University of South Carolina Libraries
B R TILLMAN'S OPINION OF JOHN P GRACE, BELATED BUT INTERESTING LETTER FROM SENIOR SENATOR PUBLISHED IN GRACE'S PAPER. U S Senate. May 12. 1913. Hon Jno P Grace, Charleston,S C. My dear Mr Grace: I have just received your letter of May 9. In reading it, I am reminded of Talleyrand's admonition about writing letters: "Keep all you get and write none." While I confess I have not very much confidence in you, there are so manv elements of good in you that I am staggered to know how to make up my judgment about your character and personality. r~ I have heard more that is mean about you from men that I thought 1 couid trust than almost any man in Charleston. Among them none were more outspoken and bitter ? than George LeGare himself. There seem to be an instinctive aversion to you on the part of LeGare. He never hesitated to unbosom himself t<? ^he fullest in talking with me, When you speak of my being prejudiced against you, I will interpret according to its exact meaning? prejudged?for I have to confess most of my knowledge of you is from hearsay and from the news papers, never having had the opportunity to talk with you much ^ until recently. You are an anomaly and mystery in a way, and I have not yet fully made up my mind as to what you really are. You are very much mistaken if you think J Elmore Martin alone is . responsible for my opinion of you. I long for the time to come when I shall bring you two face to face| with a policeman near-by to separate you and hear you have it out by word of mouth. My dear Mr Grace, you have so much intellectuality and there are w so many possibilities ahead of you that it is a pity you have not got more moral fibre. You may have the moral fibre, but you succeed most admirably in making people believe you have none. You have so much courage, both moral and physical, that it is a sin not to have some love of truth along with it. * For instance, you boldly acknowl edged to me that you had used money to buy votes and seemed to think it was no harm in you to do it, ^ but for Whaley and his friends to it was unspeakably vile and criminal. Your mental make-up leads you to judge yourself by another code of morals than you judge your an* tagonists. The only true method of analyzing men and their motives is to put yourself in their places and > be entirely honest in the conclusion you reach. Almost the last time George Le Gare and I talked together, he spoke of his unspeakable disgust and contempt for you and your methods, which was just after the last State convention when your doings in the Charleston county convention had Lbeen ventilated in Columbia and the entire State convention had turned you and your delegation down and seated the Barnwell delegation. You | had used the police who were under \ you, they charged, to control the convention; and George Legare was full of it and described the sensation caused by the reading of my letter to Martin after you had read my old letter about Von Kolnitz written years ago. If you had a clearer perception of the'obligations of honor in politics, you would not accuse me of "wobbling and wiggling" in the PetersStoren case or the Murray case,either. What you say about the "Charleston people swallowing Martin because they were afraid of my wrath and the loss of the naval station" is all news to me. I never knew there was any such apprehension, and I am bound to believe your hatred of Captain Martin is such that ryou absolutely see crosswise, instead of seeing straight, and are blinded entirely when you think about him. Let us pass on to the other part of your letter where you speak about my "threatening those who are anjcious t?> get to the root of corruption in the Whaley election." You are very much mistaken if you think I am either shamming or threatening anybody. I am in dead cold earnest and would glory in being the instrument to put all bribers, and bribetakers. both those who buy and those who sell their votes and are thus polluting our elections, into stripes. The Mayor of Charleston, the two candidates for Congress,and their numerous and sundry friends, if what you told me in my office is half true, belong in the penitentiary. The city and the State,too,would be better off if you all had on stripes. You say you "are ready to prove the facts of bribery and corruption in the recent primary," and you say, "you WILL be heard in Washington." Come on to Washington, Mr Grace, and I WILL help you in any way I can be heard. While I am not a member of the House and therefore you cannot "appeal to Caesar" in my person, 1 am a Senator and have some influence with both members of the House and Senate, and will facilitate to the fullest degree any exposure you are able to make of corruption and fraud in the recent primary in our State. While it would bring the name of South Carolina into discredit and disgrace and cause every true South Carolinian to hang his head in shame, if it is necessaryto go to that length in order to "cleanse the Augean stable," I say let us have it done and quit blustering. I would rather you fall in and help me, as you can most effectively, to reform State politics through the State convention next time it meets, by changing the rules of the party and fortifying all aiong the Una ?an incf Qn/^ AArVnnflAn* 1IUC a^aiuoi' AIOUU auu vv* * uj/viv?, and then go to work when the Legislature meets again to see that the statutes are changed in regard to primary elections so as to preserve the purity of the ballot among the white men. If you feel,however,that you must do something now in order to discredit Whaley.do not mistake in loading your "gun." Be sure the