The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1916-07-05
To. the Press and Banner.

| Sss~~ ~.eSs~~e1s
The Abbeville Press and Banner, q
self-respecting and highly respeeta-
BILE newspaper, opposes the re-elec-
ton. of Governor Manning for Sc
COND term, but his opposition. .is
grounded on allegations indefinite,
vague and illusory. Nothing that
The Press and Banner. says of the
Governor touches his integrity, his
honesty, or his patriotism. It is with
out sympathy with the wild and silly
charges designed to arouse the pas
sions of the ignorant against him 80
that their votes shall be gained for
vicious government.
Familiar as The State is with The
Press and Banner, it would risk the
assertion that that newspaper would
with pleasure: say that Governor
Manning is a man Of worth, sincere,
honorable, democratic, resolute to
do his duty in public and private sta
ton. In a word, The Press and Ban
ner is enthusiastically pro-Cooper
rather than. anti-Manning. In its re-
gard for Mr.. Cooper The State
shares and The State has lost none Of
the confidence in him that caused it
when availability of candidates rep
|resenting the better aims OF govern
ment was the main question, to point
to Mr.. Cooper as first choice in 1914.
The State DOES NOT SHARE in
sympathy with. any suggestion that
Mr.. Cooper is guilty of impropriety
or unfaithfulness in entering the
present contest. The law makes the
term of governor two years. No
man has RIGHT to a second term
much the less of a third.
Since .1876 unbroken custom Of
the people of South Carolina has CIV
en- to every elected governor second
term. Is it not fair to assume that
the custom is rooted in the wisdom
of the people? The people have a
way of getting at truths that the pol
iticians don't!!'. tell them. Before
1861 governors were not usually re-
elected, but in those days the COVER
norship was not what it is now. The
legislatures elected the governors.
After election they were not even
required totlive in Columbia, Their
duties, relatively, were small. Now
governor, before election, must
make long campaign and his cam
paign for a second term must begin
after he has served about one year
half his first term. .
Does The Press and Banner regard
Mr. Manning q vicious, bad, rascally
and dangerous governor? We are:
sure that it. does not. -c*
Is not even The Press and Banner
willing to concede that, on the whole,
he measures as an executive to Till
man, Evans, Ellerbe, McSweeney,
Ansd and Hayward?
Does not The Press and Banner
know that the cost of the State gov
ernment of South Carolina is very
low as compared with that of the av-
erage of the other al American
States and that, therefore; the cry
of extravaganza is hollow and hypo-
critical?
The Press and Banner does not
want a governor who will unlock the
doors of jails and penitentiaries. It
does not want governor who uses
the veto power with such freedom
and recklessness as to threaten the
legislative branch of the government.
Nor does it want q governor who is
unable to live without. friction and
collision with the supreme court.
The Press and Banner would have
for South Carolina about the same
kind of governor that The State
would have. We do not think that Il