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J Senator John L. 1 Bi-eal \ < Makes a Whole Lot o Same Time Mak Efforts to 1 ^ his F Ex-Senator John Lowndes McLaurin has issued a letter "to the people of South Carolina," which, with the exception of the opening paragraph. Is printed "below. This paragraph in substance charges that R. A. Cooper, ^ ' candidate for governor is "secretly an ally of Blease" and accuses Cooper of l ? attacking iMcLaurin, "under cover o? ? -darkness.'* It further charges Mr. L Blease with disloyalty to the DemoP cratic party and to the country. :CJk3 f State does not print it, except in subf stance, 'beeauseof its harsh terms. Mr. McLaurin's letter, or address, was presumably evoked by a letter written by Tohn K. Aull, dated January 25,? 1918. and released for publication January 27. 1918. This letter was given to The State for publication and a copy of it signed by Mr. A 11 1 ? -? 'WIA ^AAn in Till AUii Ua5 SlUUe Lilac UUIC' vccu xu a. u ^ f State's possesson. The release was never can-celled. The State did not v?- print the letter. Although the copy in The State's possession purports to show that copies of it were sent to one other newpaper and one man, it was not printed by any newspaper so far as The State is aware. However, the existence of the letter has never ^ been, so far as The State is informed, a secret, and the presumption was II* and is that its existence and contents felft were fcnown to -many persons in politWm ical circles. Certainly it is a surprise ift t0 'rile s*ate t-at at th*s time ^now^~ |:;B eds-e of it comes as a surprise to any'imf ~body. Obviously, in the circumstances, K the existence of the letter and its m contend could hardly have been supt pressed and newspapers would have been privileged to have printed it any time if they had cared to do so. The State, for various reasons, did not print it. One of them was that it "had reference to an incident than The (State had already kept out of its ^ coltrmns and another was that The State did not -consider it of sufficient importance, -but the letter, according to The State's understanding, has "been public property since the day of JP its release, so far as its author is concerned. The letter of Mr. iMcLaurifl to the people of South Carolina, with the exception of the opening .paragraph, follows: To the People of South Carolina: T entered this ramna.fe'n as a fan. didate for governor of South Carolina with the intention of rendering three distin-ct services to my state. No persorral ambition could have tempted me. But there was work to do, and no other man able to do the Tors : would put his hand to the plow. 9k First, I desired to perfect and amplify the State warehouse system / that I gave to South Carolina. Second. I desire to rid the State of useless expenses, and'to lower taxe3 that have 'become unbearably heavy through the carelessness and folly of those who have been the power behind the State government. Third. ? desired to strip the mask from Cole L. Blease, expose hrm before the people as a self-seeking demagogue without scruple or honor, and disbar him forever from the ^jcouncils of a free, clean and intelli~Aent 'Democracy. Unintentionally, and through the 0 lack of the wisdom and fairness thas \ snould be the possession of a man "big enougn to 't>e governor or a state. R. A. Cooper has precipitated my exposure of -Blease and in so doing ex frlHANK AH pf: : stomAcM 1 fdee, if: M MOSTTHiNS^ X HAv/ej ??T A? COCK-vTA^ ITS SO ATA CoN? StMCc xVe j SANOul ; \JEAT?^ ! 1 t DRoP n " L. ^L IT Vie Laur'm cs Loose Again f Charges And at the es Confessions of Jouble Cress 'riends " I ' posed h.is own real character. j | When this campaign be^an. Cooper ! announced on the stump that ne 1 would not criticise another candidate, and a few days later said that ha would not have the office if he had to ; ? 1 + ~ nnnnnflTlti Win It Uy Lilt? idu:td ui lud licmio instead of his own merits. i This was a high and fair sentiment,! ; and he gained credit by it, tout it was hypocrtical. It was a mask to cover : the real man, for since that time, while ! apparently friendly with me, he has j been slipping around behind my back ! and showing to some of his support| ers a letter given him by a weak and j bitter man, imputing to me a crime | of which I am not and could not be ' guilty. - j ' T "-3 lftf far* or?ircvn J 1 am izuurmtru dial cut; icun | to Cooper 'by John K. Aull of -New i berry, who is the chief lieutenant and adviser of Cole L. Blease, charger! ; that I endeavored to sell out the Demi mocracy of iSouth Carolina in the fall i of 1916 for the sum of $4?o,000. Tf Cooper had foeen a man. and if ' he had believed this charge to be true, he would have faced me (before an audience of South Carolina people, .pointed his finger in my face and said: "That man tried to sell this State to the Republicans." In that case I would have called him a liar if it had cost me my life. :But lacking thQ manhood to do this, and knowing that it