Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-11-18
POLITICS IN CHARLESTON
Struggle For FaCtlOnal Supremacy
In Review.
Who SHALL RIDE THE MAIN ISSUE

Long Drawn Never Settled Contest
That Invokes Bribery, Thuasery, the
Courts, any old Means to the Attain
ment of Governmental Control.
Charlotte Observer.
The action Of the South Carolina
Supreme Court in declaring invalid
the election Of John P. Grace as may
or of Charleston marks the beginning
of another chapter in one Of the bitter
est campaigns that have ever been
staged in South Carolina. 1t Is cam
paign that has been marked by bitter
ness, personal encounters and even
homicide. 1t began in 1912 when
Graee was elected Lnayor for the first
time, and during the course Of its pro-
gress, political, nstional,an d even reli-
gious lines have been drawn.
Grace's election in 1912 was followed
by his memorable tilt with Cole L.
Blease. Although the state was then un-
der the dispensary system, saloons We're
reported to be running practically wide
open in Charleston, and one Of the big
gest race tracks south Of Baltimore
was for three months in the year go
| ing at full blast. @
While Mr.. Blease contended that he
was governor Of the whole state, Mr..
Grace took the view that he was big
enough to run Charleston single-hand-
ed, and there came the rub. Grace
and Blease split. They hurled defy
at each other, but in the end they bur-
led the hatchet and again united,
Grace's paper, The Charleston Ameri-
can becoming recognized as the organ
of the Blease faction. a
With the advent Of Manning as gov
ernor, the lid went on in Charleston,
and Tristram T. Hyde, the present
mayor, appeared on the scene as an
opponent Of Grace for mayor.
This campaign was featured by fist
fights between Grace men and repre-
sentatives of opposition newspapers.
and ended with riot, in which an IN
nocent bystander lost his life. Grace
attempted to swing the enormous
Catholic vote of the city to his side,
as he had done in 1912, but in this he
failed, although he received the oyer-
whelming, majority of 5 tha. foreign
votes. # ts-.s, = y q + 3
The election was closed. When the
executive committee met to render a
decision behind closed DOORS the city
awaited the verdict tensely. After
hours of wrangling it came-Hyde was
elected-then from somewhere In, the
crowd a pistol spoke, pandemonium
broke loose, the shooting became al
most general and when the smoke
cleared away Sidney Cohen. a report
er on The Evening Post, there to re-
port the proceedings, was picked up
dead. Who shot Cohen is still an un-
answered question.
Both factions denied responsibility
for the dead. Armed guards protected
the homes Of several antiadministra-
ton leaders for few days, however.
Hyde was duly inaugurated and then
came the war. Grace had in the mean
time launched The Charleston Ameri-
can a morning daily in opposition to
the ancient News and Courier, the
staunch spokesman Of the antt-Grace
faction. The American opposed the
declaration Of war against Germany.
One of it's editorial writer's, Paul
Wierse, was convicted Of conspiracy
to sink German ship in the harbor,
and was sent to the Federal Prison in
Atlanta. - .
When war was declared on Austria,
The Americans editorial attack led to
it's being barred from the malls. Later
1t was reinstated. 5AIc
The war over, Grace opposed Hyde,
who was seeking a second term as
mayor. Grace, like Blease, then con-
sidering the race for congress, built his
platform strictly in opposition to the
Wilson administration. Hyde made
his support of the administration the
bulwark Of his defense. Grace was,
even during the days Of war, bitter
foe Of Great Britain. and this, too, en-
tered the campaign. ".
On the face of returns, with a num-
Der of challenged ballots, Hyde was
re elected. The challenged ballots
were considered by the executive COM
mittee, and Grace declared the winner.
Hyde took the fight to the Supreme
Court, where although he lost his at
tempt to be declared the nominee, he
won one point, in that a second elect
ion had been ordered. ... d..
What the outcome will be. Charles
ton can decide.
HAD DIcK rIAMnE2