The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-03-11
CLOUD AHEAD
FIGHT TO BE MADE FOR CON.
troll OF STATE CONVENTION.
Factions LAYING PLANS

Political Followers of Senatorship's
Candidates Are Lining up Behind
Their Man-Each Side is Determin.
ed to Control the State Convention
Next May.
The storm clouds are gathering for
Democratic State convention, which
a tremendous struggle to control the
assemblies in Columbia on the third
Wednesday in May. Conservatives
and radicals, Bleaseites and anti
Bleaseites, and other Of the so-called
factions of the Democratic party are
laying plans % capture the State con-
vention which carries with it the con-
troll of the primary election machin-
cry.
Realizing that the contest for the
United States senatorship will be a
titanic struggle, followers Of Gov
ernor Cole L. Blease have banded
administration supporters Of both
branches of the general assembly
into a compact organization and ad-
ministration measures have received
the undivided support of the minor
ity in both houses. A regular Or
ganIzation of the Blease legislators
has been maintained and frequent
caucuses have taken place to deter
mine the course the administration
minority would follow.
Resulting from this understanding
the vetoes of Governor Blease in the
House have invariably been sustain
ed, except in two minor instances,
when the caucus did not bind its
members. Several vetoes met death
in the House the past week, the solid
vote Of the Blease minority prevent
ing the necessary two-thirds to over
rule the veto. The administration
minority in the Senate is not sufl-
cient to sustain a veto. The major
ity against the governor there is over
| two-thirds.
Well satisfied with the results Of
their action in the legislative session
now drawing to close, the Blease
followers are planning for the Demo-
cratic club meetings, which take
place the fourth Saturday night in
April. At these meetings the clubs
are reorganized and delegates select
ed for the various county conventions.
which meet the first of May, at which
time delegates from the various coun-
ties are chosen to the State conVen-
ton and the members Of the State
executive committee elected.
The control OF the club meetings Is
the all-important thing; for obvious
ly that will insure control Of the ma
iority of the county conventions, and
through that the State Convention
and the State committee. This is the
fight and to this end the administra-
ton forces are now directing their
efforts. Already the cry has been
sent forth to the Bleaseites to organ
lie and control the club meetings.
But while the supporters Of Sena-
tor E. D. Smith are not talking they
are far from being idle. There is
enough surface indications to show
that Governor Blease IS going to face
the fight Of his career for further
political honors. The doctrine OF an
ti-Blease is being spread through the
length and breadth Of the State and
everywhere his opponents are prepar-
ing for the club meetings and the
county and State conventions. They
propose, If possible, to again control
the State convention and the election
machinery and will go into the fight
behind Senator Smith to retrieve the
defeat Of 1912 and If possible wipe
Bleaseism from the political map Of
| the State. Not talk, but work, Is the
motto, as it is evident from surface
indications.
Unless signs are misleading, an
other factor will have to be reckoned
with in the fight for the senatorial
toga. Former Governor John Gary
Evans, it Is believed, is considering
going into the fight, and his friends
aver that his entrance would drive a
wedge between the Blease and Smith
forces and make a new faction out Of
portions of both the present ones.
They say it will be an Evans faction
made up Of voters from both the
Blease and anti-Blease camps, and
that it will be a formidable wedge.
Then it would not surprise political
observers to witness still another en-
trant into this race in the person Of
Representative W. F. Stevenson Of
Cheraw. In fact, Mr.. Stevenson has
told friends in the past few days that
he is considering entering the race.
He Is we'll known all over the State
and is a public speaker we'll able to
hold his own on any stump with any
opponent. His hold on the people,
his friends point out, is illustrated In
his reelection from Chesterfield
county last election in the face Of the
fact that Chesterfield went several
hundred majority for Blease. This IS
another possible wedge calculated to
split into still smaller factions the
Blease and anti-Bleaseites Of South
Carolina. If the Evans and Steven
son wedges rip open and break up
! the two factions the race will be hard
to forecast with any accuracy.
A four-cornered fight between
Smith, Blease, Evans and Stevenson
would make a race the like Of which
has never been seen in South Caro-
lima, it is believed. Four better stump
speakers could not be picked. Each
is the veteran Of many a rough and
tumble debate and when these four