The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1916-10-31
STATE CHAIRMAN
SOUNDS WARNING
STAND BY THE NOMINEES
Be Prepared for Possible Bolt
State Chairman Advises
in Statement.

Charleston, Oct. 3O.-The News
and Courier has received from John
Gary Evans. chairman OF the Demo
cratic party in South Carolina, the
following statement for publication:
To the Democrats of South Carolina:
My attention has been called to the
fact that tickets for the general cleo
tion are being distributed to voters
in the counties with the name of
Cole l. Blease printed thereon in
place OF r. l. Manning. the regular
nominee for governor of the Demo
cratic party of this State. In
speech before convention OF his
friends in Columbia on the oath in
slant the defeated candidate in the
primary stated that neither he nor
his friends were bound by the result
of the late primary election in which
he was candidate. This man filed
n pledge to support the nominees,
State and national, of the Democrat
party. and when he voted took an
oath to abide by the result of the
primary election and to support the
nominees thereof. When the State
committee met to tabulate the re-
turns and declare the result not
protest or contest, written or verbal,
was made on behalf of any candi-
date.
This fimsy pretense of fraud with
out offering evidence thereof to the
committee or TO the courts of the
State is simply an excuse to make
cowardly and covert attack on the
regular nominees of the party. These
ballots that are being distributed
will be voted by some or they would
not be handled in the various coun.
ties OF the State. There are be-
tween 10000 and 1900 negroes
registered. Unless the benial has
been published. Unless the believ-
ers in white mans government go
to the polls and vote the regular
ticket on election day there is dam
ger of its defeat or at least humila-
/ tiOn. / deem ii my duty as State
chairman of the Democratic party to
sound this note of alarm and call up
on all white men who remember the
! dark days of radical misrule not to
be caught sleeping on guard while
these enemies of our civilization are
assassinating the nominees of the
party.
Our people have trusted white
men TO pc true so long that they are
hard to make believe that one could
violate his sacred pledge or oath,
but it is frankly admitted by some
that they intend doing it and we
must meet it like men. If candidates
before the primary and voters there
at, bound by solemn oath to sup
port the nominees, can violate their
oaths because they believe that i'm
proper means have been employed
without resorting to the party ma
lchinery or State courts to correct the
supposed wrongs, then every man is
! his own judge and jury, and his
only restraint is his own conscience
Can we afford to countenance such
| conduct as this? If so, our pri-
mary laws are not worth the paper
they are written upon and the safe
guards OF white supremacy are mere
shadows. Not only is our State
ticket menaced but there are three
sets of Presidential electors in the
/ field and the defeated candidate
openly states that he will not assist
in electing Woodrow Wilson. the
Democratic nominee for President
Could a more open bolter be
wanted than this? Our nominees for
State Offices are all good and true
white men. with honorable records
Our nominee for President has done
more for the country at large, ani
the South in particular. than any
President since the War Between the
states. Their characters are upim-
peached. Rally then to their sup
port. Don't go to sleep while the
perjurer votes. Be vigilant and see
that every vote is cast and counted:
this is your only safeguard.
John Gary Evans.
State Chairman Democratic Party.
Spartanburg. s. c., Oct. %, 1915.