The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-04-29
GOVERNOR VS. -p2TAkY OF WAR

GOVERNOR VS. : "e3TARY OF WAR
There has Je ( so much said
about the controversy which has
resulted in the Isle of Palms
losing the encampment that to
keep the record straight and to
prevent the masses being misled
we have thought it well to re-
produce the entire correspond
ence together with the state
ments, and let our readers Judge
for themselves. whether the
Chief Executive was right in re-
quiring a cabinet officer to re-
spect the Office of Governor of
South Carolina, who is also by
virtue of that Office, Commander.
in-Chief of the military forces of
the State.
The following statements of
facts in connection with the mil
itla muddle, together with the
official correspondence between
himself and Secretary of War
Garrison, was given out by Gov.
ernor Blease:
cit seems to me. and l feel
that I am justified in presumlng,
that there is somebody in Wash
ington connected with the war
department, who is in conjaac'
ton with somebody else endeav'
to injure me politically. And it
further seems to me, with the
charge made day after day that
I have no influence in the ma
tional administration, and that
Senators Tillman and Smith
have entire control of South
Carolina matters, that they most
assuredly should have influence
enough to bring this encamp-
ment to our State, and I would
like to know what part they
have taken in this matter, par,
ticularly the junior senator.
ssAs stated in my letter of the
9th, I have not been consulted at
all in reference to this matter by
any one IN authority. The Sec
retary of war has ignored me
entirely in it, notwithstanding
the fact that the constitution
provides that the governor is
commander-in- chief of the mill
tary forces of his state, and most
assuredly, regardless of what
Mr.. Garrison or anybody else
thinks of me individually, 1 was
entitled to be properly respected
as the governor of South Caro-.
lima, and this political attempt,
through prejudice, to help an
other by ignoring me, will prove
no benefit to that crowd. Mr..
Garrison absolutely ignored my
letter Of April 9, and has not:
in any manner or form by wire,
by letter or otherwise, indicated
that he did not intend to ignore
me in the matter, but his failure
to reply to my letter has indicat-
ed that he intended to treat me
with discourtesy, and therefore,
I am to assume that he intended
then and intends now to ignore
me. I shall not withdraw my let
ter of April 9, until Mr.. Garri-
son assures me that he did not
intend to be discourteous to the
governor of South Carolina, the
commander-in. chief of her state
militia. If the secretary of war
had taken this matter up with
me officially and properly, there
would dnever have been any hitch,
nor would there have been any
reason for this controversy, but
his absolute ignoring Of me de-
manded of me, as I see it, to up.
hold the dignity of my State,
and I have no apologies to make
to Secretary OF War Garrison,
or anybody else, for having so
done.
"In my opinion, this attempt
ed maneuver is but a bluff. any
way. l believe it is simply a
mobilization of the troops to have
them in Charleston under the
pretense of an encampment,
where if they are needed they
can be hurried on to transports
and rushed to Mexico without
further notice or preparation,
and I would advise the South
Carolina boys before they 60 to
Charleston to consider we'll
whether it is their start to the
battlefelds of Mexico or not. I