The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-08-18
MIR. WOODS ON BLEASE.
Darlington Man DcnOunceS Recent
Uttcranccs of Former Governor.
Editor Daily Item.

Editor Daily Item.
Mr.. Blease's insane and unreason-
ably hatred of President Wilson and
Gov. Manning will not cause either
of these gentlemen to lose any sleep,
or give their friends any worry, for
the knishtly souls of such men soar
far above the foul and murky at
mosphere in which he, Blease, seems
to delight q grovel, it would be
u. rthy of notice, but when this
hatred prompts him to give utterance
to remarks that are disloyal TO his
country and will be sure to give ala
and comfort to the emmy, he ought
to be promptly incarcerated in sorle
! fort where his venomous tongue can
! be kept still. With the perfect spy
system of Germany his speech at
Filbcrt and other places, is now in
natural conclusion will he that the
people Of this country are very much
opposed to the war. Not the presi-
dent, but the disloyal men like Mr.
Blcase will be the cause of the pro-
longation of the struggle and make
in immeasurably more costly both in
blood and treasure. If ever a coun-
try ever had a just excuse to make
war on another the United States was
right in marshaling its resources to
protect itself and other countries
from the domination of German bar
the other allies are just as truly
fighting for us rs they are for them
selves and for us not 10 ASSIST them
with all the resources at our COM
mand would cover us with an in
fanny which time could never erase.
1t is bad enough to have within
our State one such man as Mr..
Blease, but infinitely more disgrace
full to have a number of them, for
one thing is very certain and that is
that all the people who back him up
with their approval are in the same
category and that too a very disgrace
full and ineXcusable one. 1t would be
simply idle for them to plead ignor-
ance of the real issues at stake i'm
this struggle, as an excuse for their
opposition, that is unless they want
to be clasSed as mental imbeciles. for
every possible effort has been made
to show all who wish to learn what
the triumph would mean to the rest
of the civilized world. The writer is
honest enough to say that he has
never ceased to regret that the South
was not successful in its struggle for
independence, but i'm saying this he
would like to observe that il is far
more important that the young men
should rally to the support of their
country now than it was i'm '6I. for
the simple reason that nothing was
at stake then can compare with the
one all important question of pre-
serving the foundation stones upon
which our very civilization, our lib
erty and religion rests. The real
trouble is not to be found SO much i'm
the mental ignorance of the people.
but in their moral obtuseness. for
II the moral sentiment of the people
was on the high plane that it ought
to occupy men like Mr.. Blease could
never secure an audience and their
followers would be few and far be-
tween. Mr.. Blease has unmasked
himself and his former followers owe
1T to themselves and to their country
to disavow his disloyal utterances. or
be put in the same class that is
lacking i'm all those that go to make
men great and strong and win for
themselves and their native land the
respect and esteem of the nations of
'hc "orld. w. ID. Woods.
Darlington.