The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-10-27

should make the race for governor;
and it was the unanimous vote Of that
assemblage that l should do so. con-
sented, and | took upon my shoulders
the responsibility of the campaign.
The matter is too fresh in your minds
for me to tell you how that campaign
was conducted, but l leave it entirely
to you to say whether or not made
an honorable fght-such a fight as
met, and does now meet with your ap-
proval. That fight won for you. be-
yond the shadow of a doubt, the vic
tory which you sought, and gave me
majority of the votes cast by the Dem
ocratic voters of this state.
| now hold in my hand, and will
read you portions thereof, evidence as
to that primary, which defrauded US OF
the victory, conclusive in the mind OF
any fair man, that votes were stolen
from the boxes, that votes were wrong
fully counted that votes were pur-
chased with money and with whiskey.
that voters were intimidated and CO.
creed by being threatened with dis
missal from their positions and with
foreclosure of mortgages on their
premises and with the threat of re-
fusal to extend their notes in cases OF
indebtedness, if they cast their bal
lots with you and for me.
There is law in this state against
libel and SANDER If l have. said aught
that can not Nbe proved, let the issue
be made and stand ready to meet it.
The editor of the Columbia State. in
the issue Of that paper OF October 16,
1916, asks: What about the man who
would tempt another to break his
oath? Would whisper that which
could cause the unthinking and the
ignorant to regard his oath lightly?
Would suggest to the unwary that they
may compromise with their con-
sciencesg Would insinuate that an
oath does not bind mans honor?
who would lend himself to the manu-
facture OF perjuries in South Caro-
lina?'
II he means by this question. those
who would encourage bolt against
the declared nominees OF the Demo-
cratic party, I will answer his ques-
ton with a great deal of pleasure,
and here is the answer: Edward Du-
Rant Smith, Richard Irvine Manning,
Alexander Chavis Haskell, Joseph W.
Barnwell, William E. Gonzales, W.
W. Ball, the editors Of the newspapers
who supported Haskell against Till
man, and all of the so-called Demo
cratic voters of this state who did not.
cast their ballots for the regular NOM
inee Of the Democratic party for gov
ernor for 1912, unless they believed
that the then nominee for governor
received his nomination by fraud, in
which event they were not bound to
support him, and did right in not vot-
ing for him just as am notbound un-
less L see fit to be, nor is any other man
bound, to support the nominee Of the
Democratic party as declared by the
state Democratic executive committee
in the primary held on September II,
1915, because he is not the nominee,
but his nomination was obtained by
the theft of votes, by the purchase OF
votes with %hiskey and money, by in
timidation and coercion, fraud, theft
and perjury. And l charge here and
now that no more corrupt political
machine, not even the Tweed ring Of
New York in 1876, has ever existed
than the present Democratic machine
in South Carolina today. John Gary
Evans and his crowd may never be
convicted and sent to the penitentiary
as were Tweed and his ring, but the
nomination Of Manning will go down
in the future history of this state as
much of a stencil in the nostrils Of
the decent people Of the American ma
tion as was the election Of Rutherford
B. Hays.
l charge Richard I. Manning with
being particeps criminis, in that he is
an accessory after the fact, in hav-
ing Obtained this nomination by
fraud, intimidation. coercion and cor
ruption, and if he had been that hon
orable man that most of the press of
this state and his friends hold him out
to be, he would have declined to have
accepted the nomination, because no
man who is tained with fraud and
ton that is tainted with fraud and
corruption such as this nomination is
tainted with.
In conclusion I wish to say, as for
my part, that 1 am not a candidate
for any Office now. do not expect to
be a candidate for any Office in the
general election. and will not be. am
not now candidate for any office in
the near or the distant future But
do propose to continue this fight for