Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-05-19


versity of South Carolina would play
for the college baseball championship
of the state and since many of the
delegates were baseball fans the con-
vention Immediately adjourned until
o'clock largely on account of the game
The Real Fight.
The real fight of the convention
came last night when the report of the
committee on platform of which
former governor John Gary Evans was
chairman was presented for adoption
1T was a rather lengthy document,
described by some candidates as the
opening campaign speech of Mr. Evans
who according to reports will be cam
didate for governor. The convention
fatty refused to adopt the platform as
a whole and for time it looked like
there would be another all day session
of the convention today. Claud Sapp
and others said that they did not pro-
pose to swallow a documentary pill
like that platform without knowing
what they were swallowing and. since
it was so lengthy and had been read so
rapidly neither he nor tho other dele
gates knew what was in it,
Finally it was decided to read and
discuss the platform plank by plank.
Debate was limited to two minutes fer
each speaker.
Soldier Bonus.
The big row came when the plank
which would have the convention en-
dorse the soldier bonus was presented.
1t was apparent that the convention
sentiment was at first against it's
adoption. Jim Shepherd of Edgefield
Ben NJ. Sawyer of Richland; Lyles
Glenn of Chester; Jim Grist of York;
II. l. (Pooloo) Ellerbe Of Manning;
Sam King of Greenwood and several
other members OF the American Legion
decided it was the proper time to make
real fight before the convention for
the adjusted compensation plan for
soldiers as endorsed by the American
Legion and Mr.. Ellcrbe was designated
to lead the fight. He did.
He made rather dramatic speech
| in which he called attention to the
fact that many men had returned from
the world war financial casuals as well
as physical casuals and he thought
that they were deserving of some COM
pcnsation from the government. 1t
would not cheaper their patriotism, he
argued; but a grateful government
with plenty of money at its disposal
should be willing TO help the cX-ser-
vice men get on their nnancial feet
They had "soldiered" for months and
months at 81 "a day while carpenters
and others who did not wear the uni
form remained in the United States in
government employ at wages ranging
up to $40 a day and more.
Governor Against Bonus.
Governor Robert A. Cooper inter-
ruptcd Mr.. Ellerbe to say that he was
against the adjusted compensation bill
accepted anything with a dollar mark
OH it could possibly call this COM
pcnSation. The governor declared that
he spoke from his heart and he meant
no reflection on any man who wore the
uniform and who disagreed with him.
Then young Ellcrbe got hot under
the collar and went after the governor
with hammer and tongs, declaring that
he believed the governor had question
ed the patriotism of the American
soldier. He argued that George Wash
services in the Revolutionary war and
that there was every reason why the
soldiers should be taken care of fl
nancially without tie stamp of the
dollar sticking OH their patriotism.
! Mrs. Alex Long of Rock Hill de-
Clarcd as a South Carolina mother she
was shocked that an cX-servicc man
would show such .dsrespect to the
chief magistrate of South Carolina. Mr.
Ellerbe replied that he meant no dis
respect to the office of the chief magiS-
tratc nor to the chief magistrate but
that the governor had at last stated
his position and laid himself liable for
criticism.
Carlton Sawyer, Lyles Glenn of
Chester, young Dabbs of Sumter and
Jim Shepherd Of Edgefeld spoke in
endorsement of the bonus or cOmpen-
satiOn measure and pictured the finan-
cial plight of many eX-sOdiers in
South Carolina Mrs. NJ. Y. Coleman of
AbbCviilc who has been engaged in Rcd
Cross work for fourteen months said
she knew of hardships Of eX-soldiers
and she thought it a shame the bonus
bill had not passed. S. G.. Mayficld of
Bambcrg, spoke spiritcdly for the in
dorscmcnt of the bonus bill and said
he was ashamed of the position taken
by the governor.
Finally the convention passed a rcso-
luton introduced by Mr.. Shepherd in
dorsing the soldier bonus.
Agricultural Bloc.
The socallcd agricultural bloc in
congress came in for considerable dis
cussion at the hands of Congressman