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ttrffiifw —HB —Kimi »!ii imiucilBPAH fTf^vr ifcrn^ts fn a but raw tm KMCXATKFAtn INK STATHENT OF ACCUSATION ANSWEIEI BY UEASt ANIAUU—C10FEB ALSO EXPLAINS I Foment tJHITOD STATU BKSATOR OPUS FIRE UPON RX-QOV- • rmff | «• MM US UXf * Ittvsr is mi fUm, slisr ss • rrs. ftor SAtA I ssr of ksrtsc Tfivmi It 1 do rsasmW. liow»w. dsrlnc (HA ls«l w—k Is Ssptsabsr. I tSInk It was. you And Mr. As 11 nllsd SA m> office end you Introduced him to me it your Aecretiry. I mu«t hire been considerably Impressed with whet he toM me after you had left the office, eepeeUUy as you had in troduced him as your secretary and I presumed you were in sympathy with the statements he made to me. MINOR BLBAMC, DECLARING) HIM TO BE TRAITOR To PARTY So much «o. that befora your return i to the office I tent a wire to the —THLIR OP HULL M006B TICKET — BLEA8E REPLIES SAY. then leader of the remnanta of the ING NO HONEST MAN WOULD BEUBVB McLAURIN — AULL Mklnc^hlm to^cLe TBLIii OP HIS PART IN EVENTS CHRONICLED AND COOPER ton , . 1 fl "? * copy of that telegram • and hare it In my hand at this writ- ANSWBRS McLAURlN'B REPKRRNOU TO HIM. Printed below Is the complete cor respondence In the McLaurln, Blease, Cooper and Aull controversy: McLAURINSTATEMENT To the People of South Carolina: 1 entered this campaign as a can didate for (overnor of South Caro lina with the intention of rendering three distinct services to my stats. (No personal ambition could have tempted me. But there was work to do. And no other man Able to do the work would put hit heed to the plow. - First. I desired to perfect ajM Am plify the Bute werehoM# syetem that I gAve to South ChroltBA. I desired te rid the Stele thet he*# beery, threegh the te etrip the (he h a Ing. H 1. When you told me personally, In warehouse development, and that I our subsequent talk, that you expect- had faith in Manning's future sup- e d to have nothing whatever to do port of this institution. |with an independent movement in From that date I noticed a differ-! South Carolina that you were an of- ence in. the attitude and conduct of ficial of the State democratic admin- Aull, and before long I was morally latratlon and very warmly In favor certain that he was in my office as of President Wilson I felt as If I a tool and spy of Blease. I knew, had lost a great deal of valuable alsp, that Blease would from that time with Mr. Aull In spite of the time on use any means to "get" me... fact that the representations of the I welcomed the fight, for I had al- bitterness of the recent Democratic ready detersMned that It was my primaries and the charges of freed duty to show him up before the peo- st the election and the determine- pit and drive him out of flttth Car- tloi of tbouaandA of pooplo tot to oltna politics. Later. Manelag’s st- stand by the primerlee lad tee ted ea- tlttdt oa tfct tattrtMt matter fort- couragtag proepocu for at ft ed mo to aepport Bleaee. %gatest my deal movemetl which would ftattet lit marthttet syu-.at Itttt the baale of the ft tom. of two poutirel pertloe la tbo tutu After the s tret I primary of Itlt. * Tear automoot, however, that whmi Wtam* iti il roptiltud hy ytt wttld have tathitt whtuvtr it ■ft a amber ef da with It. mUeRed me that I tea rui he wwali pat mymtf U a rlilrulseA atuta If I teat the matter aft at hat ftnerure la Tech w^haai % I keew that he would aut da this saw si > a re ef maa ef ‘ far he is aet s ini ftot | «o*d earvut tad sfturasver I aue M? deer tftt* I have heart ft aha aftamdap aftaaftp paa wwh bee «f a tewa that wwaftd tmmft him rnaap tftaafti hat I haea aaa amuaft a ftftftb ftkaia odMsa fta aha ftamaaMii aaftMBaMBaahn at vwas wftR aftji top ftBP* I smfusuft mm o*aew os Pm «he esaafla m tarn Pteoso or ta fta tMr dMtp wash, aa fta 1 kewoioa fall