The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-06-06
M'LAUR|N IS DISGRUNTLED,
THINKS HE SEES COMING TO-
GETIIER OF TILLMAN AND
BLEASE.
Candidate for Governor Says John q.
Richards United Tillman and the
Chief Executive.
To the Editor of The State:

this is not true. 1t probably arose
from the fact that the public sees
that Gin part 1 have accomplished
what I set out to do, restore harmony
among our people. With peace and
unity between Gov. Blease and Sen
ator Tillman, 1 feel that 1 deserve the
well done thou good and faithful
servant"
Last fall Senator Tillman called
upon me to do penance." 1 was to
sacrifice myself by entering the SEN
atOrial race to compass the defeat of
Blease. For this "atOnement" my
sins were to be forgiven me and the
"enter thou into the joys of thy Lord"
spoken later.
The role of dog in the manger"
has never appealed to me as either
dignified or sensible. The idea Of sac
riiice, however, commends itself spir-
itually, and it is grand thing to be
in the company of the most illustrious
Of all the ages.
1t has been apparent since 1912
that a determined attempt would be
made to abridge suffrage in the pri-
mary. I looked upon this as pecu-
liarly dangerous at this time, besides
being opposed to the spirit of the age,
which favCrs extension, not restric-
ton, of suffrage.
l believed that the only way to pre-
vent it was to openly and bodily sup
port Gov. Blease; to magnify his
power and to add to his strength, SO
that with all the election machinery
in his hands, no convention would
dare place the poor and ignorant
white man in the primaries on the
same basis as the negro in the gen.
eral election.
The late convention went as far as
it could without disrupting the party
/ have no apologies to make. l did
what I thought was right.
In 1912 and since there has been a
systematic effort to defeat Gov. Blease
by destroying him as a man, not a
politician. Every man supporting him
was written down either as a knave or
an ignoramus.
There was cry about money being
paid for pardOns. Burns raked the
State with his detectives armed with
devilish dictagraph. They dangled
$4,000 fee in front of a drunk law
yers eyes, and God knows they are
greedy enough sober.
What did they get? Not @ word Of
proof to confirm false and slanderous
charges.
Such a sentiment was worked up
through the press and stories circu-
lated by word of mouth that thous-
ands of people today really look upon
Gov. Blease as the lowest, meanest
man who ever trod South Carolina
soil.
shrewd politician has taken advan-
tage Of these conditions to transform
himself into a peoples idol and work
ingman's champion. To the toilers
in the workshop and the factory it is
because that he is their friend, he is,
prosecuted. You hit him, you hit
them. To thousands he is their only
stake in government.
know this is all rot, but they be-
lieve it, and that makes it true The
masses never see the man at all, they
only sec the ideal reflected from the
longings Of their own souls.
The imaginatiOns Of men in all ages
have manufactured from common
clay halos Of glory with which to
crown their saints and heroes. In
this world it is not what a man is but
what people think he is. 1t is only
God who Sits the wheat from the
chaff.
The other side have the legislature,
the courts, bar press and pulpit They
have education, wealth and power
They can afford to be generous.
1 have never believed that peace
could come to South Carolina except
by giving those people the only thing
they want--the one thing. l am glad
that Senator Tillman has reached the
same conclusion, that peace can only
come through the election not the de-
feat of Gov. Blease. He ought to
know by this time how little it mat
ters who is in the senate compared
to who fills the governors office. He
also knows how the United States
senate can tame. so to speak," the
wild and woody.
| am glad that his candidate, Jno. |
G. Richards, has declared Con the |
quict for Gov. Bleasc To bring
these two tribunes of the people to- [,
gether is a worthy sacrifice which |