powder is dry and will explode. Load the gun with the truth and it will hurt someone, perhaps yourself along with others. But shoot, I beg you, and as soon as you see fit to do so. I will not "run," because I am not that kind; and you ought not to run after all this swagger and blus ter.' You can do the State a great service and your city of Charleston a great and noble service, too, right now. You are anything but a swashbuckler and you occupy a very important position in this crisis. Consider well your proposed action. You are angry and your fighting blood-is aroused now. Men never act wisely under such circumstances. You are young and can "tarry at Jericho until your beard grows" but tffe foundation on which you are to rise to true greatness, higher than you are, must be honor, patriotism and truth?not chicanery, trickery and fraud. If you bide your time and act wisely and have pure motives now,you will come to Congress in due time; and you have brains enough when you get here to make your mark. Oh! If you only had the moral fibre and patriotism and high character that ought to go with brains! Very sincerely yours, B R Tillman' ?Common Sense, The Family Cough Medicine. In every home there should be a bottle of Dr King's New Discovery, ready for immediate use when any member of the family contracts a cold or a cough. Prompt use will stop the spread of sickness. S A Stid of Mason, Mich, writes: "My whole family depends upon Dr King's New Discovery as the best cough and cold meiicine in the world. Two 50c bottles cured me of pneu M rjyi i_ _r _iL _ :i: noma, inousanus 01 ouier lauiines iave been equally benefited and depend entirely upon Pr King's New Discovery to cure their coughs,colds, throat and lung troubles. Every dose I helps. Price, 50c and $l.i)0. All; druggists, H E Bucklen & Co, adv Philadelphia or St Louis.' ; Are: Old Sores, Other Remedies Won't Core The worst cases, no matter of how long standing, : are cured by the wonderful, old reliable Dr. ' Porter's Antiseptic Healing Oil. It relieves 1 Pain and Heals at the same time. 25c, 50:, $LOO. | Magi I Octobe 5 First num lisnllt S I Col I Season Tickets I Five numbers B lO-2-lt I HOUSEK MADE by bi Cookec Breakfast Strip, ( all VinrlQ nf rinrpf It-CIA IWllVlkl VX vii w been sliced and r Jennings' Nev Call and see it W( Our li PASTRY, CAKE AND Is fresh daily bakery, and we from 6 a. m. to 8 Telegraph, telej cook to trade witl Milhous & (Incorp The best equipped ( Set in Mi And SCHOOL FOR YOUR CH J.W.C Where You Get M< Than at any othe Groc Shoes, Hats an 7 POUNDS GOOD GRE No. 666 I This is a prescription prepared especially , br MALARIA or CHILLS A. FEVER. ( Five or six doses will break any case, and i 'f taken then as a tonic the Fever will not 1 iturn. It acts on the liver better than j Jalomel and does not gripe or sicken. 25c VALDENl ician I :r 10th I ber of the I $2.00 and $1.501 in the Course I EEPING Easy i lying 1 Ham, Shipped Beef and I Meats that have eady for use by v Meat Slicer )rk. I ne of 1 I MOTHER'S BREAD from a hygienic deliver anything p. m. )hone, or tell the 1 : Jennings orated) fl Irocery in the City, I 11! KillSlU Buy SUPPLIES ILDREN FROM 'oward )re for Your Money r Place ia Town. eries d Underwear I EN COFFEE FOR $1, | CHICHESTER S PILLS THE D!AMONI? llrtYNU. A A?k yo?r Dnii^l.t f r/a\ C, l( ('!i|.rln.?.|r '? !)ianiniiii l<nir.d/A\ pLffSy 1*111-1 in lied >n 1 Gold / tv l"i^, $?3ij i with Blue Ri'Nn. \/ V.*^ Tit ? no < il.t r. Xtoy of jour * I] ~ fh> l>na-.~l?t. A fnrCllI.t lti:<4-TER8 I L JP 1?IAV?.\I> l;n\M> ??IIJ.S,fo: 43 V v fp "tariknownu Lf .SaS?t.A'.<?iy?ReIijl'!o r SOLD BY DRUGGISTS EVERYWHERE t I Go To T WHEN YOU NEED Af A record of more tha hind him. With a bunc on hand, he is always r Also Feea an J. L. Stuckey, I THE PEOPL FURS Ar H. A. MILLE ' ? j j Wedding Presents ? From a $1.50 Sterling Silver Su | Don't forget the ever so popu | EICH CT t Our stock of Glass has never 1 | present Also a large line of I O^SSTTl 1 in Sterling, Pearl, Bi I CLOCKS AT i A visit to our store will pay I S. TIXO I QUALITY I 257 King St, I watch" For Southern Railwav. Geori J Charleston Consol W. C. HEMINGWAY, President Bank of Capiti Heming FARMERS! We 2 you with your crops f your needs now. Con over with our Presider do for you. ' t THERE IS SUR A Ca Without doubt there's ment than a Camera. Th pictures. Your friends ior you, and besides, it's ing happy times. Why be prepared to take a go< and Photographic Supplie will be surprised to knov you can buy for a few do Kingstree D: ^ Kingstreey Stuckey IYTHING IN HORSEFLESH V n twenty years stands-be^* 14B ;h of nice horses-and mules eady for a sale or a swap. I d Livery Stables. I Lake City, S. C. I "vS e's marketJJ :resti Oysters I t and quart sanitary cans, daily. ;e fresh meats, and fish h ON HAND DAILY MD HIDES R, PROPRIETOR TV n : to Suit Everybody, I gur Spoon to a $600 Chest of Silver. x Tar JT G-LASS. I before been so large and varied as at . ClT<3- SETS | uelrhnrn and Tvnrv Handiest. MD BRONZES. \ you before purchasing elsewhere. Tfc ? C-^S 6z CO., JEWELERS, f ' ? i Charleston,S. C )| J INSPECTORS fir ^ ?etown and Westefri Railroad and j * lidated Street Railroad. < I t -.I j j 1 i. A. DOYLE, Cashier r 1 Hemingway al $15,000 jj way, S. C. J | ire in a position to assist j fl :his year. Let us know 1 - S ie in and talk the matter I 19 it, and see what we can J j = 1 E ENJOYMENT IN \ I nigra. II \ nothing affords more enjoy- , ere's great delight in taking are always willing- to oose the one sure way of recordnot get a Camera now and 3d picture? We sell Cameras ?s. Give us a call and you it what a splendid Camera j t rug Company, I South Carolina^ j