The herald and news. (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, June 09, 1916, Page Six, Image 6
State Warehouse (
Ajlr* J /y ??vs n
iflLI^UUI III x 1
p
u
Assails the State Democracy.
Editorial in The State, June 2.
The charge brought by Mr. John L
AfcLaurin that ex-Governor Evans
"owes his position as State chairman
to the fact that in 1912 scorne man
not restrained by conscientious
scruples was needed to overturn the
verdict of the people at the ballot
"box" is a charge not so much against
Mr. Evans as it is against the DEMOCRATIC
PARTY IX SOUTH CAROLINA
It is supported bv no evidence.
It can be supported by none. Mr.
Evans has been, in times past, the
object of unsparing criticism, but it
has remained for John L. McLaurin
to originate this accusation. In 1914
and again in 1916 Mr. Evans was
elected State chairman and if what
i^r. McLaurin says is true, or half
true, the Democratic party in South
Carolina does not deserve the sup
port of honest men. If The fState believed
dt The State would leave the
Democratic organization in preference
to sacrificing its self-respect and
if Mr. McLaurin believes that the
/
Democratic party is so corrupt and
rotten as the repeated election to the
head of its affairs of a man unrestrained
by conscientious scruples to
* - - A- ij J.' i ^ v
direct mem /wouiu muicaie, uvw uue&
fce justify his continuance in it and
acceptance of honors and emoluments
at its hands? Where is the man who
regards his own honor that in one
breath denounces as corrupt the management
of the party with which he
affiliates and in another seeks place 1
and power from it? Time was when .
"Mr \foTjiiirin .was held in tender af- I
tection by another party, the Republican
party, when lie was offered ofHce
-by it, when some of its directors
in South Carolina were his companions.
Accepting his expression about
3be Democratic organization now as
sincere, when he hated the Republi.
. . - >
can party most ne must nave loveo.
ft it better than ever he loved the party
>of which John Gary Evans is the
head in this State.
'Since the return of Mt. (McfLaurin
to activity in the Democratic party of
*South Carolina, The State has generally
refused to publish references to
v.?_ c?A. ?. 5 TV*? I
' aijs uiuort-uiiui-t; ytmucai iaviu. iuau
after election to the United States \
senate under the most auspicious circumstances,
as the candidate of all
^factions, he left that body at the end
oi his term a politician discredited, in
the Democratic party is the truth.
That Chairman B ans bluntly restated
it may have been unnecessary
and ungracious, but, disregarding
that, it does not excuse an accusation
that, aimed at Mr. Evans, strikes the
Ttemnrracv of the State. We have
I been disposed to allow the incidents
Oi 1901 'and 1902 to be forgotten;
within the last month we have re?
- jected communications bringing Mr.
McLaurin's record into the limelight,
and we have given him the amplest
juse of our columns to exploit his
- Warehouse system. Now, despite the
ifact, which he will scarcely himself
*deny, that only a few years ago his
* wa; rrmrh better amone He
I publican leaders, national and State. <
than it was in his own party, and that
lie had the ear of a Republican administration
in Washington, he presumes
to attack the DEMOCRATIC PARTY
5B SOUTH CAROLINA.
t The 'State therefore respectfully
' * -* -L* - n AAftOCOrV
ISHDEQllS *lA?Lt 11 is ictir auu uc^ccoui;
*o consider the charge brought by <Mr.
McLaurin together with Mr. McX>aurin*s
political conduct and affilia":?fc3is
during the last twenty years and
that "whatever was its intent, its naif
ral effect would be to plant -in the
f minds of the people of tne siaie ui&irust
of the party organization and to
"teach them that they may expect that
ike ballot box will be corrupted.
St is within the rights of Mr. Mc-l^urin
to oppose the Democratic
'party. "Republican" and "Prgorseaive"
are not, in the opinion of The
State, terms of reproach. The State is
not endeavoring to read Mr. McLaurin
out of the Democratic party,
h?t The State does say that the
I ofearge, ridiculous as it is, that he
brings against Chairman Bvans, is better
calculated to injure the party than
though it came from an AVOWED
Columbia, June 6, 191 .
(Editor The Herald and News:
Dear Sir: In an editorial in its is- |
?ue Qf June 2, The Columbia State, in j
commenting upon a statement Which
I made in regard to a letter from ex- j
Sldnotnr .T A. !
I. VjrOVfcjruui XL# vcliio iv ?.
Banks, in which Mr. Evans made a
f'\. gratuitous and uncalled for attack up-!
on me as a "discredited politician,"!
fry said that my statement as io Mr.
