The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1916-09-08
THEN AND NOW.

THEN AND NOW.
In July, 1912, The Times editor e:
pressed his personal reasons for o.
jecting to Blease as Governor. VIII;
was said then is so applicable no
that we shall reproduce the editoris
The only difference is that then tt
Governor had not gone half the gai
that he afterwards travelled.
The following is the editorial
Friday, July 25, 1912:
We do not base our opposition
to Governor Blease upon newspa-
per reports, but upon personal
knowledge. His own words and
acts place him beyond the pale,
so far as the writer is concerned.
Even the newspapers refuse 20
publish some of his sayings be-
cause of the gross blasphemy and
the indecent language. 1t is hard
to believe ones senses. The Gov
ernor's inaugural address was in
itself enough to cause every
Christian man in the State to part
company with him. His Bamberg
speech was about as bad; indeed,
if one will think soberly upon the
matter, it is hard to see how the
moral forces in the State can in
anywise lend him support. He
has broken down the trial by jury
and the courts of the State. He
has pardoned or paroled nearly
three hundred prisoners from the
State penitentiary. 1t is one of
two things-either there has been
woeful miscarriage of justice in
our courts or the Governor is
sadly at fault. Has one out of
every two conviction in our courts
been a miscarriage of justice?
Are half the convictions by jury
wrong convictions? Can one man,
even though he be the chief execu-
tive of the State, know better
how to mete a just verdict than
did the jurors who act in iudg-
ment upon all these cases? Eth
er we have had mighty lot of
poor jurymen or the Governor is
at fault. There is no escape from
the conclusion. Then, too, he has
repeatedly said he will stand by
his friends and that his enemies
need not apply. Is friendship for
the Governor to decide these mat
ters? Does he have no shame in
thus declaring that it is matter
of personal friendship and not one
of right and wrong? These and
many other things could be said
in condemnation of his course,
but we refrain. We fall out with
no man who holds opinions diff
ferent from our own, but we do
not believe Governor Blease to be
a good man, therefore we oppose
him.
But we must go into personal
matters. Just after The Times
building was burned the Gov
ernor came to Union and made a
speech. Under the spur of his
denunciations a henchman of the
Governor called out: "Send for
Rice" meaning the editor of The
Times. Another loyal supporter
of the Governor answered: "By
C., Rice got his dose" All
this took place right before the
governors face and while he was
appealing to the passions and
prejudices of the people; he did
not open his mouth to rebuke his
over-Zealous henchman. indeed, it
was virtually an invitation to the
lawless to give a "dose" to any
body and the giver Of the "dose,"
being a friend of the Governor,
would find pardon.
Again: A young man caught
with the money upon his person,
money which he had gotten by
breaking into and rohhinP tho
Rice Drug Company's store at
night, confessed his guilt and
was indicted and let out on a
$500 bond. Several terms of
court have passed and yet the
matter, although presented by the
grand jury of Union county in
true bill, has not yet been
brought before the courts: When
inquiry was made by the prosecu-
tors in the case Solicitor OTIS
said he had letter from Gov
ernor Blease asking as personal
favor that the case be postponed.
Twice this has happened and the
case has not yet been tried. The
Governor knew nothing OF the
case save what was given him Ivy
interested parties. The case has
not yet been tried. He cannot
say the act of holding up the trial
was done because Of numerous
ly signed petition. Solicitor Otis
informed the writer that he had
been informed that the Governor
had written the officers here to
wire him if the case came up and
upon conviction he would wire