The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-08-08
Cbs @atthulan ana Scutbroll


~~ssxuss's NV o>'V~sytV'~
unssss1 - ~ Posso0cs - sap,sss. o.
o. - Second Class Aatsss.
W.P. Beard. Gov Biesse's secre-
tary OF war and personal body guard
In the campaign Of 1912. for which
service he was paid by the state of
South Carolina. In this year the free
lance mouthpiece OF the ultra radi-
cal element OF the Blease faction. He
has made numerous attacks on John
u. Richards. whom he charges with
being an anti-Blease partisan with a
thin veneer Of Bleaseism for cam
psion purposes and not worthy of
support by loyal Bleaseites. This
week he turns his attention to Mendel
L. Smith. alleging that this candidate
for governor ID. II anything. political
~. a Bleaseite only thinly whitewash-
Cd on the outside with anti Blease-
om-also for campaign purposes.
~b~.rd belongs to the inner circle Of
the Blease faction and may he pre-
pared To prove his charges against
both Richards and Smith. But
whether he can provo his charges or
not. u In . coincidence that thousands
of voters have suspected all along
that the situation was practically as
charged by Beard. The people who
are working for the restoration of
Law and order by the absolute OBJ
liberation OF Bleaseism In the State
government want neither a veneered
enti-blease man. white-washed
Bleassite In the governors once:
thsy win not knowingly vote for a
camp follower or . Trojan horse.
Beard's frst choice az a dyed In the
wooi Bleascite IL Irby. with an ap-
parent leaning toward Smith as the
last alternative. straws show how
the wind blows. he careful how you
vote.
10 all the Democrats who have en-
rolled In the clubs vote In the pri-
mary August 2sth. the vote will be
sven greater than the record break
fns total Of 1912 The personal en-
roilment rule has disfranchised no
one. and the assertion by Blease.
Richards. Sims and other ofIlce-seek-
srs 10 proven by the enrolment to be
an false as other statements OF theirs
IL there 10 q Democrat In this coun-
~ who has been disfranchised by the
personal enrolment rule II II his own
fault and u is the same In every 9TH
or county.
Prof. Clinkscales' Statewide com
pulsory education at once or bust
campaign appears to have resulted
ss We anticipated. The State Is not
prepared to finance nor to enforce
compulsory school attendance. and
while the theory appeals to large
perosntags Of the good citizens of
south Carolina at first blush,
when they begin to consider and ana
pze the proposition In the cold light
OF reason they are Immediately forced
to the conclusion that Prof. Clink-
scales theory Ia impractical and Inn
possible. "A reasonable man at once
asks himself the question: Why
ostensibly commit the State to an
irridescsnt dream by the election of
a governor pledged to an educational
programme that comon sense leg
isatsre will not adopt without ma
terisl notifications that will bring
the theory into harmony with the
existing conditions and the ability of
the stats-that Ia to say the legisla-
sure win DO forced by common sense
and business consideration to adopt
the local option plan Of compulsory
'fu sation. To adopt any other
eourss the legislature would do the
csuse OF education an irreparabie
injury by placing another impossible
an" an unenforctbie law. under pres
ent conditions. on the statute books.
The legislature cannot make bricks
without straw. and II is disengenu-
Gus. ~ use q mild term. for Prof
Clinkscales to brush aside practical
considerations by saying that the leg
islature must find ways and means TO
put nesh and blood on his theoretical
framework and breath into It the
breath of life. IL he is the states,na N
and to constructive genius that the
Hercuican task calls for he should
be abis to evolve a practical plan for
making Of force and effect the theory
that he advocates. A leader In 80
sreat crusade should at least DO
able to blaze the path or to give a
hint to the common road builders Of