work, and certainly none
Will accuse the majority of the senate
or the majority of the house Of being
"underlings' or Satellites" of Cover
nor Blease. On the contrary, it is the
great boast of the newspapers and
others that the majorities in both
houses are bitterly opposed to Gov
ernor Blease.
And, further, if you will look today
on the calendar of the house. you will
see a bill there, among the first bills
on the calendar-probably the very
first-urging the sale of the asylum
property, this bill being fathered by
Messrs. Kibler, Belser and Robinson.
Surely none will accuse them, or eth
er Of them, of being "underlings' or
satellites" of Blease, for they boast
of the fact that they were elected as
-Bleaseites and that they are po
Iitical enemies of the governor, and
even when they meet him personally
their animosity is so great they hardly
speak. So, once again, you find that
it is not my friends who are attempt
ing to sell this property.
In fact, gentlemen, it does seem to
me that some people, before they
make such charges, certainly ought to
have common sense enough to look
I'D the record. Verbal conversations
may be misconstrued, but written
messages from the governor to the
legislature, and written resolutions
kept by the governors enemies GER
tainly ought to record the truth.
In this connection I desire to quote
you in full message No 81 of 1913,
which went to the senate as veto
message, and came from the senate
to the houses where the veto was sus-
tanned:
Message No. 81
Gentlemen of the Senate:
return to you herewith, without
my signature. Act No. 1913 (senate No.
400, house no. 62s), to provide for
the transfer of the State Hospital for
the Insane to the State Park prop
erty, and for the disposition of pres
ent plant and lands of said hospital"
In the first place, gentlemen, l am
absolutely and unqualifedly opposed
70 the sale of this property at this
time. There is crowd Of people who
have for years been fighting and
scrambling to get their hands on this
property, and 1 do not propose to let
them get it through my hands, or
with my consent, for I do not. propose
to be party to any such transaction.
Your attention has been called to this
matter on the floor Of the senate and
on the floor of the house. but it seems
that somebody has sufficient power to
get WE'LL under way the movement
for the sacrifice Of this property Of the
States at this time.
Another reason, gentlemen, for my
declining to sign the measure is the
fact that this property is wort a
s1,5OO,OOO or 100000. Why should
you place its value at $1,O00,00O when
you know it is worth more?
In addition, gentlemen, the people
of South Carolina in the last election
refused to vote bonds for this
State Park investment, and to go
ahead with it at this time would
be to nullify the action of the
people. You have no right to
thwart that election and to at
tempt to force the matter upon the
people of this State. 1t has been
argued that the people did not
thoroughly understand the proposition
because it was not sufficiently explain
ed to them. Then pass another