The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1918-06-20


well az Mr.. Levers as to my ability
to defeat Blease by newspaper COM
munications and my own plan of
campaign have evidently undergone
considerable change In their minds.
The blunt truth about the matter
is: Governor Manning has recently
been in the business of making q
senator for the people Of South Caro-
liza to swallow. To carry his plans
through he even went to Washington
and tried to get the President and
Postmaster General Burleson to help
him. making the specious statement
that Tillman could not defeat Blease.
He was asked who in his judgment
could defeat Blease in South Caro-
lima and Governor Manning named
MIR. Lever as his candidate. Gov
ernor Manning has been instrumental
in taking from a place Of usefulness
young man whose career was full
OF promise and possibilities and Of
fered him as sacrifice to nothing
less than vanity and bullheadness.
If there are any two persons in South
Carolina who have more cause to be
grateful to me for service than Gov.
M4nnong and Mr.. Lever, l do not
remember who they are. Neither will
deny what l have done for them nor
attempt to belittle its value. If they
want me to specify 1 will do so.
There is one striking feature about
Governor Manning's open letter to
me. In his egotism and vanity he
makes no effort to conceal the fact
that he has tried to use President
Wilson and Mr.. Burleson and create
the impression that Blease is a men,
! ace. Just how far the good people of
the state will resent this l am unable
. to say, but there is big difference
in re-electing Tillman to the senate
and re-electing Man .g governor.
This statement will find it's vindica-
ton later on.
: Mr.. Lever has stated 70 me and
also to others that he would under no
circumstances run against me but
would aid me in every way he could
in my reelection. After my an
nouncement 1 knew that General
Burleson advised Mr.. Lever to de-
clare for my-reelection But in spite
of his protestations of personal and
political friendship, Mr.. Lever has
endeavored to create the impression
in the state that he is the candidate
of the administration when he in
fact is Governor Manning's candi-
date brought about by a deal that
Governor Manning thought he had
I.ude but the terms of which could
not be complied with.
l am amused at one sentence in
Governor Manning's letter. 1t is this:
My views would have been offered
to you with equal frankness had you
sought them, but l did not feel just
iiied in volunteering advice to you"
Yet the governor did feel justified
in advising Mr.. Lever to run against
me. l will remind the governor that
it had been his habit when visiting
Washington or merely passing
through to always call at the senate
committee on naval affairs to pay
his respects and exchange views with
me. but when he came on the errand
of hunting champion of the gov
ernment to defend and explain our
sity for it's vigorous prosecution, he
never deigned to call at my office
at all. In this he erred. When he
came to Washington senator-mak-
ing. l would have listened to all he
had 10 say with respectful attention
and he might have saved his face in
this controversy of his own making,
as his message to me through Cen
eral Burleson referred to in his let
ter was never delivered. How exal-
ted he considered his views to be!
Instead, he went about secretly to
persuade President Wilson and the
cabinet members that Blease would
beat me unless some one would de-
fend the president and meet Blease
on the stump. l desire to say here
that neither the president nor any
member of his cabinet have suggest
ed to me that l should retire from
the senatorial race. Thus the people
of South Carolina can see for them
selves how Governor Manning has
with few men in Columbia and scat
tered here and there over the state
endeavored 70 name the officeholders
and frame-up state for the senator
ship.
l ain offering for the senate
through sense of duty to retain
for South Carolina the influence and
prestige she enjoys today. have a
contempt for that kind of judgment
and politics which has taken Mr..
Lever from the post where duty
should have held him. Blease is not
menace to me and there is not the
slightest danger of his election The