Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-07-29
sIEASE WILL NOT RUN.
Will Take No Part in Democratic Pri-
maries.

mares.
Former Governor Blease Is out in a
statement in which he says he will un-
der no circumstances be a candidate
in the approaching Democratic pri-
mary to succeed Congressman A. r.
Lever, resigned.
Mr.. Blease has told many of his
friends during the past few months
that he did not expect to be candi-
date for office again in the democratic
primaries until the rules governing the
primaries are changed. The rules have
not been changed since he made this
declaration.
Many Of my friends in Columbia
and elsewhere in the district have ask
ed me to run for congress to succeed
Mr.. Lever" said Governor Blease to-
day, land offers Of support have come
from a number of men who have never
voted for me for anything. After care
full consideration I have decided that l
will not he a candidate III the primary,
and, further that / will not even vote
in the primary. I will not be bofer,
and 1 want to leave myself free for fu-
ture action. II I should be candi-
date, and should receive two-thirds OF
the vote cast, the democratic executive
committee, as it is now constituted,
would find some way Of counting me
out. I am through with the primaries
| in this state, as the rules now stand
and as the state executive committee
is now organized"
Mr.. Blease has told many Of his
friends he would be q candidate in the
general election against the nominee
of the primary. He did not go into
particulars, but the inference Is that
he will wait and see who Is the NOM
inee, and also get line on the number
Of voters who take part In the primary.
If some man Of his own political rae
ton should be nominated, he probably
would not feel like antagonizing him.
but he may run If some one not to his
liking is the nominee. This Is the plain
inference of his declarations. AS the
national house Of representatives IS
now in control Of the republicans, and
as hundreds of negroes In Richland
and other counties in the Seventh dis
trict have been securing registration
certificates during the past few weeks
1t will be readily seen that there are
large possibilities in the situation.
Governor Blease has openly declared
on more than one occasion that under
the rules of the democratic primary
more white men were disfranchlsed
than under the laws governing the
general election. He made serious
charges, it will be remembered, against
the state executive committee foliow-
| ing the primary in 1916. when ne
claimed that he had defeated Gov
ernor Manning and was counted out
and it was generally thought Tor
while then that he would bolt. He
was a candidate in the primary last
summer, however, when he ran for the
senate and was defeated by Senator
Dial. Now he declares openly that ne
will never run for another office In the
urinary unless the rules governing the
urinary are changed, and he says ne
will not even vote in the approaching
primary for congressman In the Sew
enth district
| This leaves him free to do as ne
nleases He will not say what he in
,ands m do. and there the situation
stands. Naturally there is lot OF talk
among the politicians as to what ne
may or may not do.-Greenville Pied
mont.