Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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HUMAN ANSWERS BLEASE. siwnnis hfi'i.\ ro message HKAI? IN BKM \ I I V\U lim al Tlltman Make* \ Ijrorou* Bciort |o Go\rrnor Rica.?**'*. Vttack ami Rv \lc%??? i:\iMit.? of ( tmpuigu \a ?ulin up (?> l'ub|t<-mloi, of letter That Enrage! Bk-a^e. To the i .n ral Assembly <wf South Carolina: Oentlemen: 1 have Just read Governor IHcuse's message sent to your honorable body yesterday, and have been laformed that hoth houses did me the Justi* ? to order publication in Its Journul to be- suspended until my reply could go along with it. For this considera? tion, please accept my thanks. What Qov* i n sj Blease's motives were are very' evident In the message. He desires to continue the bitterness engendered last summer; and wishes to be revenged >n me; but the pri? mary* object he has In view is to keep the mind* of the peope stirred up and not sllow the waters to clear suf? ficiently to let them see what sort of man be really is. Catiline among the Romans, and Aaron Burr among the Americans, are the only other men I have ever read of who were equal to Hlease In bamboozling the people. He has persuaded thousands of good South Carolinian*, honorable, clean, patriotic clttsens. Into believing that he is their best friend and that Till man s mantle has fallen on bis should? ers. He Is a past master In the arts of a demagogro. He knows full well when the angry passions of the mass? es are aroused, they lose their reason. He desires to come to the senate, as he boasted he would do at Richmond in December last, and feels it obli? gatory on him to aggravate condi? tions In South Carolina as i .ch as possible. Whether this Is the right way to electioneer or aot will be shown by the result of the next sen? atorial primary. If the South Caro? lina newspapers do not help him by abuse and misrepresentation, he will never get here. Five charge* against me boiled down. 1. With writing "Secret letters stabbing him in the back." 1. Hypocrisy. i. With conspii'ng with w. e. Qon ssJes. 4. Jealousy. i. Feebleness of mind. I. Having lent m? self, which could only be expected of an Imbecile to sign my name to an article dictated by someone else whom he designated as "A statesman without a Job," and "This astute Big Kx 1 1 Will take the charges up seria? tim: If ever a man wanted to be hands off In a political contest, I was that man last summer. Time and again I wss importuned to t \ke a hand and to come out for law and order and decency. But I steadfastly refused. I received hundreds of letters first and last urging me with Intense earnest? ness to come out and announce my preference as between the candidates who were running for governor. But i was unwilling to do so. After Mr. Jims wrote me and made th? appeal that I should answer cer? tain inquiries which he pn-pound* d in defense of Ttllmantsm, 1 wrote him the letter I did. Immediately a phrase In It was seised on by the ne*sappers and proclaimed that I had come out lot Judge Jones. The head? lines mainly were used to deceive the people and misrepresent me. I felt called on to take notice of this and wrote the article of August IS, which OoNernor Blease quotes. 1 have the original letters at Tren? ton to the evidence going to show that Governor Blease and certain of bis friend* were in a conspiracy, the i-lendn to a rite me pretending to be rr.y friends, draw me out as to my attitude toward him. and then show him the letter* < ?therw l*c, how did be come Into possession of so many of my letters marked personal and confidential ?" 1 have the original letters it Tren? ton to ?h??w that perhaps one hun? dred io n wr t.- nie along ihe same line?* "?''e*o- b tters came thick and fast and my answers were always marked "|??Sjraafssl ." It is very evident that Blease hus n*" n many of my bt? ters whl? h Wet 1 murk* *! personal and the recipient ask d to -b w them to anyone Thus It can he seen wheth? er they wer secret *<r n**t Boat* of th?>*. correspondent* wie* arei Blesses frbn'l* hastened t,. shoa them **r to -end him copies. Tin \ I ' he wool,i hav? tie people believe, but letter* w h1' b ousht |0 have be, n BS? int as far as tie public wan concern? ed and aa Cm Ble tea biases hi was ? oriccrre -I I am Rot concerned aboul Ihe Blea-e ron-pi i ?Uli MS frb ml* li mm b a* i m ibeut tearing myself of the ? barge of hypo? rIcy, and nt writing get fat leiten lot the purp?** of ?tnhhtti* him hi Ihe bach. The . bar*. ,.f hvpou icy | | n best ?. answered bs pointing my publi< and private ||f? if Ihefi st any vice In human befcifl that 1 desplse? H i-s hypocric) ami double-dealing, it is. next to eownrdJre tho most despicable of Immun trail*?. Governor Blenee slreesei th** point Of svcret letters, anil, with great cun? ning, plckl out ? Mitenees from private letters which I hail written to my friends, or re*m who represented themselves as my friends, to prove that 1 was not frank. He stresses the faet that Mr. Sims was not his friend and is delighted to lind 1 had writ? ten MM letter to a man not a l'deas ItO. I do not believe many people in South Carolina will accept his theory that I am a hypocrite and a double dealer, because in writing personal letters and marltrag them "confiden? tial," I explained to those men who were Blease friends and who claim? ed to be mv friends what my real opinions were. Because 1 said 1 would be hands off did not mean, nor is it reasonable to claim that it meant, I would be dumb. 3. The conspiracy with