The Sentinel=record., 1915-01-15
"STCRMY PETREL OF SOUTH CAROLINA" RESIGNS FIVE DAYS
 BEFORE TERM EXPIRED
LEGISLATURE WAS HOSTILE
Believed That Caucus Planning lm- peachment Proceedings Resulted in Sudden Determination of Obstreper- ous Governor to Quit.

Columbia, $. C.. Jan 14-Cole l..
 Blease today retired as South Caro- | inas governor five days before his second term of two years would have ! ended. His resignation. sent to Sec
 retary of State MdCown, was supple. mented by a brief message to the general assembly informing the mem bers that it also was rendered to them.
 Some members of the house of rep resentatives and senate cheered the announcement of the governors res iguation No formal action was nee essary and by direction of the pre-. siding officers il the two houses the ! message was received only as infor-
 nation
 Lieutenant Governor Charles l.. | Smith was immediately sworn in as
 the states chief executive officer to | serve out the nexpired term. Chier Justice Gary of the state supreme
 court administering the oath of
 office
 | 'ANO IlfN MUD lllAlltitANiOl Ol ili ENf ernor's action had been given and no
 reason for it was assigned. The pres | ent legislature is composed chiefly Of
 men who are his political opponents
 and it was said that proposals to in-
 stitute impeachment proceedings
 against him were made at a meetiae | of legislators Tuesday night
 Governor-elect Richard l. Manning
 will be inaugurated next Tuesday
 He has been a political opponent of
 Mr Blease and defeated Lieutenant | Governor Smith endorsed by Gov
 ernor Blease, for the democratic nom
 iuation last August. Mr Blease at
 the time was defeated for the demo-
 cratic nomination for Ulited States
 senator by Ellison D. Smith, the in-
 cumbent.
 Governor Blease. sometimes called l the stormy petrel of South Caro- 1 lima" was accounted one of the most picturesque figures in American pub- Tiff life Original in conception and ! daring in execution his administra- | ton has been marked by many un- | usual actions Numerous grants of
 olemency to state prisoners, public statements which were construed to
 mean that he was opposed to using state troops to prevent the lynching
 of negroes when they attacked white women, and the recent disbanding of
 the South Carolina national goar1 | helped to make his official career | notable
 q love the pardoning power, he once said q want to give the poor | devils another chance. l hope to
 make the number an even thousand
 before 1 go out of office" Records show that the governor | surpassed even his own expectations
 Just before retiring today ne issueu | 2 clemency grants. Four men sen fenced to life Imprisonment for mur-
 der were paroled and four others re- | ceived communications Todays action made a total of l,75S prisoners that
 were granted clemency during the l governors four years administration. Full pardons recently were granted 1 approximately 1000 prisoners who previously had been paroled, this ac- | tion restoring the citizenship Su- | pernndent Griffith of the state
 prison said tonight that less than 1t0 prisoners are now held there. | Governor Blease is the first South
 Carolina chief executive who has re-
 signed to enter private life, Other
 governors have resigned but only for
 the purpose of accepting some other
 office Mir. Blease has made no an
 nouncement as to his future plans.