The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-07-29
1851 SUMTER s.. c. WEDNEsDAY JuTY % 1o1A
GOVERNORS RECORD ATTACKED
JENNINGS GIVES BLElSE WORST
LASTING OF CAMPAIGN.
Executive Says Sharpe of Lexington is
State Chairma OF His Partisan Or
ganizatiOn Says lie Will not Reply
to Chargcs-DcmOnstra for
BlcaSc and Smith.

Lexington, July 24.-Thc campaign
meeting here today was marked by
the most severe arraignment of the
governors record during the cam
paign This vitriolic utterance was
from l.. ID. Jennings, who spoke di-
rectly after the chief executive, and
several parts of it were in answer to
statements made by Gov. Blease.
/ Abiding to Messrs. Jennings and
Pollock, the governor said: when
men appear on the platform and spew
out film against a gentleman. l don't
notice them. l never pay any atten-
ton to those who put themselves on
a plane with John r. Duncan and
Barney Evans"
In replying to this Mr.. Jcnninf
said he would suffer his hand to
paralyzcd and his tongue to clcavc to
the roof of his mouth before .he would
speak to man with such a record
as that of the governor. He hoped his
wife and children would desert him if
he did, he said.
During the last three and one-half
years" the speaker went on, "thc
present governor has made the filth
lest and most diabolical record ever
made by white man in South Caro-
lima. He has debauched the State
worse than Scott, Moses and Cham
) berlain of Radical times combined"
This record. he concluded. was "as
filthy as the nest Of a carrion crow"
w. p. Pollock, though not as scath-
ing in his denunciation today as usual,
struck stinging blows at those who
attempted to confuse the speaker and
mufflc his words when holding up Gin
it's hideous nakedness" the govern
or's record.
One man from Columbia, who kept
talking after the Cheraw candidate,
was told that on August %, the Blease
ties would be buried With their faces
downward
This he explained would be done so
IF you scratch out you'll scratch out
/. in hell"
Another was told: "Uoller now.
} but two years hence, like Peter of old,
you'll confess, L never knew him."
Senator Smith today was asked to
discuss the record Of opponents. To
this his reply was that he was in the
campaign to take care of his own
record.
>; Il am not going around to hunt
out the rotten spots n the charac-
terS of other men," he added. Il
haven't started campaign Of Nillif-
cation and abuse. 1 am not here to
hold up the pitiable failure of any
poo: human being, but here to hold
up E. d. Smiths magnificent sue.
cess"
The speech of the governor today
was characterized by an unusual ref
crcnce to The State. though the gov
crnor apologized to the crowd for
making it, expressing the hope that
lightning would rot strike him while
he did so.
Il want to thank The State for be-
ing fair to me, and hope the light
ming won't strike me while l do" He
then added Il want to thank The
state Tor being fair enough to print
this morning the full report on the
Eichey case"
Another departure from his GUS
tomary speech today was the open
statement by the governor that state
Sentaor w. II. Sharpe of Lexington
county was chairman Of the Blease
state organization. The governor ex-
planned that he did have potent ma
chine with representative from
each county composing the cXccu-
tive committee. The county sub
organization, he said. was composed
OF one or two members from each
club in the county.
Another interesting feature of the
governors speech was the charge tina;
Francis Fl. Weston is attempting to
disrupt the Democratic party in
South Carolina.
In this connection the speaker
said: "fI0w long, | wonder. will Mr..
llSon allow the Democratic doctrine
OF Grover Cleveland. tho good rule
laid down hy him that federal ap-
pointccs should not participate in
party politics, to be violated >"
Mr.. Weston, the governor charged,
was doing all in his power to disrupt
tn" Democratic party in the State hy
splitting il up into factions i'm work.
in% for Senator Smith. This. he said.
was being done that there might ho
an excuse to go to the general clcc-
ton in the event Of the defeat of the
anti-PlcaSe forces.
The meeting today was largely at