woft that ohsa t ad af lL I aaali mpaea Cam poiitleaftf* They hoped hy IhM to deetroly am. end to urn mo ee • moea* of dssiroyini Cooper, leaving the field U Richards, their only hope of power. i scheme has felled. The treach ery baa served only to unmask Coop er. and haa given me the opportuni ty to expose Blease at an earlier date than I expected. What reward John Aull hoped for I do not know. I feel sorry for him, for he Is a good boy when away from the malign influence of Blease^ I expect to t join the campaign on Thursday. John Lowndes McLaurln. Bennettsville, 8. C. I am at home under a doctor's care, but will be back on the cam paign Thursday if possible. at MftMft* gw .aftai ft Iseur wffnmi I * j ft rbewhtrw. w» h ht ftp Mr. ftgfftui 4 by i asmb^r mu It came late I was dehallag la my RLE ABE'S REPLY To the Editor of The SUte: I hardly feel it necessary for me to make and comment on the letter of John L. McLaurln, which you pub lished this morning. I am satisfied that Mr. McLaurln’s past conduct in South Carolina politics, especially In a member of the senate of the Unit ed Sutee, is such thnt no honest- thinking man would give credence to any eutement which he might make la reference to my atumptlag jo holt the democratic party, ta view of my service u the party ta the peqt. aad la view ef the further tact ftftt** BftV t i head iftsw rwftf of «h* Ueh ft Aoft io * As ta Mr MrLaena** permael hem «i^ J epuiwa ef am. thet is gelte leegh Mr. shu after his very devoted eervtres I heew gad espenditerv ef Uam and meaty of ethet trying le pet me la the gevereor s mf „ office for a third term If he wee own of a^uth such n very had maa aa he attempt all. I knew tbit the people of . <>uth to felet me once strain upon the Carolina had conclusive tvldrn. .• of people of the SUte’ * Mf McUuHn’e political perfidy In Of course everybody knows and the "Dear Archboid" letter of May has been knowing for many months 29, 1902, in which Mr. McLaurln past that I was not supporting and says, "I can beat Tillman If Pfopor- would not support John L. McLaurln ly and ge^ously supported. With for governor. That it what makes this knowledge and other matters him mad anti what makes him, in connected with Mr. McLaurln s poli- hls desperation, attemiipt to drag me tical life familiar to the people of into his class of political deserters*, the State, I did not reg &r< ^ a8 • Referring to what he says about factor in the race and did not care his warehouse commissionersblp, to stultify my manhood by striking surely the man must be out of hit a cripple. I did -feel, however, that mind or have taken something which; the people ought to know of Mo- caused . him to have hallucinations, j Laurin's efforts to lead the State in- Some of my friends Ulked to me in to the republican party in 1916 as al- reference to running for warehouse leged in the Aull letter and conferred commissioner after the position was with Mr. Crum and other friends established, and I said, that under as ta the course I should pursue, no conditions or circumstances could 1 have never supported Blease, nor I accept it. And Mr. Claud N.'BiftP.! have I entered into or considered then a member of the legislature any combination with him. Blease, from Lancaster county, t almost spon- McLaurln and all the Blease leaders taneously, you might say, Just at the know this. I supported Governor last moment arose In his seat and Manning In the aecond primary in nominated Mr. McLaurln for tbit po- 1914 and In 19U and so announced sitlon. It came to him without any myself In the press of the State 1m solicitation on his part, ao far as mediately after tb* result of the first I am Informed, and I think he was pHmary was know. The effort, tbera- attout as much surprised when Mr., fore, to align me with Mr. Blease le Sapp