Evans was a charge against the Democratic
party, which vras "better cal8
culated to injure the party than
Commissioner
\eolies to The State
J
? r> _ _ A x * / \. V1 *n T"\
I mougn ii came irom an
IvEPUBLICAX." I enclose a copy of
my reply to The State, wliich, as you
will see. is made up almost entirely
of quotations taken from its own editorial
columns. The editor, after repeated
attacks of this character upon
me, has refused to print my reply. I
am sending you a copy of same,
ivl-iinh in incfirp nnf onlv tr> me but
to the people of South 'Carolina,
should be made public.
Respectfully,
Jno. L. 'McLaurin.
Columbia, June 6, 1916.
To the Editor of The State:
In its editorial, "Assails the DemoJ
cracy," in its issue of June 2. The CoJ
lumbia 'State contends that "the charge
brought Dy Mr. Jonn l.. cviCL,aum;
that ex-Governor Evans 'owes his
position as State chairman to the fact
that in 1912 some man not restrained
by conscientious scruples was needed
to overturn the verdict of the people
at the ballot box' is a charge not
so much against Mr. Evans as it i"
against the Democratic party in Souta
( Carolina."
The Columbia State mistakes a political
convention ring for the Democratic
party of the State. (Mr. Evans
was repudiated by the people of South
Carolina in 1896, while he 'was stili
governor of the State, and The Columbia
State led the fight for his repudiation,
and none gloried in ' it
Imore than The Columbia State. He
ifcac noon rp-nndiaferi hv the Deonle
[ ?" ??- - -- - - 3very
time he has sought office since.
No harsher things could be said
about any man than The Columbia
State said about Governor Evans then
?and surely the office of governor is
a higher office than that of State
chairman. No harsher things could
easily be said than The Columbia
State has said about other men whc
r\<> drill+ V> rarftUnO
WCIT; gutciuui ui uvu^u uui
Democratic governors elected byDemocrats
after being nominated in
a Democratic primary.
No charge has been brought against
the Democratic party in South Carolina.
A charge has been brought,
however, and The Columbia State is
the only witness necessary to prove
it.
The contention ring wnicn was
casting around in 1912 for a State
chairman "not restrained by conscientious
scruples, to overturn the
verdict of the people at the ballot
V?\" would naturally turn to the files
ef The Columbia State to select such
a man. Nothing would be more natural?for
aren't all the political records
written theTe, and hasn't The
Columbia State fought, bled and died
I
with this ring in many political con- j
" - * 4 A A 4 i
tests since February is, ley,:,, uu
which day it -was given birth to fight
the "Reform" movement?
Who was the logical man for the
task to be performed? Some man
who had the experience, of course,
And who had the experience? Why,
John Gary Evans, according to The
Columbia State, then edited by the
late Mr. X. G. Gonzales, whose name
still appears at its masthead. What
had Mr. Gorzales said of Mr. Evans
ae fr\ hi* willinsness to "overturn the
verdict of the people?'' Listen to his
words in the issue o? his paper of
'August 29, 1896:
"It is rumored that Go?v. Evans has
induced by indirection the delay in
the declaration of the primary vote
for senator until to-day in the hope
that Senator Tillman will persuade
the executive committee to throw out j
enough 'boxes in Charleston to give!
him a majority. We are not worried;'
^? not that Pithor Till-'
iui n c uv uui v.wui ? ?
man or the committee would with
open eyes sacrifice the 'Reform'
party to the sucess of a weakling like
Evans. 'Such an outrage would double
the number of those 'Reformers' who
have revolted against Evans. It would
smash the party as nothing else
would."
It must have been on account of
this experience in political chicanery
that the convention of 1912 made him
State chairman. It could not have
| been on account of his merit, and he
| could not have been the choice of the
people, because The Columbia State,
edited by Mr. N. G. Gonzales (whose
name still floats at its masthead),
>awav haek in 1896 tbat THE
| PEOPLE would not risk any further
experiments with him, and that he
could not rise by his own merit. Listen
to the words of Mr. N. G. Gonzales
in the issue of The State of 'September
14, 1896:
"Ordinarily we would feel sympathy
for any opponent under such defeat
J 1 "EV-q n O .hoc n ri
| 2.UU IlUUlliiiliiUii ao iuitauo uuc ?> <
i but in his case we cannot be sympa!
thetic. He never deserved to be a
; governor, much less a senator. Neither
his abilities nor his character war'
i
i ranted him in aspiring to the h'ghe-t
|offices of the State. He gained one
j such office by makn? himself the tool
i i
> anl today of another amii. and in that
office he has so conducted himself
. that even his master could not help
him to another. Neither that master
NOR THE PEOPLE WILL RISK
ANY FURTHER EXPERIMENTS'
W7ITH HIM; AiXD HE CANNOT RISE j
i BY HIS OWN MERIT. HE SIMPLY j
SINKS TO HIS NATURAL LEVEL, j
AND THERE'S NOTHING IN THAT
TO GIVE US REGRET."
