Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-06-19
THE STATE CAMPAIGNERS
Opening Meeting Held At Sumter On
Wednesday.
TEN CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR

All Other Candidates Present Them
selves and Outline Their Respective
Positions at a Tame and Uneventfu
Gathering.
The opening meeting Of the cam
paign for state offices was held a
Sumter last Wednesday, with a fairl!
good crowd in attendance and passed
off quietly. 1t was arranged that can
ddates for governor should have l.
minutes each; candidates for lieuten'
ant governor, minutes each and al
other candidates seven minutes rotat'
ing alphabetically from day to da!
with the gubernatorial candidate:
speaking last. The following report OF
the opening meeting is from the Co.
lumbia State, of yesterday:
Andrew J. Bethea of Columbia, can.
didate for lieutenant governor, was in.
troduced first. He said he counted
himself fortunate in delivering his ini'
tial political speech in Sumter the
gateway to the Pee Dee. He declared
| that a new day was dawning in South
Carolina in which ignorance and pre-
judice would vanish.
I'VE shall have here in South Caro-
| lima a new freedom. an educational
! freedom" declared Mr.. Bethea.
The speaker sketched his career as
farmer school teacher, state official
lawyer and business man.
Il will not ride into office on the coat
tail of any man." said Mr.. Bethea.
He declared that he stood for the
education of all the people, the great
est need Of the state for law and or
| der and for social democracy. He said
| as private secretary to AnSel and code
commissioner he had received the
| training to fit him to hold the office he
sought.
| w. NJ. Hamer Of Dillon. candidate
for lieutenant governor, promised ar
| efficient and businesslikc administra-
ton, law and order and education
and anything else which will give Us
better conditions in South Carolina
than we have today"
]. A. Hunter of Bamberg, candidate
| for lieutenant governor, commented or
the eXcellency Of the personnel Of the
crowd. He said he was a graduate OF
college, school teacher had work
ed on a farm, been in the mercantile
| business and had made a success OF
| them ALL" He told of being elected tC
the legislature from Bamberg for two
| terms. He promised If elected lieu
| tenant governor to uphold the dignity
of the Office. He said he was an inde-
| pendent candidate, stood for a reform
ed primary in which every white man
| could vote and vote only once, adVo-
: Gated the promotion Of education and
agriculture. liberal support for rura
schools an economical administration
biennial sessions Of the Legislature and
the enforcement Of the law.
B. Frank Kelley of Bishopville, can
didate for lieutenant governor, pre-
dicted that he would be elected. He
said that he had spent fifteen years In
Sumter. He told of his election to the
house from Lee and to the senate from
Lee. He declared that South Carolina
was now spending too much money fol
higher education. He said he had vot-
ed for every citizen whom Sumter had
ever put in a race and since he was al
| most a citizen of Sumter by birth, he
expected the support Of the county.
The meeting then adjourned to the
court house green. the candidates
speaking from the portico.
| r. NJ. McCown of Florence. unop-
posed for re- election as secretary OF
state. made a brief address. promising
| continuance VI ldlllilui anu iohSS'
service.
For Comptroller General.
| A. w. Jones of Abbeville. candidate
| for comptroller general. emphasized
the importance of the administration
of the tax laws and the examination OF
public accounts. He said that his ef-
| forts to secure equalization in the as
sessments were hampered by the fail
/ tn,N nr1e 70 n
| their duty. thus causing gross Unequal
tiles to exist He advocated amend
| ing the constitution to permit the leg
islature to devise such n system OF
| taxation as il might deem best and
! would also have the tax levy fixed af-
| ter the appropriations are made. Mr.
Jones declared that the majority OF the
| revenue for the support OF the state
| should be derived from taxes on cor
porationS, insurance companies. IL
| cense fees. inheritances and incomes
| while lands and other property should
primarily bear local taxation. He saiC
he had saved by Investigations $3.50
600 through correcting errors in vari-
Gus counties and also through his in
yestigations more than $4,000 haC
been collected on official bonds anC
voluntary refunds by officials. He re-
ferred to his recommendations. calling
attention to Objectionable features IL
the bond refunding act Of 1910 whicf
would result in a great saving to the
taxpayers.
1T has been my constant endeaVol
| to see that no public funds are paiI
out by any officer for any purpose moi
authorized by the Legislature" said
| Mr. Jones, "and / shall continue such
efforts as long as | am entrusted witt
| the office of comptroller general.
| James \. Summersett of Columbia
candidate for comptroller general
said that on account Of limited time
his discussion of tax questions would
have to be by piece meal. He told OF
his experience i'm railroad offices ano
| i'm the real estate business. He tolC
| of his membership on the board of re-
| gents Of the state Hospital for the In
sane and on the city Democratic com
mittee. He said that if elected comp
| troller general he would respect the
| rulings of the attorney general unit
they were overruled by the courts and
| would not be an officer in nor connect
ed with any company bonding officials
whose accounts he had to inspect and
would leave the matter of tax reform,
| To the legislature. carrying out the
| laws ii passed.
| =. 7. Carter, unOppOSed lot re-elec-
| ton as state treasurer. spoke briefly
| thanking the people for their support
| in his race two years ago.
]. T.. Swearingen, unoppOsed for re-
election as state superintendent of ed
ucation. made a short address, dis
cussing his aims for improved condi-
| tionS and higher education in the
| schools.
Attorney GeneraIship Aspirants.
\. G. Brice of Chester, candidate for
attorney general. said that it was Il
novel experience to him To be in 4
N CAPITAL