Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-12-31
BLEASE In ANDERSON
Biz Crowd Listens to Former Gov.
efD0f.
VARIOUS live TOPICS DISCUSSED
Warns the People that the Warehouse
is in Danser-Does Not Believe in
Tax commission-Refers to tho

10 in Danser-Does Not Believe il
Tax commission-Refers to tn
Isenhower Case Recently Tried.
Farmers Tribune, December 21.
,, Saturday afternoon former Governo
Cole l. Blease delivered an extemper
aneous talk to as many voters al
could find room to stand or sit in the
Anderson courthouse. The speech was
one Of the best that Anderson people
who have heard the idol Of the mas.
ses' make many, have ever listened
to. The former and next governor
talked few minutes less than ar
hour, and there wasn't an instant OF
the time when there wasn't the clos
est attention given to his utterances
Sheriff Joe H. M. Ashley called the
meeting to order and presented the
speaker in a way that characterizes
that officials methods. He used only
a dozen and a half words, saying that
You are here to near ex- and next
Governor Blease, and he will now
speak to YOU"
Mr.. Blease preluded his remarks by
saying that he was always pleased to
address an Anderson county audience
and he had spoken to many Of them.
He was pleased because when he talk
ed In Anderson county he realized he
was speaking in a white mans coun-
ty. 1t had not been many days since
he had made speech In another
county for the purpose Of proving that
all the honorable white men OF the
state stood for what Anderson has
always stood for-the protection of
the white women and the sanctity of
the homes of the citizenry Of the state
above all other things. Had the Incl
dent which he was defending occurred
in Anderson county only one man
would have been killed, and that
would have been a man only in form
julie Smith, the negro rapist.
Twelve white men Of York county,
selected from venire Of York's rep
resentative citizenship, after having
all the facts and law presented by
South Cardinals best counsel and
court, have endorsed the declaration
that made to the congress Of gov
ernors at Richmond, Virginia, and de-
clared that the supreme law Of God
and man was the protection Of the
SttuCllly VI Ills WOuldIlhluQ.
Governor Blease said that when he
was in Office he was hailed as "the
lawless governor Of South Carolina"
and said that Of the LOO convicted
unfortunates that he had paroled and
pardoned not one had been recorded
as having been convicted Of crime
since he left the governors Office.
On the other hand, the administra-
tion now in control has made an al
most continuous extollation Of itself
both before and since its election
that it was the only living exponent
Of law and order.
Now compare this with the record
Of your lawless governor: According
to reports in the newspapers there
have been Is white women criminally
assaulted this year: there have been
seven white men feloniously shot by
negroes in the last 80 days; when the
attorney general makes his report,
compiled from the reports Of the va
rious solicitors Of the state. you will
see recorded one Of the greatest sta
tistical reports Of bloodshed, crime
and despoilation that has ever been
set forth in the annals Of our state.
Law and order! You may talk all
you wish or may Of law and order,
but enforcement Of law means that one
must turn women and little children
out Of their homes into the snow and
into the night, at the behest Of a cor
poration, then thank God that I don't
enforce it, and If it be lawless for a
number Of sober-minded husbands
and fathers to summarily execute a
negro despoiler Of the purity, virginity
and sanctity Of the womankind in
South Carolina, must admit 1 am
lawless in principle"
When he was governor every time
cross-road commissary was broken
into; every time q statute was violat-
ed; whenever there was q parole or a
pardon issued-no matter upon how
worthy a cause-there was a hue and
cry in the newspapers Of lawlessness
and lack Of respect for law, said the
speaker. Do you see any Of 1t now,
with an increase Of crime a hundred
fold? No. It's a matter Of which side
the fence the dog barks on.
Speaking Of the manner in which
the present administration is even
trying to purloin credit for the few
good things they are doing for the
masses of the people, former Governor
Blease took as an illustration the
night schools among the mill villages
Of which the state department Of edu-
cation has been doing so much talking,
and the newspapers have been devot-
ing so much space to recently. The
bill in the legislature making 1t pos
sible for the establishment OF these
night schools was introduced In the
senate by and passed when Cole l..
Blease was senator from Newberry
county and in all his public life Cole
l.. Blease has always advocated and
worked for every measure that would
promote educational advancement or
the white children Of the working
and all other classes in this state.
The newspapers made a big hurrah
and sensation about the sad and trag-
ic affair in Winnsboro last June. De-
clared 1t an issue between the respect
and upholding of law and the consti-
tuition and the reign Of the mob. II
was a terrible sacrifice brought on
by a power making the protection OF
the sanctity Of white. womanhood a
secondary consideration. Had the
prosecutors-or persecutors-been able
to secure q verdict against that boy
Isenhower there would have been
glaring headlines across front pages,
Law and Order Vindicated," but when
South Carolina citizenry represented
by York county jury, returned their
ulVlDe-lHSplTeO NcTulSt, q iC" Peio
graphs would suffice to report the re-
suit, and it was buried and forgot
in a day.
You have heard about this COM
mittee Of the last legislature finding
condition amounting to graft In do
ing the printing for the state" said
Mr. Blease. well, wrote message
to the legislature three years ago
pointing out and distinctly stating
that the very conditions existed that
this committee is beginning to dis
cover"
The daily press this morning an
nounced that the present governor Of
the state had displayed his principles
of mercy and his regard for delicate
balance Of justice by recessing from
participation in the affairs Of the Com
mercial congress in session Charles
ton to parole a convict on recommen-
dation of Solicitor Robt. A. Cooper
and Supervisor Humbert. When
Blease paroled prisoner 1t was dis
regard for law''-what is 1t when these
exponents both recommend and per-
form that function?
Speaking Of the lawlessness OF
Bleaseism, the former governor said
it was peculiar that nine-tenths Of
the crime Of the state was by anti
Bleasites and thought it really a
shame that those high-bred? high