The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1918-07-18
. THE FOUR-RING CIRCUS.
The Blease-Aun-BeardIM Ep-
isode Furnishes Amusement.

|
the McLaurin Blease Beard Aull
Touring Political Circus grow in
| novelty and interest. Not even the
great Phineas T. Barnum, in the gor-
geous and full panoply of his glory
as an avowed exponent of the doc
trine that the people love to be hum
bugged, was ever more adept in the
art of sensational and startling pub
licity.
Come now MIR. Victor B. Chessire,
| editor of the Tribune of Anderson,
and, in letter published this morn
ing in The State, scores a palpable
hit by the statement that John K.
Aull himself wrote the article for
The Tribune, about the little fracas
in Columbia, the publication of which
Aull afterwards criticised.
In the famous Aull letter, which
seems to have brought or precipitat-
ed, f'the little rift within the lutte" of
the very touching friendship which
subsisted between the quartette of
Reformers, Aull said, with regard to
the Tribune story:
Where you got the information
do not know and l do not care. You
have been in the habit of pirating
news"
And now Mr.. Cheshire says that
the story was written by .Aull him
self and sent to the Tribune for pub
lication."
Land sakes!
And he says:
"Aull, being hostile to the Manning
administration, wanted to strike it,
but wanted to- do so under cover in
this particular case in order to keep
the other Columbia newspaper men
in the dark as to his double crossing,
so he sent the story to the Tribune
in order to give it publicity, yet save
his own pork"
Another scoop for The Charleston
Americans Columbia bureau, so to
speak. How ethical.
In the letter to Mr.. Cheshire,
which appears to have pulled down
the centerpole under the "b5g top" Of
the Four-Ring Circus, Aull wrote:
"Who is writing your editorials
any way, and why don't you write
yourself, if you have either; the ability
or the newspaper acumen?" ~
now cometh Mr.. Cheshire and ans
wereth:
"Aull uses the Office OF Former
Governor Blease as his Charleston
American headquarters. In fact he
is, and has been since Governor
Blease went out of office, his stenog-
rapher. Governor Blease has from
time to time written editorials for
The Tribune. If these editorials met
with our approval and we cared to
daddy them, we don't see that it was
anybody's business but our own.
These editorials that were sent us by
Governor Blease, were dictated by
him and wrote on Governor Blease's
typewriter by Aull"
That is what we would call the
"answer." And while We are on it,
some of those articles that, in the old
times, added putridity to the already
putrid columns of Boards Scimitar,
emanated from Columbia. We wonder
where Boards bureau was.
Probably the most entertaining
feature of the circus, however, is the
profusion of complimentary and en-
dearing terms which these formerly
devoted friends and mutual admirers
of the Reform Party shower on each
other.
B1ease, in the language Of McLau-
rim, is a "self-seeking demagogue,
without scruple or honor" he is an
'arch traitor" he is a traitor to his
party and outspoken enemy of the
government in Washington"
McLaurin's statement with regard
to Blease's connection with the Beard
ticket is branded by Blease as ''as
black a lie as has ever been put into
print
Aull denies the truth Of McLaur-
ms statements with regard to him.
Beard corroborates McLaurin's
statements with regard to Blease's
connection with the Beard ticket;
says he was "caught between the
Charybdis of cowardice and the Sylla
of hate" and that Blease deserted
him.
And now comes Mr.. Cheshire, who
has been driven into the controversy
by the very whirlwind character it
has assumed, and says that Aull is
ga double-crosSer a liar and SDine-