The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-08-24
SUMTER, G, sATURnAY, vo
1lAD|DATES IN ORANaEBURG.
eEoPLE CHEER OPPONENTS OF
FORMER GOVERNOR.

;REOPLE CHEER OPPONENTS OF
FORMER GOVERNOR.
Audicncc of Five Hundred Cheers
IS Loyal Uttcranccs OF Candidates for
State Offices.
'sS Orangeburg, Aug. 21.-The 43rd
meeting OF the State campaign timer
F&ry, held in the county court house
mere today, was the most enthuslas-
|Mcally and demonstratively anti
|Blease meeting, SO far held by the
for State office. There
EWere approximately 500 voters pres
Eent and practically all of them cheer
Eed. applauded and whooped at every
fIntterance detrimental to the asplra-
EHons and ambitions Of Cole l.. Blease
Eghe audience was whipped into an up
Eoar of approval at the severe arralgn-
Enent Of the Reform" leader tor the
Senate and the attack on John G.
the Reform candidate toi
by Lieut.. Gov. Andrew j..
A controversy Mr.. Eethea
Hhad with J. C. Hayden, a prominent
Mariner of Orangeburg county, oc-
xeasioned Mr.. Hayden repudlatlng the
Hutterances of Blease in the Pomar1a
Hand Filbert speeches. Mr.. Hayden
Ehas two sons in the service and sald
astcday that he expected seven of his
4other sons to don the khaki shortly.
4 John T. Duncan, the first guberna-
3forial speaker, paid his respects to
Eole L. Blease, Governor Manning
land his opponents. He said that,
HSnowing the aptitude of South Caro-
Eina audiences for jokes, he is car
#gying a string of good ones along with
Richards, Bethea and
He paid his respects TO
i the system and repeated that he
3had assurances from Washington that
l.her would be an investigation at
aCamp Jackson, based on his recent
iafidavit at Florence.
4 John G. Richards, who spoke next.
REITERATED his opposition to the state
9ment that the war is an issue. E.ven
aif it were an issue, he stated, ne
3would go around the State and ge:
ssthe people behind the government IN
stead Of attempting to stir up strife
and divide the people He made his
usual promise that if elected, ne
would attempt by the power OF the
'lgeto and his influence with the legis-
Nature to see that taxes are lowered.
lille inveighed against the "eXtrava-
8gance' of the Manning administra-
#tion and promised to dc all in his pow
Her to abolish .. useless" offices. He
'feaade is usual attack on Mr. r. Coop sp
Ieps loan system for State colleges and
defended the present "free" scholar
ship plan.
Lieut.. Gov. Andrew J. Bethea, the
third gubernatorial speaker, SAID ne
had not only a great regard for the
material prosperity of Orangebure
county, but he regards it as the ban
ner county politically; "for it is the
one county in which Cole L. Blease
dares not show his face A resl-
!ment of soldiers could not drag him
here" he continued, for he Knows
there is nothing here for him, ana
neither is there anything here fo1
Major Richards, his 'Siamese twin.
He then took up the utterances o.
Blease in the Pomaria and F1iDer'
speeches and requested those who
considered the war an issue to raise
their hands About 200 hands were
raised. On the reverse question. Mr.
Hayden's hand was held aleft. Aftei
some exchanges between Mr.. Rethea
and Mr.. Hayden, the latter said that
he did not consider the war an issue
in the political campaign. but he noS1
assuredly did not indorse the Pomarla
and Filbert utterances of Blease be-
cause he had two sons in the army
He said that he had seven other sons
who expect to don the khaki; that ne
was raising grain to help win the
var: that he expected he was doing
more for the war than Mr.. Bethea ano
!. pelleved he would fight quicker than
the lieutenant governor for his coun-
try.
After further colloquy and Mr.. Hay
denis assurances that he did not IN
dorse the anti-war speeches OF
Blease, Mr. Bethea shook his hano
and announced that they both were
fighting for the obliteration of Rlease
| in South Carolina, which, he said
on August 81. will line up with Miss
! issippi, which defeated Vardaran
and will leave at home any man
against whom there is even sus-
picion of disloyalty. He referred to
| the Conway incident, in which Sena-
tor Buck Of Horny castigated Blease
stating that the Reform leader
beat hasty retreat with John Rich
ards swinging to his coat tails
Mr.. Bethea said that he is doing his
own thinking and is mot standing. as
Mr.. Duncan says that Mr.. Cooper is.
as the legatee Of the Manning adj
ni'listration'
Robert A. Cooper, the next speaker,
said that Mr.. Bethea wants to gain
profit and make votes by saying thar
he was standing in ManninS's S
shoes. Mr.. Cooper said that. even
if he found the sands slipping from
beneath his feet. he would not at