would damage me if he could circulate it secretly, he slipped behind my back and hid his sneaking treachery with a smile. On its very face the charge is a lie.: Xo man who knows me?and the majority of the people of 'South Carolina do know me?would suspect me of j selling my honor at an price. I am not a money grabber and I do nor need more than I have. This letter has been shown to a number of men who love decency and fair play, and several of them hava written me a'bout it. Mr. Kennerly Mayfield of Denmark was the first tc-tell me of its existence. He had been informed by Mr. Crum, a supporter of Cooper to whom Cooper showed the j letter. Cooper told Mr. Crum that He would not use the letter openly until after the close of the campaign, so that I would have no opportunity tc reply and defend myself. I love a fight with a ibrave enemy who will face me in the open. I despise an assassin who knifes me in the back under cover of darkness. I will now tell the story of that letter from the beginning, and expose tha crookedness and rascality that brought it into existence. ; j In 19-14, when I was serving in the ; State senate and Blease was serving his last terra as governor, I intro- i duced he bill providing for what has since become famous as the ^outh Carolina State warehouse system. I knew the great go"* this system would do. I hac :o mane the fight j for it single handed, and I knew that I could not win unless I made concessions to the Blease faction. In order to win this support, and prevent the veto of Blease, I agreed to to the selection of John K. Aull as secretary if the "bill went through j The 'hill passed and I, as its atithcr, j ; was elected commissioner. I kept mv ; ! bargain and appointed Aull secretary.1 j He was efficient and did his work I ? ' ?- 3 q i wen. i tnougnt mm a inena; In the spring of 1916 Blease came to me in person and. also wrote me D PETE 250iT\ /CC6 HERcfeX) ^ OOJ) CO<?K I * / STlCl >ast eeefj j <^ance to san iich-i'd i i c tsom j//' q.f\p 5AD From I ! SATS ! J7/7/////f eAT T ? j / a-'-'-r uie to s-ipport him for govern0 - ?r?inst Manning I told him that 1 v?o::Ul not do it?that Manning had h??-\ standing behind tbe warehouse f]eve'.c">m?t. and that I liad faith in rr^g's future support of this in. stit'.Uion. From that tfato t not:?ad a differ' ' - ' - - - ? J ~ -J,, enre in tne auuuue ?i:u i-uauuu ui A"U. anrl before long I was morally r->-tv!> f>jat he was in my office as a tr> 1 and spy of Blease. T knew, also, that P>!ease would from that time on use any means to "get" me. I welcomed the fight, for I had already determined that it was my duty to show him up before the people and w,*m rvnf r?f smith Carolina do!1" U1 I V V U1 V w ^ V fc ' V. V '? t tics. Later, [Manning's attitude on the insurance matter forced me to support Blease. against my will, to protect the warehouse system. After the second primary of 1916. when Blease had been repudiated by the people, he told me a number of time.?, as he told others, that he would go before the people at the general election as an independent candidate. I knew that he would not do this, for he is not a fool. 'But T said nothing to discourage him, for T +r\ AilflinO in TT1V 1 VVxJW 'UC^iUUin^ IU ?- ?. mind the plans of a trap that would catch him. A little later he asked use to run as an independent candidate. Of course I refused. 'He came back again with another proposition, asking me to put up the money to finance an independent ticket and of cour^ T ref'.!-5f-;i t*;:s <:,*o. By this time I saw that he would certainly bolt and attempt to set up an independent party if he could find the money to finance the scheme, and T suggested to him that he might be able to get the money through John Capers, who was high in the councils of the Republican party. This'was absurd, but 'Blease apparently took the halt, and in order to lead him on I frequently called John Aull to take d'"elation for letters on this subject addressed to Capers. Of "ourse .the letters were neve1* mailed, for the whole proposition was silly. but. Aull took the matter seriously and I felt sure that he was ke?ping Blease informed and that Blease would sooner or later expose his hand. As my secretary, Aull very properly filed and preserved carbon copies of these letters. The originals T destroyed as soon as Aull was out of sight. They bad accomplished their work as soon as they had fooled Aull and through Aull led Blease nearer to the trap. The whole course of Blease at this t'me was dictated by his belief that Hughes would (be president. While the Republican State committee was in session at the Jefferson Hotel, in Columbia, I was in the office of m W T> fn v(\ oit;as>: aic ii/iu ??, \ u >.? to the hotel, see Dunk Adams, who was Republican State chairman, and t?ll him to nut the names of Cole. L Blease and Tohn L. McLaurin on tho t*>ket as delegates at large. I offered no objection 1n the presence of Blease bvt as somi as Beard left. T followed and caught him and told him that he must not use my name and that I would have nothing to do with it. To make doubly -sure, I called Adams on the phoiK and told him that if Beard mentioned my name about any proposition it was without my consent. Blease had an interview in a Chicago paper in which he predicted * V. ~ f\t WmrTlOO TTp 11 CoH ffl tuc ricv/iiua -.