Surely The Columbia State does'
not think that Mr. Evans stands for |
the Democratic party in South Car- j
olina and that a charge again, t him
or against the convention ring which;
made him chairman is a charge
against the Democratic party! Surely
The iState is a Detter Democrat than j
that, and surely, if not, The Stateshould
retire from the party, for, i
verily, such a charge, "ridiculous as ;
it is, is better calculated to injure j
the party than though it came from :
an AVOWED REPUBLICAN."
Who is this man whom The State
would make synonytoious with the
Democratic party? Again, let us call
The State as a witness:
On July 6, 18^6, (Mr. X. G. Gonzales
(whose name The State still bears at!
*
its masthead), said of him:
''The campaign of education has!
progressed so finely that now the sug- j
gestion that the governor (this same
Mr. Evans, who was then governor?
a higher position than State chair- j
man) will get a $15,000 fee out of the j
bond deal excites no surprise. In his j
speeches throughout the campaign i
meeting, Governor Evans has at- j
tempted to snow tnat Mr. uuncan was j
making an attack on Rhind for doing
what all South Carolina wanted
him to do and which no one else
could do. He has gone off on a half
dozen tangents, but he has not an-1
swered these very plain questions: j
How much of the commissions do you I
expect to get? Had you not an un-1
derstanding with. Mr. Rhind 'before j
you recommended him to Governor
Tillman? Can you not, by obtaining
Rhind's "twoks and other evidence,
make clear, without quibbling, your :
whole connection with the bond re- .
funding, so there will be no further
dcubt as to just how you stand? Will .
he answer them? No."
Again, on August 28, 1896, after his
failure to be nominated for the Unit- .
ed States senate in the first [Democratic
primary, The Columbia State, j
then edited by Mr. >X. G. Gonzales
(whose name still appears at its
masthead), ssid of Mr. Evans:
"In the common cause of decency;.
! J
and in the further behalf of official
honesty and manliness, we offer to
the many thousand of 'Reformers'
who voted against the election of'
John Gary Evans to the? United States I
""iota nnv mnsf hpartv oonsrratula-1
i ovaubv w* i w ?
I
tions. * * * The issue 4 the cam-;
paign was not between 'Reformers*
and 'Conservatives/ but between honesty
and dishonesty * * * No, it
is not a Conservative victory, and
means no resumption of old alignments.
The cities and towns cast as
a rule hardly two-thirds of their nor
mal vote: some of them?lite Colum-1
I
bia and Charleston?hardly half of it.
While the returns from the cities
came in it looked as if the vote of th?
State would not exceed 55,000, but
! when the back districts were heard
j from they increased the estimate by
1 over 20.000 votes. .And of these votes.
; cast mainly by 'Reformers,' Evans j
j hardly received half. The 'Reformers' j
did it. and we freely accord them tir^
credit.
"It is no secret why they- did it.
Thev doubted the honesty of this
slated candidate. They recognized his
lack of ability. They realized that
he could not be a creditable representative
of this 'State in the United |
States senate. They did not propose \
i
to support a tainted candidate because
lie had got a clutch qu the coattails
of a bigger man and expected to
be hauled into a position many
sizes too large for him and ten times
too high for him.
They didn't vote for Evans because
they couldn't trust him; because
by his course he had forfeited
all confidence in his personal in- j
legr-ii/.
Again, listen to the words of Mr.
N. G. Gonzales in The Columbia State
on September 8, 1S96, and remember 1
that Mr. Gonzales' name still appears
at the masthead of The State:
" Finally, there is to be taken into
account the dispensary revelations.!
They come too late to have their full 1
*-1- - ' "O ? |
j and proper influence upon cue x\.e-1
form' voters, but they nave already
reached a great many of them, the
reading and thinking members of the
party. They behold Evans in the center
of a very maelstrom of suspicion, j
crimination and corruption; tney see ^
that, at the best, he has been cover-1
ing up rascality and condoning it. 1
' and, at the worst, has been taking
< J
I
pari in it; they see the .1:.-pessary,
under his management, a shame and
a .scandal; they realize that in beginning
the exposure of its more than
'incipient rottenness' he is guided by
foQVc onH rDl'oniroi a 11 /-? 11 At I)'.'
a sense of public duty."
