Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-07-16
CANDIDATES FOR STATE OFFICES
Full and Frank Appraisement Of the
Men Who Are Offering for the
Houerporehin


Full and Frank Appraisement Of the
Men Who Are Offering for the
Governorship.
After spending three weeks with the
candidates for state officers. | feel that
[ know them as we'll as II l had made
them. Most of them are good fellows,
wasting time 10 make q holiday for
foolish people.
Few Of them will be elected to office.
Few of them would know what to do
with an office if they had IT,
Let me introduce to you the candl-
dates for governor.
Here is cooper-tall, dark, hand
some as Il Greek god; winning
frankncss, Il flashing smile. cock
sure pose of near-arrogance that
comes of the conviction that he Is an
easy winner.
Here is McLaurin-the 1.-the body
and flat back of an athlete; great
shock of Snow-white hair, q flashing
blue eye, the dcep-cleft, eagle risage
Of Il statesman.
Here is Richarl-a suave gentle
man who plays the game coldly; the
face and hearing of 1t statesman who
was picked while yet II wee bit green.
Here is Peoples, with the jolly air
and swaSger OF Tammany poll
tician- a little too light for draft work
and Il little too heavy for single har-
ness: "a little fellow who puts on no
airs and makes clever set speech.
Here is Bethca of the Peace Ship
bald and commonplace; u man to es-
cape notice in Il crowd. He talks pa
triotiSm and waves the flag.
Here is Duncan, the erpetual candi-
date lean, bland and hungry-a man
suured on life and full Of venom.
Here is Deschamps. fat beyond be-
lief and bald at the dome 4 man full
of weird phrases. who lives in dr"@::.5.
There are Seven-count 'em.
Let us forgive them seventy times
seven.
No one of the seven is winning vot-
cs. The die is cast. The lines are fac
tional. There are no issues.
McLaurin attempts to get away from
factional lines To a. higher level. but
the people will have none Ao II. FL
talks to them of the state warehouse
and of the dream Of state insurance
and q state bank, but the people can.
not conceive of the inherent benefac-
| ton of these things and resent the ef-
forts 10 make them think. When he
speaks of making cotton fluid asset
| tnty up iOi d
| They know what fluid is. and they
think he has discovered Il way to make
| liuuor out of cotton: but when he
compares his plan 10 bond issue they
| resume their nap. He has the misfor-
tune to possess brains in state that
| is rather suspicious of brains. Once
he favored Il ship subsidy aid ridicul-
I'd the frcc-silver fallacy. Time has
| vindicatcd him, but South Carolinians
live by prejudice through a generation
| Two generations of compulsory educa-
| ton would make his platform win
ncr At present he has little chance.
| Cooper was elected when he came
out for Manning against Blease after
the first 1916 primary. He could go
about his affairs and win. for he Is
| backed by the anti -Blease machine. He
is hated by the Blease people, for they
have been told that he promised to
| support BleaSe in the second primary
of 1916 if not himself candidate. and
they believe it. The Blease people are
Il minority, however, and Cooper Is
| governor.
He is sane and safe, and regular,
| and if he does no great good as gov
crnor he will aSsuredly do no great
harm.
/ did all could for him in the first
| primary of 1916. and have never quite
| forgiven him for coming out in Man.
ning's favor after some of the dirty
things the Manning crowd did to him.
He was Il wiser politician than /, how
| ever. and will this year get the reward
| for his regularity.
He Is doing one thing in this cam:
paign that makes me admire him. He
| is looking the voter straight in the eye
81 h,p, ho fnv ~ "a
duccd. OF course | know that taxes
can be reduced. but if he believes that
they can't, it is a fine courage that
prompts him to tell the pc pie so.
one of the most popular planks in
his platform is his idea of opening the
doors of Winthrop and Clemson col
leges to all worthy poor, and creating
a state fund from which the poor may
borrow necessary expense money, pay
ing il back after beginning to draw
dividends on the education. He would
have no competitive examination for
entrance.
II is n fine plan, but by the time that
South Carolina is sufficiently enlight-
ened to spend the necessary millions
for new buildings to house the thou
sands who would take advantage Of
II, there will be no more poor.
Bethea doesn't count. He will get q
few thousand votes that should go to
Cooper and that Is all.
The platforms Of Richards and Pee
pies do not matter. II they were the
two original wise men they would get
none Of the anti -BleGse vote. II they
had no platforms. the Blease vote
would be divided between them any
way.
Peoples is stronger liz the low coun-
try. Richards is stronger up here. II
IL appears that the vote may be divid-
ed almost equally, then Blease will
probably get word to the boys to back
Richards and let Peoples save himself
Next week, If this darned cold OF
mine gets any better, I will tell you
about the other candidates. yard
full Of them. fearfully and wonderfully
made-Fountain Inn Tribune.