-w ~~ wonder why no one attacked' him about it. He really believed that Hughes would .be elected, and he fully expected to control federal patronage in South Carolina. But while he hoped for much from the Republicans, he was shrewd enough to hold on to the Democratic party and shove Beard to the front as the ostensible leader of the independent movement. One day I had to go to Washington and New York on business connected MY w? m >! ue CAN ) f I'M coinc oUr FOI < A peu L WHILE" ! WAIT ON DWlCH?SlN I CO&TOMeRS AND ftx. KeTS Akj' ! up^tuJ 'CM WH6M ) g M?T BOSS j AIM'T I Ani/ifv/? /? ? & - f fc^feasjauata**1?* with the Federal Reserve board and the insuring of store! cotton, and took Aull with me. He was familiar : with the details cf the warehouse business and 1 had need of him. In Wash'ijgton we saw Jno. Capers.: What transpired t:7ere will be ex.; plainer: by the following letter from ' Mr. Capers: : I Law office?Evans Building. Suite 501-4. Washington. D. C . Ji'r.e 27. 1918 i'"Hon. .John L. McLaurin, Pennetts ! ville, S. C. J "Dear iMcLaurm: I was amazed ai your inquiry if you had written me : a letter in the fall of 1916, saying the State could -De carried for the Republican party if an amount equal to $1,000 to the county could be proI ; vided. T do not believe you ever thougiu i such a thing possible, aithou^h yoJ j have had no experience whatever in j the Republican party. I have had a very pleasant experi- j ence with the party in national af- j fairs for over 20 years and a very sad and discouraging experience with its affairs in South Carolina. As a result of which, I know that the stata could not have .been carried for the j Republican party in 1916 for $50,000 ! to the county, r fact, for any other I amount. If t now the date or i the contents copy of a letter : "Mr. Aull is saA? have in his pos' session purporting to be a copy of a j i letter written to me by you in :Sep- j terr'ber or October, 1916. Nor do I know the date or contents of the | ; original of which it is alleged he J holds a copy. I do not find any such letter in my iiles, after an exhaustive search, nor have I any recollection of having received it. I do remember, however, during j the last week in September, i tmnK j it was, you and Mr. Aull called at my j office and you introduced him to me j as your secretary. I must have been I considerably impressed with what he j told me after you had left the office, | ' especially as yen had introduced him as your secretary and I presumed yo': i were in sympathy with the statements he made to me. So much so. that before you returned to the office I sent a wire to the then leader of the remnants of the Republican party in Soi't-i Carolina asking him to come rr> to Washington. I find a copy of j that telegram and have it in my har:ri ! : i at this writing j When you told me personally, in ....... ? ???11A110 qpsaasi ! Him I HIS I NERVOUS WOMAN j GOT WELL i > Told by Herself. Her Sin- j cerity Should Convince Others. i ??? ! Christopher, 111.?"For four years I suffered from irregularities, weakness, i . nervousness, and i IllllilllllliiUJUJIIilltilll! was in a run down j III! mmm!I condition. WO ot ; ! |||!M??|| our best doctors UK .:? failed to do me any ! nMTOH g0<Mi I1.hef,rd.s?' : /mMM\ much about what Mr' I LydiaE.Pinkham's ' I ly-CrfJ Vegetable Com- i : llipjM^pP^pJlJ pound had done for I, ' S others, I tried it ' ' a was cure^ J 1 | :w; am no longer ner- < : vous, am regular, j , j -??J and in excellent I health. I believe the Compound will ! cure any female trouble. "-?Mrs. Alice : Heller, Christopher, 111. 1 | Nervousness is often a symptom of | weakness or some functional aerange- ' | ment, which may be overcome by this famous root and herb remedy, Lyaia i j E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound, as J ' thousands of women have found by i 1 experience. | If complications exist, write Lydia E. j ] j Pinkham'MedicineCo., Lynn, Mass., for | ; suggestions in regard to your ailment, i The result of iu> lung experience ia 1 5 j at your service- j ms-mwrn R A LlTTCeA thf hurrv up, ha > uiHeNVOU THe goss VjJiI CceAN Be BACK ah our subsequent talk, that you expect ed to have nothing whatever to d with an independent movement h South Carolina, that you were an off! cial of the State Democratic admin, stration and very warmly in favor o President V/ilson, T felt as ;f I hac iost a great deal of valuable tim* with iMr. Aull, in spile of the fjc that his representations of the 1 liter ness of the recent Democratic primaries and the charge^ of fraud a the election and the determination o thousands of people not to stand bj the primaries indicated cncor.ragin; prospects for