The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1918-08-15
THE PUBLIC RECORD
OF COLE L. BLEASE

member that Aull was his mouth
piece and what he wrote had the
sanction of Blease. So much for his
Democracy.
At F'ilbert and at Pomaria, sew
eral months after America had de-
clared war on Germany, he said in
his speeches that he was opposed to
the war; it was not a righteous war
but one brought about by money in
fuences; that he would displace ev-
cry senator and congressman who
voted for war if he could; that the
life of every American soldier lost
on foreign soil would be an unwar-
ranted sacrifice of young American
manhood and in the sight of God
their blood would be on the heads
of President Wilson and every man
who voted for war. He also made
a most sacrilegious reference to Pres
ident wilson in one of these same
speeches. We haven't space to print
these speeches, but we hope you will
get them and read them. They were
printed in papers friendly to him and
the correctness of his published ut
terances has not been denied. While
other people were going around the
State defending the course of the
president and telling the people why
we were at war he was making
speeches against the war. Ask him
why he shut up after he had made
several speeches. Possibly he was
warned by the government that he
must do so or he would be locked up.
As late as July and August of last
year his organ, the Charleston Amer
lean, was printing editorials like
this: "This war was concocted and
started by England through her Sc
cret agreeemnt with the heads of
the Entente nations" And again:
eve are in the war for the sole pur-
pose of saving England and putting
English rule of the world in frmer
and more remorseless form than ev-
er." This paper also stated that it
had not stood by the president and
alluded to him as having lost out
at Princeton and it was only an ac-
cident that he was not a retired
schoolmaster. AS late as last fall it
still spoke in most respectful terms
of Woodrow Wilson and alluded to
him as having a single track mind.
After this last offence it was again
debarred from the mails and John
P. Grace had to get down and out as
editor before it was readmitted. And
it should never have been readmit-
ted, for it is the same sheet it was
then, but it dare not say the disloyal
things of former days because it is
afraid. Yet this is the paper who
wants to pick a United States sena-
tor for South Carolina. Are you
going to let it pick one for you? 1t
is supporting Blease with all its
power, yet only a few years ago this
same Grace was making speeches
against Blease and was rotten egged
in Spartanburg during speech ne
made there.
Blease has never uttered one word
in favor of the war. He has never
said one word against the kaiser nor
denounced the brutalities of his le-
gions. Not one word has he uttered
about the atrocities of the Germans
in Belgium and France, not one word
of encoura cement for the boys who
are going to the front; not one word
commencing Americas war prepara-
tions; in fact he has said nothing at
all except by way of criticism. He
has stated recently-for we want to
be fair with him-that when he is
elected senator he is going to Presl-
dent Wilson and tell him that he is
with him to help win the war and
would crnprrt him for third term