The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-08-16
Campaign Meeting at Lexington
Characterized by Person
alities
COOPER MAKES ATTACK
ON MANN'S WAR RECORD
Race For Levers Old Shoes Bids
Fair to Be Free For All
Scramble

Of political campaigning Of the quail
ity 10 which the state has been period
ically subjected for more than quar-
teTsof century when candidates for
public Office dissect the opposition
without a sympathetic quake Of the
nerves or ai.qualm of conscience for
the writhing victim on the impro-
Vised operating table. And the audi
ence was like most crowds at political
campaign meetings in South Carolina
and like the Irish, always pretty ev-
eHly divided, If not quartered in about
three halves
The two riffs in the meeting today
about which interest mainly centered
was a tilt between John Hughes Coop
er and W. A. Coleman, of Columbia.
relative to the "Gervais street ring"
on which Mr.. Cooper let down a bar
rage at the meeting in. Columbia
Tuesday and some exchanges between
Mr., Cooper and Ed. c.. Mann, whose
war. record Mr.. Cooper brought out in
answer to the Calhoun county candi-
dates statement in Columbia about
Mr.. Cooper's failure to get in the
war.
The meeting was attended by pos
sibly more than 400 voters. the court
house being fairly well jammed, some
good Democrats sitting on the floor
and their neighbars' feet nudging each
other occasionally for a little more
! room. The speaking moved along
with an even, shamble, only here and
there. an occasional wave or sunny
spot which elicited a, thin volume OF
applause. until GeeggeaBell Thinner
\ man.. the fifth and. next te the last
speaker, had concluded. Mr. Thinner
man, like McGregor,: was ION his ma
tive heath and a ,goodly portion OF
his clan was around him. Consequent
lysat the end of: this fifth half hour
speech, the last being Lexington's
own candidate. a good many of the
crowd began to shuttle and go out.
l."Don't go, the. show Is just about to
start" John Hughes Cooper, the last
speaker shouted ..out, half in banter,
and full Of the ring of prophecy. And
the show began without the forrnality
of 'preliminaries.3:-
=
| the qualifications of candidate for
congress ought to be, Mr.. Cooper got
down to yesterdays meeting in Colum-
bia and charged that Mr.. Mann in Co
lumbia had uttered a yelled insult
and indirectly insinuated that every
| man was a. coward who was not in
| the war. He was referring to Mr..
! Manns retort yesterday when the
Calhoun county candidate expressed
the hope that Mr.. Cooper would walk
over him, shod in the hobnailed boots
! "ne wore on the field Of Flanders"
MFR. Cooper was not in the war. but
produced official papers here today
which showed he had volunteered for
service In the navy and his name was
among those on the waiting list. He
| had also made application for an Of
feers' training camp, stood the physi-
cal examination, was accepted and
was then prevented from going be-
cause Of the ,discontinuahce' of the
camp when preliminaries to conclude
the war were begun.
After Mr.. Cooper had called several
w ASlS, ~ W4ACAC, 40 IN O'
Mann" Mr. Mann came into the room
from the rear entrance, and the
speaker without waiting for reply,
kept challenging. II volunteered for
the navy. Did you? tried to get in
| the army. Did you? In filing out
my questionnaire. waived all exemp-
tions and asked that be put in Class
1. Did you?" Mr.. Mann made sew
eral attempts to get in a, reply, but
Mr.: Cooper would not allow any in
fringement upon his time "You have
made your speech and I propose to
make mine. expect to punch you
from now on> When all the drives
and campaigns were on over the state,
where were you? In every commun-
ity all the available public speakers
were out, calling on the people to
conserve food and buy liberty bonds.
Why weren't you speaking for civic
preparedness At the ST. Matthews
meeting tomorrow the speaker prom
ised to try to show that Mr.. Mann hid
behind his wife's skirt when the coun-
try was mobilizing its man power. Mr.
Cooper showed letters thanking him
for his services in these campaigns.
in which he said Mr.. Mann had no
"a rt