The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-08-20

Instead of candidates being COM
PEELED to discuss public questions and
policies, they have been allowed to
make appeals to prejudice. and the
people, blinded by these arts, have
followed and made heroes Of men
who are wholly unworthy. l have
been and still am accused of inaugu-
rating this method of campaigning.
l challenge the production of single
speech of mine wherein l departed
from the discussion of public issues
or INDUCED in unparliamentary Ian
guage until forced to do so by unfair
opponents. The more bitter enemies
of the reform movement began the
vituperation and abuse that have
marked South Carolina politics since
1890. They answered, argument with
invective; they greeted truth with
showers of mud and filth; and they,
not l, must bear the responsibility.
Still Has Confidence.
1.-TWO years ago l lamented the
same thing, and said l doubted
whether I had not made mistake
in giving the people the ballot and
teaching them how to use it. But
l was impatient l here reaffirm my
confidence in the people-all the peo-
pie collectively. believe that the
judgment of the whole people-rich
and poor, educated and ignorant,
high and lows the surest and tru-
est guide to political action. Their
mistakes will be fewer and will be
more quickly mended than will the
errors of any one class, be it ever so
enlightened. l believe this so re-
ligiously that l would rather have
bad governor or a bad senator elect
ed by all the people than a good one
elected by any one class. The whole
people correct their blunders; the
rule of a class tends to the growth
and perpetuation of abuses. l have
implicit faith that all the people OF
South Carolina are going to stamp
out Bleaseism sooner or later. The
strongest Bleaseites will be leaders
as soon as they are convinced that
they have made a mistake. If l did
O
in self-government.
"Jefferson's slogan was, Teach the
people and trust the people To this
principle all patriots will give cred
ence. and all Democrats will gladly
obey. When the demagogue comes
along and blinds the people by the
glamor of his arts and instills devil
try and poison into their minds, good
citizens must not despair but re-
double their efforts; for the truth is
more powerful than falsehood and
must prevail in the long run:
Again l reafirm my faith in the
people. The battle between privilege
and freedom, between equality and
favoritism. is worldwide, and ages
old. 1t has brought the cataclysm
which We are witnessing in Europe
today. The people of that continent
are struggling to free themselves
from the shackles Of autocracy and
the divine right Of kings. 1t is
battle between autocracy and repub-
licanism. The contest in South Car
olina in 1890 was to overthrow an
aristocracy which had come down to
US from colonial days.
The Real Revolt.
1T was real revolution, in which
families were divided, father against
son, and brother against brother,
showing that principle, and principle
alone, moved the people to action. 1t
was my high privilege to lead that
movement which emancipated South
Carolinians from the thraldom OF
an oligarchy which had ruled the
State for century.
That was my greatest work. l
taught South Carolinians to know
their rights and how to obtain these
rights, and the State has made mar
velous progress in every way. In edu-
cation, in some of its aspects, it has
progressed more than any of its Sis
ter States; for we have Clemson and
Winthrop as model schools: the best
of their kind, and, if there were less
selfishness and more public spirit
throughout the State, the lamentable
ignorance now existing in some Sec
tions would soon disappear. But our
common schools in many counties are
sadly deficient, and must be i'm
proved. A democracy without ade-
quate means for educating its citi-
zens is bound to be shipwrecked. We
cannot afford to let our children
grow up like weeds. If we do, ignor-
anna will cboEo ont all that jS hest