The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-07-03

trying to beat you for the nomination
for governor must he very hard
pressed for an issue upon which to
bring about your defeat.
Very sincerely yours,
John G.. Capers.'
Aull got into such shape as to
make further travel impossible and |
brought him home and made the New
York trip later
Anyway, l had accidentally secured
what l wanted-a disinterested wit
ness to the fact that the campaign
manager and chief lieutenant of Blcase
had appealed to prominent worker
in the Republican party in an effort
to get funds to finance a bolt. And
knew that with this proof I could face
the people of South Carolina and ex-
pose this arch traitor and drive him
forever from the councils Of a clean
and decent democracy
Blease has ability. He could have
been great leader and could have
done great good. But he chose to
prostitute his ability to gain an hours
applause and crafty an Unsuitable am
bition for power. Once he was a king
now there are none so low as to do
! him reverence.
1t may interest the people of South
Carolina to know what Blease did to
Beard. In the fall of 1916 Beard had
finally put out an independent ticket
for the general election, prompted and
urged to this course by Blease. There
appeared no chance Of the success of
this ticket, however, and Blease drew
away from it. Concerning this matter
/ nave letter from Beard, under date
of March Is, 1918, in which he SAYS
that Blease put out and even named
the Bull Moose" ticket of 1912, and
concludes: "Blease encouraged me to
put out that ticket at the following
(l916) general election-which you
again advised me against. Then he
got cold feet and left me in the lurch.
NOW he has deserted me-" No man in
south Carolina has served Blease as
Beard has. Beard was his bodyguard
in 1910, protected him on the stump,
and was always at his beck and call.
Blease claims to stand by his
friends Beard is in the penitentiary
today as the result of following where
Blease led, and yet, as l can prove. by
Boards letters, Blease has refused to
help him in any way, and has not so
much as given dollar to Boards
| family-fOr Beard is no longer useful
to him.
This spring, when l learned that
! there was a concerted effort all over
| South CAROLINA to get me into the
| race for governor as a Blease candi-
date, | declined. I knew that / could
| not, under any circumstances, allow
my name to be used in connection
with this man who was a traitor to
his party and an outspoken enemy of
the government in Washington.
The public will recall nv corre-
spondence with certain Blease MEM
Ders OF the Anderson county delega-
ton, in which I refused to ally N.Y.
self with Blease
L knew ! had n great work ahead of
me-a work that was bigger than fac
tional politics-and refused to ally
myself with either the Blease or anti
Blease faction. choosing rather to en-
ter the campaign as free man and
supporter of principles rather than
'isms.
This letter was probably put into |
the hands of Cooper by Aull at the
request of Blease. for secret use
against me.
Cooper doubtless thought that
Blcasc and Aull were helping him. but
their real purpose was TO get Cooper
to do their dirty work, as he has.
knowing full well that when | learn
ed of it, ! would expose Cooper's
sneaking treachery and destroy him
politically. They hoped by this scheme
to destroy me. and to use me as
means of destroying Cooper, leaving
the field to Richards, their only hope
of power.
The scheme has failed. The treach-
cry has served only TO unmask Coop :
~ aud hna ni,tnla ny,