Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-06-19
SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN
Story Of Opening Meeting At St
Matthews.
About 600 People were PRESENT
All Four Candidates Speak-Governor
BIease First, followed by Jennings
and Pollock With Smith Closing
Smith and BIease Come Near Hitch
ina on Question of Veracity.

Smith and BIease Come Near Hitch.
ing on Question of Veracity.
There were six or seven hundred
people at the opening senatorial cam
paign meeting at st. Matthews, on
Wednesday, and the proceedings were
generally quiet and orderly with the
exception of one near-mixup between
Governor Blease and Senator Smith
The following report Of the meeting
Is printed in the Columbia State, of
yesterday:
The governor was the first speaker,
and was reading from his $4,000 word
manuscript certain attacks on Sena-
tor Smith concerning Federal ap-
pointments. The first break came
when Blease made a charge that SEN
ator Smith had secured the appoint
lister to Cuba. Senator Smith rose in
his chair and replied: Governor, now
let us keep the record straight. 1 want
it distinctly understood that 1 was no
Of Mr.. Gonzales to Cuba than was
Cole l.. Blease." The governor made
no response.
Two minutes later the speaker re-
ferred to the appointment Of James l..
Sims Of Orangeburg, as United States
marshal-"a man who had once ed
tied a negro newspaper" Senator
Smith again leaped to his feet, and
said that Mr.. Sims was Senator 3. r.
Tillman's appointment, and that he
and he alone was responsible. The
governor then searched through his
bulk Of documentary evidence" and
produced a letter, said to have been
written to w. ]. Shelton Of Colonial
Heights. Columbia, in which Senator
Tillman said Senator Smith and
have agreed upon the appointment
of Sims" Senator Smith then ad-
vanced to the front Of the stage, and
facing the governor, replied, NO man
in the image Of God can call me a
liar. 1 have told you that Sims was
Tillman's appointment, that We
agreed that he should appoint Sims
and w. G. Thurmond, and that
should have Francis Weston and B.
w. Crouch" At this point DR.. Dreher
county chairman, stepped between
and Senator Smith took his seat. Gov.
Blease's only reply was, that If it was
a lie Ben Tillman told 1t. Senator
Smith then told the audience that the
letter meant only that the two had
agreed not to fight each others ap-
pointments when these came up fol-
confirmation in the senate, but there
was little chance to hear what was
being said and Senator Smith was
urged to take his seat.
The governor made his character
istic attack on the newspapers, said
that the state convention was pack
ed" as the county convention had been
packed, held up to scorn and ridicule
the leaders Of the convention; charged
that the new primary regulations
were only q clever device to disfran-
chise the poor man, and dwelt at
length on "Haskellism." Senator
Smith was charged with doing nothing
but drawing his salary. "E. d. Smith
got astride a bale of cotton six years
ago and rode into the United States
senate, and what has he done? I have
not seen any bill introduced by him.
He Is credited as being the author of
the Smith-Lever bill, which was in
troduced by Hoke Smith Of Georgia
Senator Smith Is on the immigration
committee. What has he done to re-
strict immigration? He is on the
drainage committee. Here he could
have rendered the state exceptional
service. Yet l know nothing"
Before the governor had finished
reading. the time limit Of one hour
had expired. The chairman of the
meeting granted an extension of five
minutes as a reimbursement for the
time lost during the Interruptions. The
governor closed by defending his par
don record. He said that he was not
yet through, that he intended to par
don one when he got to Columbia to-
night, and that his enemies couldn't
help themselves.
l.. D. Jennings Of Sumter, who is
for the first time seeking the suffrage
Of the citizenship Of South Carolina,
was next introduced. Mr.. Jennings,
too, is a farmer, running about rs
plows and planting more than 1,400
acres Of cotton, he said. This candi-
date elected much applause in his
energetic defense of the recent state
Democratic convention, which passed
the new primary regulations. THE
charge has been made" he said, that
an organized effort has been set on
foot to deprive the poor man of his
vote. The man who would make such
charges knows it is only tommyrot and
is guilty Of the rankest demagoguery.
How can the poor man be deprived of
his vote? l defy any man to prove
that any clause Of the new rules can
be so constructed. How could the poor
man be disfranchised? Can't he go to
the place where the registration books
are kept? Is that hardship as some
of the professed friends of the poor
man are wont to accuse?"
1t was at this point that one in the
audience asked what Of the man who
moved around. Jennings reply was,
according to the regulations, a man
has to be in the state two years and
in the county six months. The man
who can't remain in a county six
months, certainly hasn't the right to
vote" The next question propound-
ed was what IL the man couldn't
write. "All that is necessary" was
the speakers answer, "is that the vot-
er apply in person. If he can't sign
his name, he can make his mark with
the clerk as witness. And if man
objects to registering his name in full.
then his mother should have given
him only initials instead of a name.
THE only reason why there should
have been any changes at all was
lIldl lneTe were nO SpeClllCdllOHS dS 10
how a name should be enrolled. There
being no such provision, in the large
population centres it was an easy
matter to take fictitious names and
have them registered, and some per-
sons, assuming these. voted on cleo
ton day. The names might be taken
from tombstones or they might be
those of free niggers.''
Mr.. Jennings promised. If elected to
the United States senate. that he
would make his platform that of the
Democratic party. with the exception
Of the tolls repeal clause as embodied
at the Baltimore convention. This
Joker" he said, was slipped in by
some one who was not so much con-
cerned about the Democratic party as
about the shipping trusts. He paid a
high tribute to President Wilson, and
pledged support to him in his poll
tics.
1T is no desire Of mine to sling
mud" the speaker concluded, but
shall not hesitate to attack the rec
ords of all candidates. some of which
do not personally envy"
Speaking eloquently at all times, he
carried his audience with him as he
swept hurridly from one argument
to another in answer to queries.
Mr.. Pollock Speaks.
w. P. Pollock of Cheraw, was the
first speaker in the afternoon session.
This is not the first time that Mr.. Pol
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