The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-08-22
BROWNING ISSA|LS MANNING.
CALLS UPON HIM TO EXPLAIN
HIS CONNECTION WITH l.. NJ.
GREEN.
Candidates at WallIalla for Most Part
Make Same Statement OF Their
Views as Oh Other Stumps-
BrOwnins's Departure a Feature.

WalhalIa, Aug. 18.-LOwndeS j.
Browning, candidate for governor,
assailed Richard I. Manning in the
meeting Of candidates for State off,
ces here today on his platforms for
governor eight years ago and this
year and asked him to explain why
he has Col. Leon NJ. Green so con-
stantly with him. He told Of Mr..
Green rs factory inspector on the
staff of the governor, and questioned
the sincerity of Mr.. Manning or law
enforcement. He also took fling
ut the press
The audience Of 700 citizens of
OcOnee county was undemOnstrative
and for the mosr part Indifferent
though attentive to the pleas of the
many candidates. The administra-
ton candidates continued at their old
lines of attack. largely on John G.
Richards.
The meeting was called to order
at 1890 o'clock by James NJ Moss,
county chairman. in the yard OF the
court house. The Rev. ]. b. Um-
berger offered prayer.
Mendel l.. Smith, candidate for
governor. spoke OF his work in the
legislature and as speaker Of the
house. The first topic he touched was
the Aiken plan of elimination, which
he bitterly denounced He asked that
the voters cast their ballots as "sov-
ereign men,"
He told Of the need of investigat.
ing the lime deposits in the State with
the end in view of decreasing the cost
OF fertilizer. He was applauded for
his stand against the injudicious use
of the pardoning power.
Lowndes j. Browning Their present.
ed number Of pertinent questions"
for Mr.. Manning to answer and said
that the voters of South Carolina are
entitled to a frank and candid an
swer. There IL nothing l enjoy
more" said MIR, Browning, than to
puncturt a gas bag or expose a hypO-
critic and l am going to do one or the
other today. Soon you will hear, as
at the other meetings we have heard,
lawlessness denounced in the most
vigorous terms. The candidate rears
up on the toes Of his hind legs and
declares that no house burner, yegg-
man, safecracker or rapist need apply
to him for pardon. He does not say,
however, that he will not. If governor,
pardon a common thief.
Eight years ago when the State
dispensary had become stencil In
the nostrils Of the people, when only
such men as John G. Richards and
Mendel l.. Smith still stood for its
corrupt and corrupting influences.
Richard l. Manning came forward to
save it. Many believed then and some
believe yet that he attempted to boil
ster it's waning fortunes for the sake
OF the gOvernOrship. / did not then
consider him so low as to sell him
self for office. I attributed it to a
never too strong mentality, but of
course / may have been mistaken. At
any rate. he was defeated that year
for governor.
Now he is candidate again for
the same high Office and proclaiming
most loudly for the enforcement OF
the law. Let us see, and to do 80. we
must go back q little. On page PIG.
senate journal Of 1912. you will find
a message from Gov. Blease trans
mitting to the general assembly the
report of his special factory inspector.
Col. Leon Nj. Green. OF the governors s
staff. and this report covers to page
24O OF said journal. The governor
congratulated himself that the year
before ne had vetoed the item of So
400 for two factory inspectors and
had had this work done by Col. Leon
M. Green at cost OF only $1,000.
Seeing striking similarity be.
tween Col. Leon NJ. Green's report
and the report of the commissioner
of agriculture, commerce and indus
tries, Il. j. Watson. l compared the
two and found them identical. l then
sent j. Rutledge McGee to Mr.. Wat
sons office. demanding the corre-
spondence between Mr.. Watson and
Col. Leon NJ. Green on factory I'm.
spectiOn. l got the originals of Col
Leon M. Green's letters and carbon
copies Of Mr.. Watsons replies, and
reading these letters to the house I
proved that all the work Col. Leon
NJ. Green had done was to copy about
~ pages Of Mr.. Watsons report. for
which the state OF South Carolina
paid $1,000.