Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-08-04
AN OFF DAY Meeting.
Summaries Of the Speeches at
Filbeft.
YORK VOTERS GIVE CLOSE ATTENTION.

ent at the F1lDert picnic, last FRIDAY,
the seven candidates who were there
probably got the opportunity to pre-
sent their reasons as to why they
should be supported more fully than
at any place they have been since the
campaign opened at Sumter, on June
| 18th.
There was little or no disorder at
| Filbert. Each candidate was accord
ed a respectful hearing, and only in
terrupted once in a while by some
one who propounded his questions in
a respectful and sincere manner.
There were at least two thousand
Of the large number Of picnickers who
heard the appeals Of the seven can
didates. The seating capacity being
inadequate, many were obliged to
stand.
Since most of the declarations of
the speakers were more or less new
to the audience, all appeared inter-
ested at all times.
There were many ladies present.
John T. Duncan.
The first speaker introduced to
the large audience was John T. Dun
can OF Columbia, who began his
speech with the remark that he wss
| glad to have an opportunity to speak
where there was no time limit, where
as he had been used to speaking only
fourteen minutes.
The speaker reviewed the history of
the Reform movement in Carolina
politics, going back to the days when
the late Senator ]. L. M. Irby was
candidate before the people, and
! traced political developments up to
the present time.
The speaker then proceeded to ex-
plain what he termed 'the system"
in South Carolina politics.
All the system" the head OF
which, he said, is w. A. Clark Of Co.
lumbia, was to get the people divid-
ed by means Of a little liquor and
little rot" The speaker charged that
| "Old Man Clark" played to both the
Blease and the anti-Blease people, and
| that he was a man who never put all
of his eggs in one basket. Part Of
them were in the Blease basket; the
others in the anti-Blease basket.
Mr.. Duncan said that although he
was aware Of the fact that York was
a Blease county, in two years from
now, 1t would be impossible to find a
Bleasite in the county. Still he had
looked around the audience for
Jonesite and had not seen a single
one.
They are all dead" exclaimed an
auditor.
| The speaker then went into dis
cussion Of his own record and that OF
Governor Blease as legislators, saying
that If he and the governor were put
in a row by themselves, he would
show up the record Of the governor
so thoroughly that it would be impos-
sible for any one to vote for him.
| BY the way, asserted the speaker,
do you know that twenty per cent
of those who voted for Blease two
years ago, were not Blease men, but
anti-Jones and anti-Gonzales men.
Mr.. Duncan supplemented the obser-
vation with the statement that he was
heartily with those who opposed Con-
zales.
The speaker gave as his opinion that
the vote in the first primary this year
would be between $4,000 and 120,-
900.
| Mr.. Duncan then proceeded to fay
the daily press of the state, saying
that all the newspapers were pre-
judiced in favor Of certain candidates.
He said the press did not present cor
rect reports Of campaign meetings to
their readers.
THE Enquirer tells the TRUTH" ex-
claimed several voices in the audience.
Yes, Grist and I are good friends"
/ lHS SpcdhCl' IlC ooJo thS
evils Of which I speak are true and
are real. Still he makes the plea, I've
got to live"
| Speaking of the System" in South
| Carolina, Mr.. Duncan again asserted
that w. A. Clark of South Carolina,
was the boss" of that organization.
Under him are thirteen judicial boss
es besides those of the counties and
precincts, the speaker continued.
What are you running for any
how?" asked another man in the au-
dience.
| In reply, the speaker said he had
/ denounced Jones as well as Blease.
| Mr.. Duncan said he went to Wash
ington to oppose the nominations of
| Chas. A. Woods for U. S. circuit judge,
and w. E. Gonzales for minister to
| Cuba. He said Governor Bleases ar
gument in regard to the appointment
of Gonzales, that he, (Blease), was
glad to get rid Of him." was the rea-
son why Gonzales was appointed.
The candidate roundly denounced
the elimination proposition, declaring
that it was but another move of the
system"
He referred to John G. Richards,
the four-weeks- old Blease baby whom
the Bleaseites had to support wheth-
er they wanted to or not.
| He's going to be the next govern
or" said an auditor.
| Yes" retorted the speaker, you
| Bleaseites are like young Jay birds;
you take anything they feed you"
| He said that while nobody had been
converted to Bleaseism within the last
two years, many people have changed
their politics. Yet he was ready to
| admit that Bleasites were as honest
in their convictions as he was.
Again referring to w. A. Clark OF
Columbia, Mr.. Duncan said that in
| the days Of good stealing" old man
Clark was a Republican; but in these
days Of better stealing" he was
Democrat, and is now having spasms
because of the primary vote scattered
among ten men in the first race, leav-
ing a good chance for Duncan to be In
the second race.
r. A. Cooper
The next speaker Hon. r. A. Coop
er of Laurens, solicitor of the eighth
judicial circuit, complimented the
people on the splendid highway be-
tween Yorkville and Filbert.
The speaker said he was one OF
eleven men who were asking for the
highest honor which the citizens OF
South Carolina could confer, because
the governor has it in his power to
make his people happy or miserable.
He said that he had entered the
race on his own initiative and intend
ed to criticise his competitors when
he considered such criticism proper.
Good for you," said man in the
audience.
Mr.. Cooper said that If elected he
would go into office unfettered and
would know no boss.
On the 25th of August don't vote for
any friend of yours but vote for the
good of the state.
In stating his conception of the
duties of a governor, he said 1t was
his purpose to criticise no man but to
criticiSe conditions.
He denounced race track gambling
and the sale of blind tiger whisky in
Charleston and Columbia and declar-