Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1916-05-25
FORMER GOV. BLEASE
BEGINS HIS CAMPAIGN
Formmer Governor Declares He is III
Race to Serve State-Attacks
the Administration.

ernor in the coming campaign, ad-
dressed a large gathering at Rikards
new flour mill, eight miles from the
county seat. yesterday. The former
governor was applauded frequently.
Mr.. BleaSe declared that he was
not running for governor now be-
cause he wanted the job, but he was
running because he was representing
the great band Of reformers whlcn
was organized in 1890, and because
at q conference of the followers OF
this movement held in Columbia, al
which there were 262 representative
South Carolinans present, he was
called upon again to lead the fight fol
the people. He said that he had ell
deavOred then as he had endeavOred
before. to get another to take up the
cause; but to this they would not
accede and he was now running be-
Pause he felt that he could he OF
service to his people not to himself
Mr.. BleaSe declared that no living
man knew the reasons which moved
him to resign as governor four days
before his term expired, hut one OF
them was to give the Baptists OF
South Carolina an opportunity to have
it said that one Of their best and
greatest men, the late G. A. Smith of
Timmonsville, had ybeen governor.
Law and Order.
Mr.. Blease charged that more white
women had been ASSAULTED by ne
groes since he left the governors
office than in ten years before; II
more white men have been killed by
negroes in South Carolina since he
gave up the gOvernorship than before,
AMI yet, he said, people talk about
law enforcement and accuse the
Blease administration Of lawlessness.
All this crime is not being perpetrat-
ed by "Bleaseite convicts" either; for,
he said only two of the enormous
number of 1,575 that received pardons
or. paroles from him had since gone
wrong, according to the best infor-
nation obtainable. The speaker
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. .AM 0fp+sTss
ten i'm South Carolina are committed
by his political opponents, not his
admirers. He said that day or two
ago he was asked by man If he
would turn out the convicts as ne
did before if he were again elected
he replied that he would not because
they were not in the penitentiary and
on the chaingangs to turn out-he
had cleanel things out during his
four years in the governors 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 of pardon board and
he went down to the penitentiary and
opened the gates. The law then, as
now, provided for pardon board and
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 con-
troled by corporate interests and born
with a silver spoon in their mouths.
Plea for Education.
The speaker made a strong appea!
for education, asserting that the hope
of the country depends upon the edu'
cation OF the boys and girls. TIC
scored the legislature for what he
termed extravaganza in its approprl
ations to Clemson, Winthrop, ant
other higher institutions, and for al
legged inequality in the distribution o.
public funds to the rural schools. M
body OH earth knows and nobody viii
ever know, he said, how much none!
Clemson college gets. He said tha
the average country boy AMI gir
could never reach the point where
they can enter these colleges and tina
the free scholarships are handed ou
to the rich-to those who are ampl!
able to pay for their chillren's school
ing.
Mr.. Blease said that when he turned
DR.. Babcock out of the asylum hi
opponents declared that no other MAJ
could ill his place; that the insane
had been treated unfairly and th
asylum itself ruined, but as soon al
the other forces came into power
they put in man who used to be sec
rctary to the state board OF health a
salary OF $1,S00 year at the heat
of the asylum, with salary Of $4,000
more than the salary of the governor
He said that the present superintend
ant of tho aSylum lives in a house il