The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1914-01-13

my administrator DIS SOEeIIIOI IL
had been allowed to appoint men to
enforce this law, and if the supreme
court had sustained me in my con-
tentlon that had the right to appoint
teen. As it was, have been helpless,
20 large extent | could send no
men into the counties for the pur-
posu OF enforcing those laws. All
that | could 90 was to send ae-
,cGtile AMI get such information as
could. and report that information
to the sheriff Of the county, and that
sheriff could either take that informa-
ton and use it in the enforcement OF
ne ..w or ne could ignore IL. -Id:3l5-
mates and their constables, whose
duty it also was to enforce the iaw
could positively disregard me, as l
have shown, because if should
suspend one the senate would set
ts4ue lne suspension and put him
back in office, and the supreme court
said I could not remove him, nor
could l appoint whom wanted
,'~ate, Liy friends. who would
help me enforce the law-but l must
appolnt my enemy, says the supreme
b, and with the ad-
ICE AID coasent OF the sem
ste which enemy would not
help me enforce the law, but would
allow it to go unenforced in order to
Try to inju3e me and my administra-
ticn. In order words, many Of those
N.ose duty it was to do so, instead
OF helping me enforce the law when
| was doing what l could to give them
a clean administration, have en-
couraged violations OF the law and
helped those who did violate it, in
order that taey might say just what
they are now endeavoring to say, that
the blind tigers were freely run
throughout the State under Blease's
administration
Then, when you come to the towns
and cities, the mayor of the city and
tie council, with their police force
and their plain-clothes men, are
responsible for the enforcement of
the law in these towns and cities.
But my opponents have attempted to
charge Up to me that there is more
Whiskey sold in the towns and cities
in blind tigers than has been sold
heretofore. | do not know that 1t IS
true. | do not believe it. | believe
that a clear investigation will show
that there is less whiskey being sold
Columbia than 1as ever
been sold in it, because | have a
strong constabulary force in this
city, and taey have watched it close
Iy, as the increase in the profits OF
the dispensary will show.
But if the blind tigers are over
running the towns and cities, should
it be charged up to the governor, or
should il be charged up to the mayors
and counclnen and police Of the
towns and cities? If the mayor and
councilmen of any city will admit to
me tat they are helpless and can
not enforce the law, l will take
charge of the city and guarantee that
/ !. fully enforced. Tney are there
on the ground, living right in the
city, and should know conditions
better than |. And if the law in their
city is not enforced, the people should
elect a mayor and council who will
enforce it, and the mayor and council
should elect police force VINO VIII
see that it is enforced.
All that | ask is for fair and
honest judgment to be passed IN these
matters, and | am willing to take
whatever blame should be placed up
on my shoulders; but do not pro-
pose Tor the people to be misled into
thinking that my administration has
been worse than otlers for it has not
Leen, and it would have been more
free from the sale Of whiskey II 1t
had not been for the refusal OF county
boards to pay my constables when
sent them into the counties, and II
it had not been for the senate,S
actions towards me in the magis-
trates' matters, and if it had not been
for the supreme courts sustaining
1hese people in their contentious.
And, then, last, but by no means least,
many of the senators and reprensentr
atives who were bitterly opposed
to me, in order to keep me from ap-
pointing constables in their counties,
adopted the rural police system Tor
their counties and in their bills would
provide that no dispenary constables
should be appoined in their counties,
and even then, when they would have
the rural police system,' they went
further and would put the appoint
ment of those rural police in the
hands of the sheriff, who was in
dependent of me- They deprived me
of the right to appoint the rural
policemen and thus make them hold
commissions under me, thereby CIV
ing me the power to remove these
rural policemen if they did not en-
force the laws-they deliberately took
away from me the power to appoint
them, and thus the power to remove
them, and consequently deprived me
of having supporters in these offices
and put these Offices in the hands OF
nv political enemies throughout the
State. as the records will show, thus
doing all they could to block my ad-
min;stration IN the enforcement Oh
the law, and doing all they could 10