The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1914-04-14

Will represent, and especially the peo-
pie of South Carolina.
It has been charged, falsely, that |
nave criticised the president Of the
United States. That is known to be
absolutely untrue. was against Mr..
Woodrow Wilson for the democratic
nomination, and in favor Of another.
But after he received his nomination,
| not only voted for him myself, but
w:ote an appeal to my friends, who at
that time were being most unfairly and
unjustly treated by being charged with
fraud in the State elections, and when
the Bull Moose party was attempting
to make inroads into the democratic
ranks in this State-I wrote this ap-
peal to my friends and begged them to
go to the polls and support the noml-
nees of the national democratic party,
ard to rcll up majority for our con-
gressmen as nominated, in order that
no contest could be brought which
might keep them from being seated
if the republican party controlled the
notional congress. If the vote for me
will be compared with the vote for Mr..
Wilson, it will be shown that my
f lends and | were more loyal to the
democratic nominees than were the
other side, because Mr.. Wilson re-
ceiyed more votes in this State than
| received, and most assurdely any
fool will admit that the Blease men did
not vote for Wilson and at the same
time neglect to vote for Blease. There
fore, it must have been the other side
who went to the polls and veted for
Wilson and violated their primary oath
by declining to cast their votes for
me as the democratic nominee for gov
ernor. The official figures are as fol-
lows: Vote for democratic electors,
48,357, except McMahan, who received
1886. The vote for Blease, 44,122.
Whosworefalsely? And yet'ttfs dirty,
mixed-breed editor is attempting,
through the columns of his paper, to
hold up to the people of this State
that | am not in sympathy and accord
with the national democratic platform.
I am not running on Mr.. Woodrow
Wilson's coat-tails. l am not swinging
on TO the Cubans and mixed-breeds
and other Haskalli;es, negro Deasites,
and other aligners of 1890 and 1894 to
be elected to the United States senate
from South Carolina. l was not a
member Cf the Haskell convention. I
stood out in the open and supported
Tillman and the regular democratic
nominees ! stood for the true demo-
cratic principles then, as l stand today
and as | stand in this campaign, and
] am willing to compare records with
those who are today attempting to
criticize me.
l am sorry, my fellow citizens, to
have to refer to these matters here
today, but you see the trend that some
people are taking and the effort that
they are making endeaVoring 10 show
that l should not be elected to the Unit
ed States senate because of the fact
that was not a supporter Of Mr.. Will
son for the democratic nomination.
They forget, possibly, that no man ever
had a more bitter enemy in the poll
tical world than Ben Tillman was 10
Grover Cleveland, and that was not
used to defeat him for the senate.
Surely also the people have not forgot
ten that after Mr.. Tillman was senator.
that his abuse of Mr. President Cleve
land was fearful Yet nobody, so far
as l can remember, held Mr.. Tillman
+hof hn c1 q or
because Of this, because Mr.. Tillman
was standing by the. democratic plat
form and the democratic party as he
saw it. and Mr. Cleveland was not, as
Mr.. Tillman saw it.
So far as t am concerned, am not
swinging on to anybody's coat-tials.
In 1890 l was a reformer, but ] did
not run on the coat-tail Of any man.
In fact, l had run for the legislature
in Newberry county in 1888, and re-
ceived a majority Of the votes cast.
However, there were three who receiv-
ed a higher vote than myself, and as
there were only three places in the
legislature l had to wait until 1890,
when I was elected by a handsome
majority. In 1894, 1 declined, as a
candidate for the legislature, to pledge
myself to the then Governor B. R. Till
man or then Senator NJ. C. Butler, for
seat in the United States senate, be-
cause l believed in running on my own
merits and not upon the coat-tails of
acy man. AS candidate for COVER
nor l refused to tie myself to the coat
tails Of any man. I have ever refused
to do so. l recognize no political boss,
SC far as my actions in this world are
concerned, except the people. whose
servant I am, and TO whom l answer,
and to whom I answer for all my pub
lie acts. AS to my personal acts, as to
my morality and my private life, be-
lieve that there is a God; love Him,
honor Him, and to Him will l answer,
and upon Him depend for my health,
my strength, my success in this world,
and fer reward in the world to come.
And I do not propose to make this
campaign hanging upon the coat tails
of any man, but standing firmly and
sQuarely as democrat-as Jeffer-