The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-07-20
MEETING At MANNING.
FIRST SPEECH OF ITINERARY
MADE BY BLEASE.
Ciaims to BE Loyal but Eleventh
Hour Professions Do Not Meet Witt
Approval of Dial and Rice, How
ever.

Manning, July 15.-The senatori,
campaign partook Of a more liye,y
hue here today with Cole L. R,eas,
catching step and marching in tripl,
formation with the other two candi-
dates.
Anticipating any possible commen,
from his opponents as to his dilatory
tactics in not entering the campaign
until the 18th meeting and as If 70
neutralize any possible inference that
he had not been driven to the ranks
by the Democratic executive commit
tees threat to read him out of the
party, Mr.. Blease took occasion to em,-
phasize that the primary rules did not
compel the attendance of any candi.
date upon the campaign meetings
The party only arranged the itiu-
erary and provided that candidates
should "be invited" to address the
voters, but had no authority as TO
compulsion to attend.
Mr. Blease was the first speaker
and dwelt lengthily on his attitude
toward the war. The question of loy
atty or disloyalty, he said, should be
| determined by mans attitude after
the war and not that which obtained
before war had been declared. A.
cepting this as challenge, both Mr..
Dial and Mr.. Rice pointed out to the
audience that Mr.. Blease had made
his speeches which had brought him
into ill repute four months or more
after the United States had entered
the struggle, which had a. SATISFYING
ERECT on the audience and was potent
in silencng some noisy clamor in Mr..
Blease's favor.
The ex-governor said when he Is
elected senator he will go to Presiden,
Wilson and say, Here is an American
senator and whatever is necessary to
win this war 1 am with you to th4
fnish."
He was also willing now to raise 4,
regiment of soldiers and lead them r..
France, provided they be allowed TO
select their own officers.
Referring to the McLauiin expose
relative to the alleged ATTEMPT to sci,
out to the Republican party two years
ago, Mr.. Blease says he will withdraw
from the senatorial race at once if on,
clean man can be produced who will
make the charge. The day of villih-
cation and abuse on campaigns Is
passed, he said. and he will not dea.
in personalities unless forced to do
so. The voters were urged to watch
the counting of the ballots this year
as his opponents would steal the sem
atorship "as they stole the governor
ship two years ago."
The conversion Of Blease had come
too late, Mr.. Dial said. following the
good doctrine of Methodist brethren.
Mr.. Blease must be kept on the anx-
ious bench little longer, reserved for
another campaign. He might be moro
than 100 per cent American now and
loving Woodrow Wilson above 100.
but the times were too serious for n
division in congress. Only little
band Of wilful senators had votci
against the declaration of war and il
was necessary now while the war was
being prosecuted to maintain a. solid
front in Washington.
OF course the United States did NOT
have to enter the war, the Laurens
county candidate pointed out, a man
does not have to fight when another
man spits in his face. slaps his wife
and kicks his baby. but "You are q
yellow dog if you don't"
Mr.. Dial fed the ex-governor with
his own words for a considerable Pc
riod and at times to an intensely in
terested audience. Nobody blamed Mr..
Blease for what he said before the
war, but the speeches in which he
spoke of the president charged tina,
the blood Of every American boy
would be on the presidents hands ana
said every congressman who voted for
the war would go down in history AS
coward and should be defeated were
made four months after the war had
been declared.
Further, only a few weeks ago In
York, Blease had challenged the gov
ernment to take the bride off, for
full and free discussion of Americas
justification in entering the war
What would the boys in France think
Of South Cardinals loyalty, debating
the righteousness Of the war, with
them on the battlefronts and German