The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-07-11


were deeply rooted before Biease
himself was out of his early teens and
will, doubtless, exist long years after
he has ceased to be political factor
in South Carolina. To it he has mere
" given a name by which 1t IS, for
the time being to be distinguished
and perhaps by any other name 1t
would sound as sweet. The follow
ing excerpts are taken from the ar
ticle
"Cole L. Blease will be running
again next summer for the office Of
governor of South Carolina. The boil
weevil has reached the peak Of his
destructive activities in that state.
Taxes have been going up and the
price of cotton has been coming
down. War psychology has waned
and in it's stead there is a waxing
public temper of the sort which
speakers like to denounce and dispose
of as the spirit of unrest. Therefore
Blease is abroad.
EsThe anti-Blease man whose be-
liefs and desires, wishes and judg-
ment, are synonymous will tell you
that Blease is politically dead. The
more observant man may not agree,
for he knows that Blease, person
ality, represents Bleaseism, condi
tion.
''The strength of Blease, the most
talked of man South. Carolina has
produced in a generatNe. and the
causes of Bleaseism, arise from sew
eral sources. Chief among them are
the social and economic history of
the state, and the quaint manner in
which the one political party, the
Democratic, conducts its campaigns. "
The article continues to explain
that the primary is all important, the
general election only a matter of
form, and refers to the antiquated
rule that the candidates shall make
a tour of the counties, speaking in
each one.
The county-to-county campaign
method is decided advantage to the
stump speaker who can 'whoop 'em
up,' continues Mr.. Derieux. 'It dis
courages the man who has one dis
position for the hustings. Blease is
a past master in arousing enthusiasm
and his enemies have often played in
to his hands by hurting at him accu-
sations which gave him the chance to
shout back his reprisals from the
stump. He is strong in invective. He
has personality, political acumen and
political courage. He sprang from
the masses and he knows them. He
calls them by their first names"
Some space is devoted to a descrip-
ton of South Carolina campaign
meeting-all of which is familiar.
Continuing:
zone after another the candidates
speak. Some urge this, some that;
some attack one thing, some another
:. There are points upon which
there is unanimity All were born on
the farm. All favor Justice temper
ed with mercy All stand for lawn
order They have all followed the
old gray mule up and down
the cotton and corn rows, have seen
the sun rise up in the morning and
worked on until it sank behind yon
western hills There is always ap-
peal, too, for the old Confederate
veteran.
''The time arrives for Blease to
speak. There is a wave Of animation.
Any stranger could pick out Blease
men from those who oppose him, for
their faces are expectaat. Tell 'em
about it, Coley'; shouts a man in the
crowd; 'Goddermighty amt he a
man." says another.
"Blease pulls up his sleeves, looks
over the audience, and launches into
his subject. He denounces his ene-
mics and sticks to his friends, de-
clares he has nothing to explain and
nothing to apologize for, hits hard at
the hostile press, attacks high taxes
and those in office who opposed them,
gives his opinion of the creation of
new Offices to be filled with political
pets declares his devotion to the
---a.l-:.. .AA.A,- nn,,.n nnI cn ON IN