The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1916-08-09
WHO WILL BE GOVERNOR?

he reSulC VI d pIlIuaIy SiSSeioii ID
always as much of riddle. os some
other questions. We are asked every
day the question, "Who is going to be
elected Governor?" That is ques-
ton which every one must answer ac-
cording to the light before him. We
have our own opinion as to the. re-
suit, but it is an opinion founded on
the information before us, which
may be correct and which may not
be correct. Therefore, our opinion
may not be correct because founded
on incorrect information.
We hazard the prediction, how
ever, that Cooper will be the next
Governor of South Carolina. We
think so because sixty-fve per cent
of the voters of the State reside
North of Columbia. In every county
north of Columbia, Cooper has a
strong following. In some Of these
counties Cooper will receive majori-
ty of the votes against all candidates,
in some of them majority with
votes to spare. He will be the lead
ing candidate in more than half of
these counties. His vote will equal
that of Blease in these counties as
a whole, and in the low country he
will hold his own with Blease. Gov
ernor Manning will make poor
show in the up-country. Our infor-
nation is that he will not receive the
support in the low country that
Cooper will receive in the up-coun-
try, but if he did, he could hardly
expect to be in the second race as
sixty per cent Of the whole vote
south of Columbia, with the scatter
ing vote he will get in the Piedmont,
will not be sufficient to land him in
the second race, We, therefore, ex-
pect to see second race between
Cooper and Blease, and this means
Cooper. Nobody knows this better
than Blease, else he would not at
tempt to make the people believe
that Cooper is not possibility and
that, therefore, the race is between
him and Manning. He fears Cooper.
And Cooper's strength is growing
in the Piedmont every day. A well
informed man who travels the Pied
mont, and one who has followed
many campaigns, and who is not a
Cooper man, tells us that Cooper is
growing in the up-country and that
it is about settled that he will carry
Anderson County. Another travel
ng man who makes figures on the
election every year, and who has yet
to miss the winner, told US two
weeks ago that it was Cooper and
Blease and showed US his figures. We
saw him again a few days ago and
asked if he had revised them. His
answer was that he had given Cooper
seven hundred more votes in Spar
tanburg county than in his previous
estimate, but that he had not been
in the other counties of the up
country.
If Cooper and Manning should be
in the second race Cooper would beat
Manning two to one. Everybody
knows this. Manning's friends will
hardly dispute that he would be de-
feated by Cooper. They, like the
Blease followers, are, therefore, try
ing to make is appear that Cooper is
not in the race, and that Manning
and Blease must try conclusions in
the end. In this effort they have the
active support Of the daily press of
the state. Cooper is receiving about
as much attention from the State
and News and Courier, and the
other Manning dailies as John T.
Duncan. We can tell you now what
the report will be from the next cam
paign meeting as contained in these
papers. It is as follows: - s
Duncan also spoke" :
Cooper made a clean cut Speech"
or words to that effect.
This will be followed by the state
ment that Manning received an ova-
ton and that Blease's friends made
a great noise. And thus the people
are being informed by the press(?)
But there is another source of in
formation which has not been reck-
oped with, and that is the weekly
press. These papers, for the most
part, carry full accounts Of the meet
ings and give impartial reports. And
still another source of information
is the campaign meeting itself. :: A
goodly number of people are attend
ing these meetings and they see
which way the wind is blowing. You