The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-09-03
BLEASE VOLCANIC
 IN HIS ACTIONS.
Supporters of His Opponents Expected to Combine to
 Defeat Him
By M. J. RUBIN
Special Dispatch to The Age-Hcrald
 Copyright, Isse. by The Age-Heraid)


 special Dispatch to The Age Herald
 (Copyright, 1898. by The Age-Herald)
 Charleston, s. C., September 2.- Should Cole L. Blease, who received a brutality of the votes cast in the democratic primary last Tuesday re- ceive majority in the run-off pri- mary Tuesday, September 12, the Palmetto state will have as its chief executive for the third time the one man in the south whose place in history remains unfixed.
 dangerous, disrsputahia demA- gogue Is Blease in his opposition. To his friends. and they are many as the recent primary shows. is the real
 governor. truly representative of all the people. In the initial primary 77,0O0 mon and women argued through their ballots that Blease Is all that e chief executive should be. He will need only a few additional votes to return to the governor's 8 mansion in Columbia to the horror of a minority that has chanted a chorus that his days were gone for ever"
 But if history repeats itself, South CarolinA will not have as governor the man whose political tendencies are as much like those of his prede- cessor's, Manning and Cooper. ss q volcano Ia like placid lake. In 1916 tho trio were in the race for the gubernatorial democratic nomi- natfon-"equivalent to election; in the first primary Bfease received ap- proximately 60,ooo votes. Manning 10000. and Cooper, ao.ooo. In the sec-
 ond primary, however. the peoples champion" received just about tho number of votes which went to him in the first. and most of Cooper's votes were cast for Manning. who
 was elected. The anti -Bleasites are, therefore, banking on the claim that Blease always polls his full strength in the first primary and hence they are confident that Thomas e. Mo- Leod will be the next governor.
 Full of Energy
 Blease has served as representa- tive and senator from Newberry county, which holds the distinction of being his birth place, but only twice has he received statewide po- litical indorsement, ho having been elected governor on two occasions. Ed Smith defeated him twice in races
 for the United States senatorship. Blease lost the first time because two of South Carolina's leading ora tors, Jennings and Pollock, lractf-
 cally "out Bleased" him on the stump. He did not sympathixe either with tho Allies or President Woodrow Wilson in the war and patriotism be- ing at fever heat. he suffered, in 1918, one of the most overwhelming defeats ever experienced by candi-
 date in this state. But although down, he wasn't out. and if defeat- ed this time there will be other campaigns in the future to which he can look forward. he says. Good or bad, Blease's administra- tions have been sensationally free from indifference. Perhaps he Is best known for having pardoned about 1,700 convicts. It has been his par ticular pride and glory that he
 sticks to his friends. regardless. But other spectacular features arc in his record, among them being his reputed utterance at 6 meeting or the House of Governors: ITO hell with the Constitution" Bleass Is nothing if not vigorous. As gover- nor his two last acts were to dis-
 band the state militia, having been opposed to the then existing system. and to resign in favor of the lieuten- ant-governor.
 Resigned Before
 Why he resigned. on tho eve of ex- piration of his term, has always been something of a mystery. One report spread perhaps more in jest than m earnest, was to the effect that nc had laid a wager that Manning would not be the next governor. Manning was then governor -elect, but the lieutenant-gover became for brief spell chief executive. Should Blease endeavor to carry out ms campaign utterances he will fight 10 have the state tax committee ana several offices which he declares arc useless, abolished. But it Is prop ably that, as usual. the legislature will be anti Blease and once more the Palmetto state will have stormy government. Blease this year con ducted his campaign with remarh- able reserve, but If elected he Is ex- pected to creep out of that reserve and get back into form.
 T have always voted the oemo- cratic ticket and any man who says have not is a damned liar" he de- c,ared at a campaign meeting some mopths ago. Since then there ap-
 neared in a newspaper supporting him a letter, which he is stated 10 have written to a republican leader. that q am a democrat, not Wn- son democrat. but Jeffersonian democrat who rejoiced in Hardinss As a matter of fact, 1t is generally ,graad that 1t doesn't matter whetn- er Biease. is or was Wilson, ger. fersonian or republican democrat, hs matters not whether he Is raolo demagogue or a just and wise stauesr man; what he says he is in favor .. or what he says he opposes. t Is sufficient to the pros ana n,aa that he is Cole Blease. Noenine s~