The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1918-06-05

Hudson's Mill, Clarendon County,
May 31.-The first big crowd of the
1918 campaign gathered here today OH
the Florence Clarendon line, almJst
in the corner of Clarendon, Florence,
Williamsburg and Sumter counties,
and in no unmistakable tones express
ed their approval of the Reform plat
form and their absolute determination
to rid South Carolina of a regime in
state affairs whose bitter PARTISAN
ship, extravaganza ana disregard of
law have made "rule or ruin" known
as the chief characteristic of their ad-
|miniSt"-tion.
The speakers were former Governor
States senate, and Major John G.
Richards, candidate for governor. The
crowd was conservatiy,ely estimated
at 1000 people, representative of at
least four counties. 1t was character
lied by sober thought upon issues, and
by an enthusiasm which was the nat
ural result of the unanimity of senti-
ment presaging an overwhelming
victory in the primary this summer.
Throughout the addresses and the
entire meeting there was the rcsound-
ing chord of allegiance to the nations
cause in the serious International
crisis, but it was emphasized that this
is not an issue for the reason that
all true South Carolinians are loyal.
and that the anti-Reformers will not
be allowed to make it an issue in an
endeavor to dodge questions which are
issues, and in an endeavor to use the
American flag to cover up their ca
reer of trampling upon the rights of
the people.
AT times the enthusiasm ran high,
when the record in state affairs for
the past three and one-half wears was
numerically held up against the
white light of truth. Former Cover
nor Blease was at his best today, and
in words that scorched and burned he
denounced those who, he said, had at
tempted, for their own petty po,.tical
purposes, to question enc loyalt? of
Retormers, who were the real back
bone of the state in the support of the
nation in this war, and whose record
of loyalty was writ not only in sery-
ices performed in the field and factory
and IN all lines of laboriouS endeayor.
but IN the boys in khaki, who had gone
from South Carolina, a great majority
OF whom were from homes of the Re-
form faith in South Carolina affairs
even as was the case when the call
came for the boys of the Palmetto
State to go to the Mexican border, and
as would be the case whenever the call
for the ultimate sacrifice be made
for the whole people of South Carolina
were doing their full duty now, as
they had ever done in the past, up
holding the best traditions of the Pal
netto State, and y. necessity the ma
jorlty of the workers and of the fight
ers must be from the ranks Of the Re-
n Nr1rlnrS-tha nf n nf
the people.
This was the real opening Of the
campaign of the Reform party in
South Carolina-and an auspicious
opening it was. 1t was really gath
ering of four counties, upon the in
vitation of the Gibbons Mill and Sc
loc Democratic clubs, and it showed
very clearly the overwhelming
strength Of the Reform sentiment in
South Carolina at this time. AS Maj
or Richards expressed it, amid ap-
plause:
"If I am any judge of the politica!
signs of the time; if am capable Of
judging the sentiment of the people of
this state, as / go over it, and as it is
expressed at this meeting, when the
year, you will have Reform senator
in the United States and a Reform
governor in the governors chair in
Columbia. | say to you, my fellow
citizens, that you are going to have a
man in the United States senate who
was never known to stab friend, a
man who has always been true to the
people Of this state, and when am
asked, as | go over the state, how to
account for that mans hold upon the
people and the hearts of the people
of this state, I tell them that it is be-
cause of the fact that he has heart
in his own bosom that beats in uni
son with the heart Of the great masses
of the people of this country"
Holding up the full text of his "Po-
maria" speech today, Mr.. Blease
threw out this challenge: "Now, let
any man here read it, and if he will
put his hand on word of it, a letter
of it, that is not loyal, I will quit the
race for the United States senate, and
support any man that he SAYS sup
port" As to his Filbert speech, he
SAID he would reply to that at the
York campaign meeting, in the same
county where the speech was deliy-
cred, and in the presence of the people
before whom it was delivered. He
said that all the candidates would
have plenty of opportunity to meet
him face to face, as he expected to
attend some of the regular meetings,
and particularly those in every county
where he had made a speech, but that
ne did not intend to be going around
drawing crowds for people who could
not draw them for themselves, in Or
der that they might abuse him. 81
VIII give them all the opportunity