Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-11-05
SOUTH CAROLINA POLITICS.
Needs Publication In the Interest OF
the Public Welfare.

Greenville Piedmont.
was once employed as editorial
writer Of a daily newspaper. It's own
er was a queer genius. with most pro-
nounced views upon some questions.
A congressman from this state made
speech in congress upon one Of those
questions. championing the other side
from that espoused by the owner Of
the aforesaid daily. He sent me an
advance copy Of his speech and
showed 1t to the owner Of the paper.
When he finished reading 1t, he. with
much profanity. abifsea the 6ftnor Or
the speech, demanded that write an
editorial denouncing him and issued
orders that not only should the speech
not be published in his paper. but that
not even the Associated Press mention
Of 1t should appear.
tried to reason with him. I en-
deavored to make him see that the
speech was so novel for a southerner
to deliver that It was news Of the first
class. tried further to make him un-
derstand that the readers Of his paper
were not children, who must take only
what news and views he thought good
for them. He would not bulge. so /
threw up my Job. ! would not work
on q paper that would deny Its readers
the right to see both sides Of ques-
tion.
Since then I have been running
newspapers without a boss over me
and have striven to be true to the
convictions as to newspaper making
which ! held when an employe. Read
ers Of the Piedmont know II deserves
the reputation for fairness which It has
achieved.
The Piedmont has been made one Of
the greatest newspapers in South Car
olina whether the measure Of great
ness be quality AS a newspaper. vol
lume Of business, number Of subscrib-
ers or influence that 1t exerts. ! be-
lieye the growth Of the Piedmont
both In business and infiuence-has
lbeen more due to its fairness than to
any other factor.
Readers Of the Piedmont know that
have long been disguised with the
brand Of politics we have in South
lCarolina. While my sympathies are
wholly with the toiling masses who
have supported Blease. have always
voted against that politician and used
my influence TO defeat him. But he
has on several occasions given public
depression Of his thanks for that fair
ness with which the Piedmont has al
ways treated him.
While ! have always voted against
Blease have never been proud OF the
|, company I have had in so doing and
have never condoned some OF the
methods used to defeat him. even
though was unreservedly in favor Of
keeping him a private citizen. The
blind tiger or gambler who supported
Blease was never as evil an influence
upon the citizenship and government
of our state as the good citizen" OF
respectable personal conduct who con-
tributed money to buy votes to defeat
Blease. I know that many men OF
standing. some Of them good friends
of mine, Influenced by the devils doc
trine that the end justifies the means,
have done the thing I condemn. but
, that does not make 1t any the less
/, wrong. We cannot cleanse South Car
oIina politics, II we remove the hlth
only from one side. He who demands
equity must do equity. 30 we who
, want Bleasism purified must see to 1t
that we are Just as earnest and sincere
, in our efforts to purify our own side
of the South Carolina Democratic
household. Geo. X. koester.