The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1915-11-09

Charleston, Nov. 5.-In statement
G.. en- cut for publication today Mayor
! Grace declares that he will make nc
| fr1ther contest Tor the mayoralty
nomination; that he will accept and
abide by the result, although he be-
fieves he was unfairly beaten, and that
ne zeal will Of the majority has been
defeated. He states that it has never
been his mention to bolt the primary
and appeal to the general election,
AMI that he will make no case in the
courts: though he feels that he would
be awarded the protested box from
Ward 10. Mayor Grace charges his
opponents with employment of the
most reprehensible methods to COM
pass his defeat. He declares, however,
that he realizes any step taken by him
at this time to embroil the community
IS more gravely to be considered than
the qualification Of winning an cleo
ton, and he will not add chaos to
gloom by any rash steps.
The Charleston Evening Post of Fri
day quotes Mayor Grace as follows:
Even since the morning after cleo
ton l have been in a great Quandary.
At 8 o'clock on election night, it was
clear to me that had won the day,
figuring the returns by the votes indi-
Gated at taat time Suddenly there
came a slump; | was compelled to re-
wise my estimates. The last box was
very slowly counted. apparently only
keeping step with the eXigencies OF
Mr.. Hyde's case 1t was not until this
box came in that, on the face of the
returns, it seemed / had been beaten.
However, l had been beaten by four
teen votes (by the revised figures,
nineteen), and l at once said to my
friends, who were gathered around me,
that although they and were disap-
pointed, still the people had spoken,
and even a difference of one vote was
enough to command from me the ut
mos acquiescence; that did not want
any recount and that for my part, /
was willing to concede the election.
But they begged me by no means to do
SO saying the result was still unofficia!
and very suspicious, and that l should
at least wait until the nominees of tn2
primary were officially declared. I
went to bed, therefore, with mixed
feelings; my own being to grin and
bear and accept the result, and, strug
Cling with these, those of my good
friends, whose views l could not ig-
nore, being to stand by our guns for
while longer.
"The whole complexion of things
changed the next day. l was aroused
early by messages from those who told
I of many irregularities. 1t was pointed
out that the total vote cast was very
high, being 6,455, OF over 500 votes
more than four years ago. When it
is considered that severe restrictions
obtained this year, and that all unnat-
uralized persons, were excluded, it is
fair to say that this increase of 500
is equivalent to an increase of full
one thousand votes under old condl-
lions. Whence had they come? Either
Charleston had grown more remark
ably than we had claimed under my
administration, or there was fraud
somewhere in the voting. My oppo-
nents had had absolute charge OF the
machinery, the ballots, the boxes the
stamps and everything. began to be-
Iieve that there had been fraud and
TO see many suspicious items as 1 went
carefully over the returns. But beliefs
and suspicious were not facts. So /
was still disposed to let the matter 60
Then l began to learn of telephone
conversations proving plots to have
the box of Club 2, Ward 10, thrown
OF. These conversations, l am sure
were correctly reported to me; and
Their effect was to impress me very
unfavorably as to now far the con-
spirators might possibly have gone in
stealing the whole election. Imagine,
therefore. what change came over
me. 1t was one thing to be a good
sport. and in thai spirit to accept de-
feat gracefully, if even by the narrow
est margin. But it was quite another
thing to be robbed! What should a
man do under those conditions? What
did he owe his friendss-a majority OF
the people? What did he owe in loyalty