The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-06-23
Ex-Governor BLease ReUieWs
Governor Manning's Record
His Record as Governor and Legslator-BLease Gt0es
His PLatforn7-Favors Decrease of Present
Day LacDIessness

On the 18th day of April, 1914, l
delivered speech in the town Of
WATERFORD, in which l said: Those
of you who believe in a government
of the people, by the people, and for
the people should vote only for
man who will carry out the principles
and policies which the majority of the
people of this State endorsed by re-
efecting me in 1912 This is no small
matter, because all of my friends will
be kicked out of Office if the opposi-
ton wins. They will treat you just
exactly as if ycu were Republicans,
or as if you belonged to some other
party. Mark the prediction. If an
antiIBlease man is elected governor
of South Carolina, every Blease Of
fce-holder in the State, whether he
be high official or low, whether he
hold salaried position or an honor
ary position, as soon as the time
comes he will be dismissed and one
of the other faction placed in his
stead"
That speech was addressed to the
Democratic voters of South Carolina,
and now, two years and two months
after its delivery, ask you, what Of
the prediction? Your answer is, and
can only be, that it has come true to
the letter, and that every man known
as a Reformer-or, as some call
them, a Bleaseite"-has either lost
his position by expiration, or by be-
ing kicked out by the present COVER
nor, just as l predicted in that speech
more than two years ago. To this
and the proof of it l shall refer at va
rious times during this campaign.
Now, my fellow citizens-and when
] say fellow citizens l am addressing
all of the people of my State-I am
a candidate for governor. l want the
support and l want the vote Of every
white man in the State of South Caro-
lima who believes in equal rights to
all and special privileges to none;
who believes in an honest administra-
ton Of all laws fairly and impartially
to all citizens alike; who believes in
enforcing all laws upon all subjects,
and obedience to the constitution of
the United States and the constitu-
ton of South Carolina, and who be-
ieves in giving to the laboring peo-
pie of this country the same rights
as are given to the wealthy, and who
believes in dealing with the corpora
tions fairly and Justly, but in making
them know their places and in keep
ing them from encroa ching upon the
rights of the people, or in any man
ner or form expressing them. And l
promise you that if elected governor
that will be the governor of all the
people of my State, regardless of any
past differences, and shall perform
the duties of that Office fairly and
squarely with equal regard to the
rights of all alike. 1 believe, from
the experience which the people have
had with me in the legislature of
their State and in the governors Of
fee, that they will believe and that
they do believe that l will do what 1
say will do, and will not do what l
say l will not do.
i said, in message to the general
assembly, on the 18th day Of January,
1912, in speaking of the mill merger
in this State, that this merger would
prove very injurious to the people of
the State as a whole, and that it was
safer for the authorities to take
charge of the matter at that time
than it would be to wait until like
the Standard Oil Case, the people
would have to appeal to their su-
preme court to relieve them from the
burdens which would be brought up
on them. Today law suits are in
progress before the court in Pickens,
whereby people are trying to save
themselves from the very injury
which l warned them of, and they
are appealing to the very court that
l said they would ultimately go to,
and, as is shown there, this merger
has cost the stockholders Of those
mills the loss of four million five
hundred thousand dollars. That pre-
diction, my fellow citizens, was made
more than four years ago, when
was asking your general assembly to
direct your attorney general to take
some action to save the people harm
less in this matter. 1 do not claim to
be prophet. l mention this to call
your attention to the fact that / was
studying the questions that were be-
fore the people of my State.
One other matter, if you please. At
the special session of the general as
sembly of 1914, a bill was passed au-
thorizing the issuing of twenty-four
million dollars in five per cent. cou-
pom bonds, payable semi-annually for
a term of twenty years. 1 knew if I
vetoed that bill that the legislature
would pass it Overwhelmingly over
my veto, as they were bitterly oppos-
ed to me, and had been on all occa-
sions doing whatever they could to
override my Vetoes. For that reason
l held this bill until it was too late
q 81 nd