nominated him aa aayhody else too rldlcnloos to merit was. aad I addressed a commeaica- thought tlon to the legislature. In which I: The atat •aid: Mr W. J. C **I congratulate yog upon (ho poo- eodU Into •age of Iftb acreage MU and the tor le oe foKnes waroheoee hill, aad up eg ywgr alert Aithneth vwtgi legally aad furnished me hy to show how I of the AoU let- The gaoni m of gho I •wed ft OgpgftftgBgft »« •‘•m ('warn I TT^TeS hm Wm mm mfl eg SHgft »• •so e * m» ■ p mmgu gftgpgft tM gmnmn He • s • s gam eg i ae eo' he o eg ■ ef < % - eeMe tgg torn ef git #dft ^fg ftftft Ift -ge toeft ggggp ft (hum tftrn pew Id | 'ftf ftftggft Cl geeft tegghur gram iftg ftHBft •a • •* §*m -»e w wt ewgera eg oge>g •eusogd ef mgs ef mo raft bgjft pwfiw] mSmmmm ftBftgpg t megggg# siim so poe j rw»e owe wee ef «om ef e fteiO. em ** a ewOed as rag fho rraga»Mse mm ewra igga ft goraft ee egg toeweoe ee heft m mm ghgm reee «<eigo •rags mo •Usoe ef geegos o%e fee erag *%e aom ef she ghrameg hue emd Swaweee «ge eeggeerawe ef • ee m mo sift ■gftft mo gmaf ftmnaftft gftft ham ftf fftg a eft em rag Me «o m aegu ef ggwig | we eras rawt ftp ft wo *ge Iggmgft eg who gggftuo ggft woo mggftftft '* tftag goftfts gfggggftf gftft la gmm mftgft tftm moma ftpo ^4^gftft fdftftftftfftftft (pflpftftft) ftf^lftgft^pftftp ft I mwggfts «eue a eufte ago mo mgo mo mo AgSTTSmi ghmft^^egflT^egft BBftftftBBMBftft § ftgpg iftMliipftWm Bftgmt ftko mmftgft ef ffto mm g» he* egg eogf mmumftm Who ftmgamnft fvmgftft ■■a moegmft m euftgggmi lift Mftftlmft sfooffth m%m* s •# tgo wemopeftee am Veev ift • ot ifftmaa t kwi ass tie ■g mi m r r e «toM 1 tost to ImftL ■ft mil f Me an MM ftftaftlimfta < * eaft gm ■ft toegjmmmp Mil ftft mmm ito to mrnm m iaee ,ftg gftft ftg iftl ftgft flMBofttftft eh ** _ftM ftBlmi Is e with e m Om Its very fare the rhai lie Ne mao «he kaeos mo sod the me)enty of the people of tooth Corollge do keew mo—would sea port me of eel It as my hoaftr at any price I am sot a frahher and I do ant seed more thaa 1 have Thte letter hae been shown to a number of men who love decency and fair play, and several of tham have written me about It. Mr. .Kennarly Mayfield of Denmark was the first to tell me of Its existence. He had been informed by Mr. Crum, a sup porter of Cooper, to whom Cooper showed the letter. Cooper told Mr. Crum that he would not use the let ter openly until after the close of the campaign, so that I would have no opportunity to reply and defend myself. I love a fight with a brave enemy who will face me in the open. I jtez- spise 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 the crookedness and rescaliity that brought it into existence. In 1914, when I was serving in the State senate and Blease was serv ing his last term as governor, I in troduced the bill providing for what has since become famous as the South Carolina State warehouse sys tem. I knew the great good this . system would do. I had to make the fight for It single handed, and I knew that I could not win unless I made concessions to thu Blease far- tigs, la grftgr to via this auppurt. •ad preveal thu veto ot Bleges. I agreed te the aelsrflgg of Jobs K AuU ae servwUry If tbo hill wool The MU peeeeft soft I. ae I ■ft ms-um mm wv+mfM MbI ( 1 gftft Ml to tbo toM of lilt to tbte Mm that he meet oet see my same ftepeftftegt Uriel tor lift soft tbot I wgftlft hove ftgtblftg le Men log. prggiptoft gftft grg do with it. To make doe My aero. Ilcwgrae b* Hieara There r** 4 .**™ ** Op *"•?.