The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-10-28
BLEAsE FACTION STICKS,
REPUDIATES II PROPOSAL TO BOLT
IN NOVEMBER.
"keform Democrats Hear Address by
Their Chief i'm 1tichland Court
House.


was determined last night in the con-
vention of Bleaseites held in Rich |
land county court house in response to !
call issued by w. A. James of Bish-
opville late in September. The reso-
luton reaffirming allegiance to the
Democratic party, both State and nat
ional, was introduced by John G. Rich
ards Of Liberty Hill. 1t read:
Resolved, BY the Reform Demo-
Gratis of South Carolina, in conven-
tion assembled, that we do hereby
reaffirm our allegiance to the Demo-
cratic party and to Democratic prin-
ciples, State and national"
Prior to the introduction of this
resolution a speech was delivered by
Cole l.. Blease in which he disclaimed
any intention of going into the gen
eral election. II am not a candidate
for any office now. 1 do not expect
to be a candidate for any office in
the general election; and will not be.
l am not now a candidate for any
Office in the near or distant future"
In an earlier paragraph of his
speech, Mr.. Blease asserted that the
nomination of Gov. Manning had been
procured through fraud and that the
oath in the recent primary was no
more binding upon the elector to sup.
port the Democratic nominee than
it was upon other electors who
supported Haskell against the nomi-
nee. B. r. Tillman. in the early '9Os.
The Hask elites were not bound. he
said, to support the nominee if they
thought the nominees election had
been obtained by fraud just as 1
am not bound, unless see fit so to be,
nor Is any other man bound to sup
port the nomipee of the Democratic
party. as declared by the State Demo-
cratic executive committee in the pri-
mary held September IL, 1916, be-
| cause he is not the nominee, but his
nomination was obtained by the theft
of votes, by the purchase of votes
with whiskey and money, by intimida-
ton and coercion. fraud, theft and
perjury" Supplementing his charges
of fraud and intimidation numerous
letters. telegrams and affidavits were
read, which were presented to the
State Democratic executive commit
tee. when Gov. Manning was declared
the nominee, but which alleged evil
dence was not accompanied by pro-
test from the defeated candidate.
Following Mr.. Blease's speech, a
resolution was introduced by Charles
Carroll Sims of Rarnwell, COM
mending the action of the six COM
miteemen who refused to join in de-
claring Mr.. Manning the nominee,
but added:
I'VE would be the last to encour-
age any division Of the white voters
Of this State, which might tend to
lead to an appeal to an alien race"
A third resolution was offered by
Thomas f. Brantley of Orangeburg.
which outlined in a measure the plat
form of the faction which will seek
to rehabilitate the defeated issues.
This was largely a reiteration of the
platform on which Mr.. Blease went
before the voters of South Carolina
last summer. Chief among the planks
were Endorsement of the warehouse
system, per cent. legal rate of in
terest. biennial sessions Of the legis-
lature and the adoption of the Aus
, tralian ballot.
Machinery for the readjustment of
the faction was provided in a resolu-
tion introduced by w. A. Stuckey of
BishOpville, in which a central COM
mitec is provided. This is composed
of two members from the State at
large and one from each congression-
al district. Those appointed by w.
j. Talbert Of Parksville, who presid-
ed over the meeting and who yester- |
day announced his candidacy for the |
United States senate, were:
State at Large-W. A. James Of |
Lee, o. L. Johnson of Spartanburg; |
First district, John p. Grace Of Char
lesion; Second, E. r. Buckingham of |
Aiken; Third, James N. Pearman of |
Anderson; Fourth, Riley j. Rowley of |
Greenville; Fifth, I. J. Campbell Of |
York; Sixth, Thomas p. Brown of !
Florence; Seventh. ]. B. Addy OF Lex
ington.
A resolution calling upon Mr.. |
Blease for n resume Of his speech be-
fore the student body Of Allen uni
versity for negroes evoked from the
ex-governor a bitter denunciatiOn of