an independent move ment which would becomc at leas the basis of the formation of two 00 litical parties in the 3tafe. Your statement, however, that yoi would have nothing whatever to d. with it, satisfied me that. I would pu myself in a ridiculous attitude if took the matter up at headquarters ii Xew York without the assistance o men of your reputation, service anc character. Mr. dear Mac., I have heard voui enemies charge you with a grea many things but I have never ve heard vou accused of 'being an idio and you would certainly have placet vrvn a! P i -n f V?,n f + a yva t\1<\ K yv/ui acu in mat viass LU ^uuuciii'piai' leaving a high State office in th? Democratic administration of you State, with bright prospects for gov ernor, or for the senate in the future by vacating the office you held, leav ing the party you belonged to and ii which you had rendered distinguishe< service, to lead or lend your assist anre to a forlorn hope of that 'kind Those who are trying to beat you fo the nomination for governor must b< vp.tv hard pressed for an issue upoi which to bring about your defeat. "Very sincerely yours, "John Capers." Anil ?ot into such shape as to makt further travel impossible, and ' hroneht him home and made the Nev York trip later. Anyway. I had accidentally securec what T wanted?a. disinterested wit ne.ss to the fact that the campaigr ^nnt^er and chief "lieutenant . ol Blease had annealed to a prominent worker in the Republican. party ir an effort to eret. fnnds to finance ho't. And T knew that with til1"' nronf t coulrl face the neot^e of .Soutt Carolina and expose this ar^h traito/ ^-ivo ^'"rn forevpr frrm the council of a clean and de^e-rt democracy Please hps a^ilHv. He could havr been a great leader and could have yrp-qt eood. Bnt he chose tf nrrs^titufe his a'bilitv to gain ar h<vr'<? apc-tanse and gratifv an in entiWhle ambition fo^ nower. One? he was a. kins:. -Now there are non? so low as to do him reverence. It may interest the peoole of Soutt Carolina to know what Blease did tc Beard In the fall of 1916 Beard had finallv put out an independent tickei for the sreneral election, n^omnted pnd ursred to this course by 'Blease There anneared no chance -of the sue''ess of this ticket, however, and RIease drew awav from it. Concern, ing this matter I have a letter froir Beard, under date of March 15, 1918 in which he says that Please put ou' ?nd even named the "Bull .Moose' ticket of 1912. and concludes: "Blea^f encouraced me to nut out that ticket at the following (1M6) general election?which you again advised mr against. Then he got cold feet and left me in the lurch. Now he has deserted me." !No man in 'South Carolina has served ?lease as Beard has, Beard was his bodyguard in 1910, protected him on the stiimo. and wa?3 always at his beck and call. Blease claims to stand by hi3 friends. Beard is in the penitentiarv today as the result of following where ^lease led, and vet, as T can prove by Beard's letters, Blease ha.s refused to help him in any wav, and has not so much as given a dollar to Beard'? family?for Beard is no longer useful m*y come ] jjtmk j lc back- 8ut I UA\7 A iv '"t5as0re I Bur u)( j th'nc uje j i up a ? wo n't ,m y | j to him. n"~^ >| This spring when I learned that i _ there was a concerted effort all over -! South Carolina to get me into the -' race for governor as a Blease candi* fj date, I declined. I knew that 1 could i i not under any circumstances, allow s! my name to 'be used in connection t! with this man who was a traitor to -! his party and an outspoken enemy of - the government in Washington, t The public win recall my corrresi pondence with certain Blease mera* j hers of the Anderson county delegaj tion. in which I refused to ally trty-1 self with Blease. ^' T knew T had a great work ahead ' i of me?a work that was bigger than I factional politics?and refused to i; ally myself with either the Blease or >i anti-Blease faction, choosing rather i 11 to enter the campaign as a free man r and a supporter of principles rather 1 than 'isms. ' This letter was probahlv put int"> 1 the hands of Cooper by Aull at tin request of Blease. for secret use r against me. * Cooper doubtless thought that t Blease and Aull were helping him; t but their real purpose was to get * Cooper to do their dirty work, as ha 5 i has, 'knowing full well that when I ? learned of it, I would expose Coopr er's sneaking treachery and destroy ' him politically. They hoped by this | scheme to destroy me. and to use m3 "! as a means of destroying Cooper, 1' leaving the field to Richards, their * j only hope of power. The scheme has failed, rne ireacu ery has served only to unmask Coopr ei\ and has given me the opportunity 3 to expose Blease at an earlier date 1 ! than I expected. What reward John Aull hoped for , I do not know. I feel sorry for : him. for he is a good bov when away ^ from the malign influence of Blease. T expect to join the campaign on Thursday. 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