Evening star., 1950-07-06
Three Others in Field
Gang Up on BYrnes in
South Carolina Race
By Gould Lincoln
Stoy Stoff correspondenf

StoT StoH Correspondent
COLUMBIA, S. c., July 6.-The
field has ganged up to halt the
nomination of former Secretary
of State James F. Byrnes in the
Democratic gubernatorial primary
next Tuesday-if it possibly can.
While some observers here say
1T could happen" they finally
agree with almost everybody else
that Mr.. Byrnes will have a ma
sority vote in the primary and
Will not be forced into a runoff.
MIR. Byrnes has three opponents.
They are Lester L. Bates of Co.
lumbia. president of the Capital
Life & Health Insurance Co.:
Thomas H. Pope. Newberry law
yer and Speaker of the State
House Of Representatives, and
Marcus Stone of Florence, lum-
herman.
The three are running indi-
vidually. but they all understand
that Mr.. Byrnes is the man who
has to be stopped If any of them
is to have a Chinaman's chance
at the nomination.
Byrnes Has Big Advantage.
MIR. Byrnes' Statewide and ma
tional reputation gives him a tre-
mendous advantage. He has
friends and admirers in every
section of South Carolina, who
constitute a kind of grapevine
organization, although there is
nothing official about it.
Apparently the most formidable
OF Mr.. Byrnes' opponents is MIR.
Bates. whose success story reads
like a page out of Horatio Alger.
At A years of age, Mr.. Bates
is reputed to be millionaire, al
though he was born in a cabin,
son of tenant farmer, located in
Hell Hole Stump" i
One of a family of fifteen chill
dren, he worked when he was -
years old as a water boy in a
logging camp for so cents for a |
IL hour day.
A logging train hit him, and he
went to Charleston for hospitali-
cation. When he recovered he
worked again on the farm. Two
years later he was working in a
textile mill and going to school
at night.
In 1924. he got a job with an
Insurance company and after seven
years, he started his own COM
pany on shoe string. In 13 years
his firm has grown until it employs
800 persons and has district offices
throughout the State. His home
office is large modern air-con-
ditioned building.
Next on the list is 36-year-old
Speaker Pope. Mr.. Pope was ,
elected to the State Legislature
when he was "a and resigned tol
go into the Army early in 1941.
He was % months overseas and
came out of the service as lieu
tenant colonel. He is popular
with his fellow legislators and
with veterans.
Mr.. Stone. the third opponent
OF Mr.. Byrnes, has run for Office
several times but never has been
elected
So Mr.. Byrnes, II, is making
his bid for governor against young
men who would have fought it
out for the gubernatorial nomina-
tion had not Mr., Byrnes been
persuaded by his friends, and by
his own desire for service, to
throw his hat in the ring.
Announced Year Ago.
MIR. Bates, who has been city
councilman, says very frankly that
he aspired to move into the Gov
ernor's mansion: that he believes ,
he can give the State a good, busi- .
ness-like government, which it
needs. Il
Il announced my candidacy"
he said, "a year ago, long before
I knew MIR. Byrnes would enter
the race. When he did, 7 decided
to go ahead, any way; that if I
hadn't the courage to run against
stiff opposition, I'd never get any
where" |,
Il am satisfied I am making
headway. 7 believe that Mr..
Byrnes was at his peak at the
opening of the campaign. I ex-
pect to be in runof primary
with him, and after the veneer of
his invincibility has been rubbed
off by failure to win nomination
in the first primary, I will win"
While the gubernatorial primary