The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1918-04-03

naunllS today Dy fOrmer Governor
Cole l.: Blease, who, in an address of
more than an hour, cited the records
IN reply to the misrepresentation of
his defamers as to his attitude and
position upon the national crisis and
denounced the Manning administration
upon It's career of extravaganza, bitter
craftsmanship and lawlessness in South
, Carolina affairs. The speaker quoted
from his various addresses last sum
mer, which he said had been ina
llclously distorted by the anti Reform
press in an effort to take advantage
OF the war emergency for cheap po-
ltlcal play in an endeavor to retain
South Carolina under, the ring rule
sell constituted aristocrats." In scath-
ing terms he flayed what he termed
the effort of "holier than thou" peo-
pie, who, wrapping the American flag
around t,em, and claiming to be pos
sessed OF all the patriotism and devo-
ton, and by long protestations seek
| ing to bolster up their own LOYALTY.
were making charges against the 10y
atty OF others and seeking to drive
! others from out the ranks Of the com
mon cause. "What we need in this
nation above all else," he pleaded, sis
unity OF purpose, and of spirits, and
|
! llclous misrepresentation" Discus
sions of home issues were needed, but
with the German artillery laundering
III a great drive against the allied
ranks, where American boys were
fighting, and with German shells ex-
! ploding in the city Of Paris, the Amer
lean people should present a solid
front against the common enemy and
false charges agains. the patriotism
Of men with devoted followers, he said.
were just as detestable and as inimicai
as German propaganda. Mr.. Bleases
address was magnificent and con-
frequently Interrupted by enthucias-
tic applause. In concluding the quota
tions from his speeches the former
governor said that loud words without
deeds, however, would not win the war,
and in answer to his critics also he re-
counted some of the things which he
had done, saying that ne had tried to
DO everything to the extent of his
ability in aid and support of the gov
ernment. He showed his audience a
note upon which he had borrowed
money to buy Liberty Bonds; told
how he had given the government a
jackson which was needed for rifle
range purposes, when some people
wro were loudly proc1aiming their pa
trlotism were adding to their swollen
fortunes through options which they
had secured on adjacent lands; how he
had offered his services to the govern
ment TO raise regiment or brigade,
and how, as late as last Saturday
night, when everything was looking
gloomy on the western front, he had
renewed that offer to Provost Marshal
General Crowder, through Congress-
man Dominick and had received the
following reply from Mr.. Dominick
General Crowder directs nc to pre-
sent his compliments to you and to
express his appreciation and to saw
that he has had your offe" in mird."
In discussing state issues, with spc
) clal regard to finances, Mr.. Blease cit
ed the record Of extravaganza of the
Manning administration, giving the
figures showing the enormous in
creases in appropriations ard in tax
alton during the past three years and
| two months. Where had these increas-
ed appropriations gone, he asked. "A
goodly portion of them, he said, had
been used in creating new offices for
pets, who had been bought in prev-
Gus campaigns to help steal elections
and now had to be paid. With the pco-
pie facing the most serious crisis in
the history Of the nation, all kinds of
new buildings had bee,n authorized by
the last Legislature, at the bidding of
Manning, he said, and if there was a
thorough examination for admission
some of the members of the last gen
eral assembly would be the first in
mates Of the new "homc for the
fecblc-minded." If the legislature lust
had to establish new institutions and
further burden the already ovcr-bur-
dened taxpayers at this time Of stress
and strain, he said, why not utilize the
building which had already been
erected on the state ~k property, at
q cost of thousa" 9 dCllars for
some Of these nc N'r He point
ed out that this tao" nor Man
ming had alrcad to row near
ly as much none. :, took to run
the state for a whole year under the
Bleasc administration, and that about
double rate of interest had been paid.
If the Reformers had paid such a rate
for money" he said, "the newspapers
would have hollered graft and | cx-
pect they would have been mighty
near, right, if we had paid any such
exorbtant rate"
More white women had ben assault
ed by negroes during the three years
under Manning he asserted, than dur
ing all the previous years put together
since the War Between the States
| there had been an unprecedented num-
| Der of lynchings, some of them for
| trivial causes, and lawlessness had run
rampant under so-callpd "low ond