** m Um mmtm •( UR tie- kta tkat II HmN ■yJmi. nH Hnw 4r»w name shoot any propoMtlgg It woo. from It. Concemlag this mattar 1 vltbotH My Cftftggftt. (have a letter from Board under date Blease had an Intorvlow In n Chi-! of March 11, 1918, la which ho mtyv cago paper In which he predicted the that Blease put out and oven named election of Hughes. Ho used to won- the "Bull Moose" ticket of 1912, der why no one attacked him about ^nd concludes: "Blease encouraged It. Ho really believed that Hughes!me to put out that ticket at the would be elected and he fully expect- following (1916) general election— ed to control federal patronage in which you again advised me against South Carolina. But while he hoped i Then he got cold feet and left me for much from the Republicans, he jin the lurch. Now he has desert- was shrewd enough to hold on to ed me." No man in South Carolina the Democratic party and shove has served Blease as Beard has Beard to the front as the ostensible Beard was his bodyguard in 1910, leader of the independent movement. day I had to go to Washing ton and New York on business con- protected him on the stump, and was always at his beck and call. ©lease claims to stand by his nected with the Federal Reserve tr ends. Beard is in the peniten- Board and the insuring of stored cot-] tiary today as the reslult of fol- ton, and took Aull with me. He was, lowing where Blease led and yet, familiar with' the details of the ware-' 88 I can prove by Beard’s letters, house business and I had need of Blease has refused to help him in him. In Washington we saw John Cap^ ers. What transpired there will be explained by the following letter from Mr. Capers: Hon. John L. McLaurln, BennetU- vllle, 8. C. June SI, lilt Dhftr IteLftbrtn:—f mm m any way, and has not so much as given a dollar to Beard’s family— for Beard is no longer useful to him. This spring, when I learned that there was a concerted effort all over South Carolina to get me Into the race for governor as I Blease can- ■ didate. 1 declined I knew that I ki a i abeolfttetar refeeeft Ift have .,•4 conn mot. ,.4ot om, rtmiMUMw. i „ «. ! .tU M: »4 tk*~ iiica •i)o» ar aaa* to aaa4 Is aa*-'aa, a mmm , a ... t , Me MftftMrftmftt MMMftft arai ftf fttlftgenft em tftetf Bfttom trap ftt baft eepwra- ft tngttef 8ft gtft Jraraeft 'gtefy %m pftlfttM, ftp ftft feera _ jaeft (bet be tom th*i M wee dee ft# tbei I ebeelft bftav gftft be tolft ftft tbee ibni he wfti ggftftg te reMgft frera the vftfftbftftM iftftftftb* Mgft gftft bftvft ftgftbtftft tftrtber to ftft with !i. which be 41ft. I sew Mr Aull very pftftggi while he wee Mf* Mrleertg'e eecreury and he bit nev er yet raid eee vorft le me 1ft ref ereace to the t 'rtonnl or pebllc tran- eadlona of Mr. MeLeniin an ware- bovee commlaaloaer, except when he told me about the Washington trip and aa!d he was going to get out Im mediately. And there Isn't n man In South Carolina who knows John AuU but knows that he. is too hon orable a gentleman to betray any trust reposed In blm. He served the old Eighth circuit as court sten ographer for eight years, and has been made court stenographer of ' this circuit, a position of honor and trust and I know that he would be willing to leave his .reputation for square dealing in the hands of the members of the bar, among whom he has worked, and with the supreme court and circuit judges who have presided over the many courts which he has reported. The statement that I encouraged Beard in putting out a ticket is as black a He as has ever been put in print. On Jhe contrary. I warned Beard against any such step and he told him not to do It. and when he came to me complttnlag that he had spent money to hftfft tickets printed end wanted me to holp reimburse A C eefte* traeeft the eeeftgfti an radeeegee to Mf ft»4 e e*ra e eaeeeenMM pftbMftftft m The ftheae ftgftftgp Te the Israraaegta* t eases eft gerath CMMfti I Lera beet ranft the ftetoftshl e gftft ftnftft W Mel a gfto hftn aft eft 2 Areageft Te the Feftftto ftf ftftftftb Che* (ftVftMift/* Mbfthftftft to Mgftftftp^n pgftgve he j m vftftrft be Mftboe eeetele serges ■ liege ftbitb ere IgieftAeA by blm to reflect