The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1916-05-24
Former Governor Declares He Is In
Race to Serve State-Attaeks the
Administration.


Administration.
LEXINGTON, May 21.-Cole L.
Blease. ex-governor and candidate
for governor in the coming campaign,
addressed a large gathering at RI
kard's new flour mill, eight miles
from the county seat, yesterday: The
former governor was applauded ire
quently.
Mr.. BIease declared that he was
not running for governor now pc
cause he wanted the job, but he was
running because he was representing
the great band of "reformers" which
Was Organized in 1890, and because, at
q conference of the followers OF TINS
movement~Aeld. in Columbia, at which
there were 262 representative South
Carolinians present. he was called
nnon again to lead the fight for the
neople. He said that he had en-,
deavored then, as he had endeavoreo
before, to get another to take up tne
cause; but to this they would not
accede and he was now running be.
cause he felt that he could be OF
service to his people, not to hlmSei1.
Mr.. Blease declared that no hvlng
man knew the reasons which moved
hin, to resign as governor four days
before his term expired, but one OF
them was to give the Baptlsts OF
South Carolina an opportunity 70
have IL said that one of their best and
oreatest men, the late C. A. Smith OF
Timmonsville, had been governor.
~ Law aud Order.
Mr.. Blcase charged that more Whlte
women had been assaulted by ne
oroes since he left the governor
Office than in the ten years before; IA
more white men have been killed by
negroes in South Carolina SINCE ne
gave up the governorship than be1ore
and yet, he said, pepole talk ABOUT
law enforcement and accuse tne
TIIease administration of lawlessness.
All this crime is not being perpetu-
ated by "Bleaseite convicts" either;
far. he said, only two out of the enor,,
mons number of 1,575 that received
nardons or paroles from him had
since gone wrong, according to the
hest information obtainable. Inc
sneaker charged that nine crimes out
Of every ten in South Carolina are
committed by his political opponents,
not his admirers. He said that a Gay
or two ago he was asked by. a man
IL he would turn out the convlcts as
he did before if he were again elect
ed. he replied that he would not, be-
cause they were not in the penlten-
tiarv and on the chaingangs to turn
out-he had cleaned things out dur
ing his four years in the governor
Office, he said.
Six convicts had received pardons
or paroles from the present governor
ON Friday, he said, and, according to
the reports, they were pardoned at
the suggestion of the pardon board,
to whom strong petitions had been
made: but during his administration
he had no need for pardon board,
he went down to the penitentlary
and opened the gates. The law then,
as now. provided for a pardon board
end he gave these positions to his
friends, but acted purely on his own
initiative he declared, saying further
that he was governor, land even my
bitterest enemies won't deny that
fact"
Mr.. Blease said that the present
governor is not the governor of the
people, but the "acting governor
controlled by corporate interests and
born with o silver spoon in their
mouths"
Plea for Education.
The speaker made strong appeal
for education, asserting that the hope
of the country deperls upon the edu-
cation of the boys AID girls. He
scored the legislature for what he
tremed extravaganza in it's appropria-
tons to Clemson, Winthrop and other
higher institutions, and for alleged
inequality in the distribution of pub
lie funds to the rural schools. No
body on earth knows and nobody will
ever know, he said, how much money
Clemson college gets. He said that
the average country boy end girl
could never reach the point where
they can enter these colleges and that
the free scholarships are handed out
10 the rlCn-CO CIlOSe WuO are AMPLY
able to pay for their children's
schooling.
Mr.. Blease said that when he turned
DIR. Babcock out of the asylum his
opponents declared that no other man
could fill his place; that the insane
had been treated unfairly end the
asylum itself ruined, but as soon os
the other forces came into power,
they put in a man who used to be
secretary of the State board of health
at a salary of S1,800 a year at the
head of the asylum, with a salary of
$4,000, more than the salary of the
governor. He said that the present
superintendent of the asylum lives in
a house in the city of Columbia and
practices medicine every day "and
they told you that DR.. Babcock was
the only qualified man for the placew
The speaker said that there was no
stronger Bleaseite in South Carolina
today than DR.. J. w. Babcock.
Attacks the Legislature.
The legislature was scored for
creating new offices, among them the
State board of charities and correc-
fSnnc GIf oru MON non chNuy mo