And on September 9, September 11.
and September 12, 1896, Mr. X. G.
| Gonzales (whose name still appears
at the masthead of The Columbia
| State) again added his testimo , as
witness the files of his paper:
i QoT-i+am Viot" Q 1QQC ?n e n ao l-ino r>f
ixi yt A u, i u */ u, ill kj *
the defeat of Governor Evans by
Judge Earle: "The hosts of darkness
have not conquered. The people
are unbribed and unsedifced. Thg
votes of honest men have told for the
right."
September 11, 1S96: "John Gary
Evans failed betause the people were
against him and not all the strength of
Tillman, and the dispensary machine,
and officialdom, and partisanship, and
corruption combined could seduce
enough of them from their position of
antagonism to him. Had these agen-j
cies not been employed he would
i
have been buried under a majority J
five times as great as that which van-j
quisnea mm. mat an tnese usually i
potential influences failed to have him !
is at once a demonstration of his ex-!
treme obnoxiousness and a tribute to j
the integrity and patriotism of the;
majority of the Democratic voters of,
South Carolina."
September 12, 1896: "The Jotm!
Gary Evans that The State said could'
be beaten is the John Gary Evans!
W'Vi r\ id VtAO f An n/MT .Ua Q AAA I
%? uu i-o uvaiciiv ?> . . lit iuv-atu u,vuv j
votes of reaching the maximum we;
declared he could not pass. %The John
Gary Evans whom The State prosecuted
almost alone so long is the
same John Gary Evans who has now 1
been pronounced guilty by the people.
The John Gary Evans whom the constitutional
convention adjudged to 'be
so honest that he would not filch a
rri5>ttor nf five vnfps ic t.hp same John
Gary Evans who is now adjudged by |
43,000 votes capable o? a 'divvy' of!
$15,000 in bond commissions and untold
sums in whiskey rebates."
The "Columbia State also added
some testimony as to Governor Evans"
unpaid 'bill to the State penitentiary
for "rations" while he was governor.
r* 4 A nrvw.TTIr%y- 1
auu d-fe iu luc jujci uaiui iai
farm/' which it was "the highest
hurdle of all, and we don't see 'how ,
it -can be jumped." '^=ee its issue of
March ?A and March 25, 1899.) It
bought testimony as to other matters,
ad nauseam. (See its files from
1896 to 1908.)
Such is the opinion held by The Columbia
State of the man whom it
wmilrl make svnonvmous with the'
Democratic party in .South Carolina. ;
Could a more serious charge be,
broi\ .it against the party?
T..e charge is not brought by me, |
e'cJier against the party or against j
ex-Governor Evans.
i
There are two cLear-cut issues:
1. The Columbia State vs VMr.
Evans.
2. The Columbia. State vs. The '
Democratic party..
Happily, neither The Columbia:
State nor John Gary Evans is the
Democratic party, and happily, neither
has been delegated by the party to
speak for it.
The people of South Carolina are
yet free and. independent. Conve'n- j
tions ma}- be '"controlled,'" tKit tie i
people can't be.
"'Let the heathen rage."' The God
of Si-ai still directs the destines of
men. "Hitherto shalt thou come, but
no further.- and here shall thy >proud
waves be stayed," watrld control th?
oceans today as firmly as in the days
r>f Tnh Hp still is master of the i
winds, and even the Atlantic Ocean
someifm.es ywlds upi to those who love
the Lord voluminous records which,
have been blown upon its waters by
the raging storms, which hover around j
and sometimes wreak their ren- j
geance upon the otherwise peaceful i
little city of Beaufort and other sea- i
coast towns of South Carolina.
-J-'* - c T.. ^ r*K I
lOUr tJUlLWiai l>i JUUf Oku, ucaucu
'"By Way of ^Reminder," is -unworthy
a great newspaper 'like The State. It
utterly mistakes the issue. It is not
the maintenance of the warehouse
system as at present conducted, which j
is the question, but the development
of its powers so as to fulfill its mis
nPViii-. tr ha
OiUil. 1 aid tdii UULJ
by a legislature and governor in thorough
accord with the purpose. The
fight in the legislatures to which you
refer, was not the development of the
system, but merely to prevent its destruction.
Let me state what we farmers
n * o -?+
Y1 v*. II C ,
1st. To .place the system on a basis
which is absolutely self-sustaining,
where no further appropriations will
be necessary.