gg me personally and pellti* rallf. My firm Iftlpfltoe was to bnve me da answer other than throes heraera eft fftg togas The heme eftft Mhfttom ggft The rhgrftmngft araeea •ra oftgft toe Mhto Wo tfmga ♦ho mogjftftftJtoto toMftftT. ffemto «M ftaftftflMM a» to*ftfll gtoftt gem* ••of • afttora gf M hM eepeeft tboft liftftP toft ioo eeftbp to pgfttoto toft Mftto if ■ haft hneft e fkpftt heeveeg mmm ftwaft mgft n oogaft bgeo kmm PMMMftgft m toi hratames, eft gftft fttfta h tat thane \ • • e eg ft so haefta ^ ^ifogibaaiigMp. I magba Mftto that WftftMIftflto fttotoMtog gf thg r - ft Vgft \o • ^rld ugh tbo •ft ftooMfgl gggg vglge Mgft gf wbftfft wgglft bgv oft a ataumegt free ftereeft. bovglftlgg N to vgglft bora meg nceft n pel Icy ef toete wbleb vne gftft la of pern men nt benefit end agfety te tbe people of tontb Caroline, and perhaps wonlft _ ... _ , bnra opened an Intrrmlaal rontro- pgbtlc prlgu. hrn upon re fleet log 1 v#rty of || lt | # D#wg of doubl . tblob 1 nm hardly J eat i fled la glv lag him this notice. His peat po Utica) history aa well aa the eonfes fnl Interest to the people and of probable embarrassment to the prin ciples: and third, the matter was •lou *h;<h he muken in his long ar- thoroughly considered at a confer- .• u: 1 hi- effort to show that he encg between Governor Manning and *" on jr trylBg to entrap Bloate the reporter, of the Columbia papert •re eufflc eat to condemn him In the , nd lhe correspondents of the out- eyee of *ll «Ood an<f true men Hla of . town pa|(erg at whch „ was deem . statement that John K Aull had fur- ed t0 let the matter remal nlshed me the proof of his. McLau- quiescent. Mr. Aull. belna ooeniz- rln^s efforts to betray the democracy ant ' 0 f these facts and knotrln R tbo of the State causes him to explain underlying causes of suppression a letter which I had never seen or was very tndlgnant at the ••story- heard of. Conscious of his own guilt whicH appeared In The Tribune. He he attempts to turn State's evidence wrote a refutation of it. sending the before the evidence which he knew le t t er to the editor and publisher of ex.sted had been produced against The Tribune, furnishing signed cop- ?‘u- ?v . nt Vf ask9 th , e . p " khc , l ? of ‘t to Mr. F. H. McMaster, of believe that all concerned in the plot t he Columbia State; Governor Rlch- as exposed by him were guilty except ar d I. Manning and me. It was re- “ happens, however that bu t the newspapers, for various rea- f dt $ have „ copy t 0 f f 1 . 18 “VI sons, decided not tt> use It. The let- leged -dummy" letters to John G , er 8lgned by Mr AuII folIowa . Capers, the republican boss of South 1 Carolina. The only copy of a letter' "Columbia, 8. C.. Jan. 25, 1918. which I had was one written by John J “Col. V. B. Cheshire, K. Aull to V. B. Cheshire, editor of the Anderson Tribune, which lat ter Mr. W. J McCormack. In charge “Editor Tribune, “Anderson. 8. C. * "Dear Vie: Tbis letter Is for pub- of the Columbia bureau of the Newg Hcetlon only upon the day the legit- and Conrier.. Informs me he bne eet Inure edjoerna. If yon will regard onl In fall la n etntemeat which he naythlng to eoftfldenra |f • 0 * do at your iaqelry If yoe had orii ra me n letter to the teR ftf l»|g. ggp- .ftrattgg with thie| tog Ito toftto mm to rarrtod torlltoftlftr to hto party end fta mm ■pftftf M ps fttoaftBifto tftfttof oft ftiftf wto • any k iMMd ik. mmut ira ftp if ■ess tomato mm itomn | • mmm I «m» e ■ ftp ■yon ftg h*» fu'cithr.l tre ly V- M < ,r mm* k lot 1 perseftftllf do ftftl car* ft to euted at that time itoi Mpaaftf "!• yoor imi i copies of iftm hod been ferotei ■ I (to r«fw ito Cgigntotn fltoto. (tot MMtopft | ft eft iftm rag# eo4 soft f >gp yog miirleg e ftowtpftpgr meg tftP ftf paftMftto • Maty cl toe toamiftt '*•■ ar Oee^vej «x«rao I to aaa as fftM ftmto I mmm