Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-10-05
POLITICS At GREENVILLE
Great Gathering at Barbecue and
Picnic.
FORMER GOV. BLEASE The SPEAKER.

Year. on Local Option Platform
| Denounees Tax Commission, Defends
His Pardon Record and Reiterates
His Views as to the Lynehing
y Question.
i There was big political rally II
Greenville last Saturday, gotten VI
through the efforts Of Sheriff Rector
and others, with the promise Of pic
mic and barbecue, and speeches by
Governor Cole L. Blease and Ware
house Commissioner John L. McLau-
rim as attractions. The crowd in at.
tendance is variously estimated al
from $500 to 5000. Mr.. McLaurin
letter explaining the press OF busi-
ness that could not be deferred.
Governor Blease, however, was on
hand, and he made spirited speech
that aroused the enthusiasm Of the
audience to high pitches, evidenced by
frequent applause.
! Sheriff Rector presided luring the
day. In calling the crowd to order he
said he was not a "Bleasite," but was
a citizen of Greenville county who was
entitled to vote as he pleased, Tor
Blease or anybody else. He wanted II
distinctly understood that while the
II
barbecue and picnic, no one connected
with the promotion Of the occasion had
ever thought Of it as other than po-
litical barbecue and picnic, so there
need be no misunderstanding along
that line. Sheriff Rector said: There
Is no need for me to tell you anything
about the man who Is going to address
you for you know him better than
do" The following report Of Governor
Blease's speech is from the Greenville
News of Sunday:
When the sheriff ceased speaking,
Governor Blease came forward and
was greeted with hearty applause,
showing that the crowd was purely a
"Blease" gathering.
In his opening remarks the speak
er referred to the fact that Sheriff
Rector is the candidate for sherin OF
| Greenville county. He referred to
Sheriff Rector as the most persccut-
| ed public official I ever heard OF In
South Carolina" He said that while
he was governor he was attacked
enough, but that he was never attack
ed from behind and his life put IN
danger, like the sheriff. He thought
that the only thing that would defeat
| Rector for sheriff would be Rector
himself"
Governor Blease spoke for almost an
hour, giving his platform, or rather
views, upon a number of the leading
issues stating that he never dodged
an issue and never would.
Il desire to announce right now,
said the speaker, after concluding his
remarks regarding the sheriff, that II
I live, I expect to be In the race for
governor Of South Carolina in the next
campaign. I am-a-goin' to run!' ne
ond NnnQi6arQ hla
cheering.
He stated that he didn't particularly
care about being governor but that so
many of his friends throughout the
state had been so insistent In their de-
mands that he had at last decided to
enter the race and ito be governor
again for two years.
He entered the race, hA-said, because
the leaders had decided that he was
the only man among our folks" up
on whom all factions can center.
The speaker referred to the high
price Of cotton and told his hearers
not to believe that any one man was
responsible for the high price Of cot
ton, but that 1t was merely the law OF
supply and demand and that cotton
was going still higher. He spoke for
, some time regarding the McLaurin
warehouse bill, stating that he had
called the legislature together for the
purpose and that he was responsible
for this bill, which he declared the op-
position was now trying to lay claim
to. He called attention to the low
price Of money and stated that this
was true because Senator McLaurin
had gone north and the big banks
there had promised to let him have the
money on cotton. They advised him
to start bank and loan money, which
they would supply, upon cotton ware
house certificates, but he stated, that
Mr.. McLaurin had decided to let the
local banks loan the money, If they
would do it cheap enough, otherwise
he would follow their suggestions.
He spoke Of the money he had saved
or would have saved, or rather which
was going to be saved, as result Of
his message to the legislature regard
ing the state printing, which he said
was nothing but theft Of the peoples
money, in that the printer charged the
state for printing the various acts Of
the legislature three times when as
matter Of fact the type was kept
standing and was not reset, as the
charges would indicate.
In the matter of taxation the speak
er declared that the present tax COM
mission was not treating the corpora
tions right. II am not any champion
of the corporations" said the speaker
deal and they are not getting it at the
hands Of the tax commission" He
spoke Of the "old soldiers" assessment
stating that while it was made to ap-
pear that the assessment to the farm
er had not been raised, that as a mat
ter Of fact the tax was one mill higher,
made to take care Of the old soldiers
assessment, which was taken care Of
last time in the regular assessment.
He charged that after the taxes had
been placed upon the corporations that
in a few years 1t would be gradually
taken off and "Mr. Farmer" will have
more to pay.
In the matter Of paying taxes he
stated that the corporation does not
pay cent Of tax as a matter Of fact,
but that the laboring class paid all the
taxes. If the railroad lose money they
cut wages, was his statement, and the
same he charged holds good with
other corporations. He ended the tax
discussion by saying that the tax COM
mission was the greatest curse South
Carolina has had since Frank Moses
was governor"
Tb speaker stated that he had an
apology to make to Lewis W. Parker,
1914 campaign and which he now be-
lieved to be untrue.
II think it's the duty Of every man
to make amends when he finds he has
made a mistake" said the speaker
land while at that time I believed
that what I was saying was true, now
believe this to be untrue.
II stated that Lewis w. Parker con-
tributed $4,000 in 1914 to defeat me
for the senate. I do not now think so.
| though 1 do think that he contributed
in 1912 against me. I was honestly
mistaken and I made the statement in
a public way; hence I am going to
make a public apology to Lewis w.
Parker, and not make a private one,
here in his own county. I make 1t
public and not private, for as a mat
ter Of fact don't speak to him."
He spoke Of the "lawlessness" which
had been charged to his administra-
ton, stating that there was more Of 1t
now than when he was governor,
| though as a matter of fact no admin
istration could be held responsible for
| lawlessness.
| "Since the present administration
went into office, IA white women have
been assaulted, when there was but 2
/ ,hiIa uyoc uouarpor Ono of tho