2d. A system under which the
State will enable us to carry the insurance
on warehoused cotton, with- j
j civ. uepe-utlenc-t cu the insurance
; trust.
:::i. A licensed graders system.
; and tne sale of all <.otton on standara
| grades.
I 4th. The sale of cotton as nearlv
| direct as possible from the farm to
! the mill.
Now, Mr. Editor, you know that
; such progressive plans as these n
| never be attained, except by goin^
j direct to the people. You further
I know that if the warehouse system is
i keut iust where it is. a mere conven
I ience for borrowing money, that it
I will die a natural death, and that is
! your purpose, and the purpose or
those whose mouthpiece you have
been, are and will be. I have no
newspapers; I have no way to get
I these .Eflues ^fore the people, except
from the s?iump. <* uo not wish
to be drawn into factional controversies;
my heart is sick and sore with
useless strife You are doing your
utmost 10 maKe me r.ne representative
of a faction in South Carolina. It is
my humble daily prayer that God will
give me a knowledge of the right, so
that I may govern myself -by His law;
that no deceit may mislead me, nor
temptation corrupt the patriotic purpose
which so far has protected me
in this great work for the people of
the South. i.Vhen I think of some of
i. T_ 1 J ~ 1 J . i?
muse- who yitJieuu ue u itiiius ui
the system, T am reminded of how
Joab concealed a sword in his cloak,
met Amassa with a friendly smile,
"Art thou in health, my brother?" and
then, as he kissed him, smote him under
the fifth ri'b and emptied his bowels
on the ground.
And I am also reminded of another
tragedy recorded in Holy Writ. In
the Old Testament we are told how
the Ephraimites tried to pretend that
_ c T Llk-t. J*
tuey were 01 bue triuc 01 -jtHmuian <tuu
would have overthrown them, but
their identity was discovered because
of their inability to pronounce the
word "shibboleth/' and they vere
mercilessly slaughtered by the Gfleadites,
led by Jephthah. If you will
keep up such discussions as you are
now starting you will find out, when
the votes are counted next August,
that the people have no donbt as to
the identity of false friends. For history
.will have repeated itself, and
the slaughter will be appalling. You
are the recognized spokesman of the
Bphraimites, and I earnestly commend
to you a careful study of Holy
Writ, and an application of the lessons
therein taught.
n tt
tvesyecuuiij,
Jno. L. MeLaunn.
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THE YANKEE KL I
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i;a> lii'ci'jii iii-u .^aui r iciu> so
Senate Job.
^
Washington, June ">.?The follow- ^
ing story relative to the time when JB
Gen. '.v*. C. Butler came to Washing-^
ton as senator^ carried in The PostM
and i< cecidedlv interesting:
\ ^mSm
"When the late Gen. >1.
of South Carolina came t^J
j ton as l-nited States se^|
i'70s the passions born of
J war were still considerably 9
dence around the national c9
said J. B. Ezell of South Carol
j "The man higher up, men oM
'' B-itler's calibre, had, indeed, mfl
! their minds to let bygones be b?
hut amnnp- tho rani* anH fila
j North and South, considerable
| amount of rancor and prejudice still
; lingered. As a reward for faithful
personal service the senator brought
along with him frcm his liome county ^
a most bitter partisan and unreconstructed
rebel by the name of Sam
Fieids. Through the senator's influence
a place was secured for his
trusty lieutenant among the employes
of the senate. A few days rolled by
and the protege sought out. clie senator
and the following dialogue ensued:
"'Gen. Butler, I am greatly obliged
to you for bringing me up here to
Washington and giving me a go.vern- ^
ment position, but I reckon as how
I'll bid you good-bye and go back t.*
old Edgefield county.'
"'Why, what's the matter, 'Sam?
replied the general. Ms your work
too hard?'
"'No, sir; that ain't it. I wouldn't
mind it if it was twice-as hard. As
a matter of fact, general, about aU
I have to do is to raise the flag every '
iiiuruuig ti*cr cue aeuaie uuxiumg, ouu to
tell you the truth, sir; I am sick
and tired of hoisting that doggone
Yankee flag every morning of my
life.'
" 'Well, Sam,' Quoth the senator,
'supposing you do raise a Yankee flag
every morning, don't yon haul it down
every night? It looks to me as though
that ought to even up for your morn
mg periormance.
"Sam swore by the bones of Andrew
Jackson that he had not thought'
of it in that light before. The matter
when thus presented bore an entirelv
new aspect, and history records that
he nevermore quarreled with his job/
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