Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-10-12
GOV. BLEASE At GREENWOOD
Former Governor Talks About Mat.
tefS Political.

IIUiulGi uUvGinUl luihO hDuut MOI
tefS Political.
ISLANDS FOR JUSTICE To ALL.
Says Report Of GreenviIIe Speech
Created Wrong Impression-BeIieves
Warehouse System in Danser-Dis.
cusses Taxation Question and Call.
Attention to Heavy Increase in Ex.
penses.
Greenwood, October 9-After thank.
ing the people for their attendance
former Governor Blease said that he
desired to correct an impression which
certain newspapers had made in re-
ference to his Greenville speech. He
did not charge the reporters with do
ing it Intentionally, but said the way
his remarks were reported, it made him
appear to say what he really had not
said; that he did not Jump upon the
ministers, who he said, would get
along much better if they stayed in
their pulpits and ceased mixing in poll
tics" as he was quoted; but that, in
discussing the whisky question he
stated that he did not believe nor did
any sensible man believe, that morality
could be legislated into people, and he
contended that prohibition would new
er be brought about by ministers Of the
| gospel preaching sermons or meddling
in political affairs; that If they would
| stay in their pulpits and preach the
| religion OF the Lord Jesus Christ and
him crucified, and keep Christ and his
life permanently before the people
| for without the life of Christ in the
Bible, the Bible itself would amount
to very little, and the Christian reli-
gion would be a failure-that If they
would preach that religion, and by
precept and example create within the
hearts of men love for Christ and for
| his religion. then and not until then
would their hopes be fulfilled. and that
they could not see these hopes realized
by running around dabbling in politics
and abusing others for their political
opinions. He said he had tried to be
very conservative in his Greenville
speech, and in fact had been very
highly complimented both by letter
and in person by people from many
different parts Of the state upon his
sitions he had taken and as to the
conservative tone Of his remarks.
| In discussing the state warehouse
system, and the proposed big merger
Of corporate owned warehouses to fight
the state system, exposed by Senator
McLaurin on Friday morning, Cover
nor Blease said:
MY fellow citizens. you see the
great benefits which the people OF
deriving from the state warehouse sys-
TEN, and certain financiers have be-
come so jealous Of 1t, because 1t has
unhorsed them and forced them to
six per cent rate Of interest, that they
are now trying to form great merger
of corporation warehouses to put the
state warehouse system out or busl-
ness, and to prevent its spread In the
other southern states. Some or these
capitalists are leaving their own state
and coming into South Carolina ana
endeavoring to break down this state
| system, which has given so much re-
| lief to the farmers-New York capi-
| talists, and such men as Barrett OF
Augusta, and others, joining their hum
dreds Of thousands to the capital OF
Robertson, and to the capital OF Stack
house and others in Columbia and 9TH
er parts Of South Carolina and the
south, to destroy your state ware
house system by the formation OF this
gigantic trust. And mark the pre-
diction, If they succeed in this merger
| it will be greater evil than the great
cotton mill merger, to which l called
attention some years ago. The people
today see that was right in that, and
they see the evil which 1t Is doing.
! But this latest merger will be more
ruinous than that. II the farmers OF
the state and the people Of the state
stand idly by and let it succeed 1t will
destroy the state warehouse system,
prevent the adoption Of the system
in Georgia and other states which are
about to enact 1t into law, and after
it's destruction the farmers will be
in the hands Of these corporation heads
and as helpless as before the ware
house system became law. Proof or
this is shown in the very call made
for this great merger meeting In Co
| lumbia, in which the South Carolina
state warehouse system is directly
mentioned as the reason-or, at least,
the foremost reason-for the call. Com
mon sense shows you, my fellow cltl-
| zens that the entire effort Is to force
the farmers to store their cotton IN
central warehouses in Columbia
Charleston, Augusta, Atlanta and other
southern cities, instead OF storing II,
as now, on their own farms and IN
nearby towns, thereby forcing the
farmers to pay freight on their cotton
to these great centralized merger
owned warehouses, to pay high storage
rates, high insurance to the insurance
trust which McLaurin has broken in
to and compelling them to place their
cotton in the hands Of the banks
from which they borrow money For
lust as certain as you allow this mer-
ger to succeed and permit the state
| warehouse system to fail, certain
banks -Robertson's in Columbia, in
particular-will be the head distribut-
| ing centers. just as Robertson's now is
| for the Standard warehouse, and you
will be forced to place your cotton in
their hands, and it would not surprise
me when this is done if. when a rise
| in the price of cotton takes place, they
would unload your cotton which they
are holding in their warehouses to the
| ills, and when the price goes back
down, replace it with low priced cot
ton, which will be forced upon you
when you call for it with your re-
ceipt. Any man can see this who
studies the situation and knows II,
and who understands the system OF
the financiers Of New York and OF the
south in the handling of the cotton
crop. There are others wiser than l..
but I am willing to stake whatever
reputation have in reference to mat
ters of policy in the handling of the
state government upon the prediction
which make you today. can, with
out boasting. but merely in passing
call your attention to the fact that
not a political prediction have ever
made upon the rostrum in South Caro-
lima. or as governor of this state, but
what has been fulfilled
THE power Of corporations had be-
come so great that in the constitution
of 1895, article 9, section 13. it was
provided. that the general assembly
shall enact laws to prevent all trusts,
combinations, contracts and agree
ments against the public welfare. and
to prevent abuse, unjust discrimina-
| tion and eXortion,' etc. Now | want to
call your attention to the statement
made by a member Of the Federal re-
serve board in Washington, from the
records of the comptroller Of the cur
rency, showing that there were banks
in South Carolina charging as high as
20 per cent interest last year. and that
the average rate Of interest in South
Carolina is around Is per cent. Is this