W. E. Gonzales Is not conceivable or be? lievable by anyone except a man who in his desperation, made the charge in order to fire the hearts of his fol? lowers. The people of South Carolina well understand the relations between the Gonzales brothers and the Till mans. The feud is of long standing and all well informed people know what provocation the Tillmans have had and with what relentless energy and with what ability the Gonzales brothers have prosecuted their side of lt. 1 do not wish to stir the em? bers of this feud again, and I have no such purpose in calling attention to this long standing quarrel. GOVER? NOR BLEASE KNOWS THAT HI DID NOT BELIEVE WHEN HI WROTE THIS DODGER LAST AUG? UST, that I had entered into any conspiracy whatever with W. E. Gon? zales. I have been told that the Gonzales brothers voted for me in tho primary last August. Whether this is so or not, I do not know and do not care. But I know that I never saw Pat McGowan or read Gonzales' private telegrams to him which some of Blease's friends stole off the wire; and if I had it would not have influ? enced me at all. Right here, I will ask Governor BlenSl to answer point blank, how did he get copies of Gonzales' telegrams to McGowm? He is such a stickler for the forms of honesty in others, will he honor bright and tell us who stole them' I know and assert on my honor that I alone wrote the Ferguson let? ter and that no one had anything to do with it, or anything else I have written or signed. The following statement has just been handed me by A. M. Carpenter, of Anderson, South Carolina, tailing how the Ferguson letter came to be given out and how the ??atement that accompanied it was male up for the press: About C o'clock in the afternoon of August 2.?. 1912, I met Senator and Mrs. Tillman at the north en? trance to the capitol building. They had started for home, and had stopped and were talking to J. M Bahnfi one of the officers of the senate. Senator Tlllman stopped me and said he wanted to ask my ad vi. e. lb -d it. d that at the begin? ning of the gubernatorial campaign in South Carolina he had declared he would take no part hi it, and had tried to follow that course, but that during the two or three weeks just previous he had received a number of letters from people in the State whom he thought to be his friends, asking his opinion of Jones and Blenee? and that he replied o> these letters frankly, that in each ease he h td made it plain to his correspond? ent that he was writing in confi? dent e. but h?- had found that in - in?? eases "his confidence had been betrayed, that the letters wer. be? ing nitercpreeentodi and that he had neon placed In the position of doing retly things he wus afraid t ? do openly. He said he had been placed in i false position before his friends and his enemies, and that he felt that he ought to give out a news paper statement explaining his posi? tion fully. Mrs Tillman said BtlC did HOI want him to give out the state no n?. and In- said he would not do anything mainst her wishes, but he fell ren strongly that he should make a public statement, in Justice to himself and to his friends in the Slat*- We discussed the matter for S'.nn- little time, and Senator Tlllman final!) said in would not decide ar the noon, tit what he w ould do, but invited Mr Baker and myself to come to hli roomi d the Dewey Hotel thai n riit he WOUhj -b:: VO- M B- -x: fed full) mad*- up I went to |h? Dewej Hotel about I o'clock thai night, and found In Senator Tlltman'i room Mr. Baker, T. II. haniel of the Hpartanburg 11< i aid. and M ?. w> i he, Benator Till man s stenographer. Mr Murray, of ' * I | the Newa md Courier, came In a Ht? tp? while later After a few mlnutca I of general ronver at Inn Henntci Till man told u < he bad d< il to give out a statnient, and ''. i: m tili latins it to his st< nograplu r, 'i he dl ta tb?n im etipled perhaps fifteen of twenty minutes. During the nm? ?.! i* Senator Tillman stopped once or twloe to weigh a sentence, bui he finished it without Interruption and without suggestion from anyone pres? ent. After taking the statement In sSionthand, Mr. Wyche wrote it out on a typewriter and gave it to Senator Tillman, who read it aloud to us. lie mad*-, as I remember, but one Changs in the draft, and that was a minor one, in the phrasing of a sea t. nee. He then told his stenographer to give copies of u to the different newspaper men. Alter getting through with this Senator Tillman drew a long breath and then laughed. "I feel that I have j simply discharged a duty," he said, "and now 1 feel tetter. I am off the fence.*' I walked from the Dewey Hotel to F street in company with Mr. Daniel and Mr. Murray. They had been Impressed, as I had been, with Sena? tor Tillman's force in dictating the statement. One of US remarked that while Senator Tillman had had a severe illness it had not impaired the vigor of his intellect, and thi* was heartily agreed to by the oth? ers. Senator Tillman's statement was tiled in the telegraph office on F street for transmission to the South Carolina papers that night. I know that Senator Tillman gave out the statement against the advice of Mrs. Tillman and come of his closest frlenda and certainly it was dic? tated when nobody was present ex? cept those mentioned above, and without suggestions of any kind from any of them. (Signed) A. M. Carpenter. Washington, D. C, Jan. 17, 1912. The South Carolina newspapers had hounded Governor Blease so continuously during the campaign, had been so unfair in their opposi? tion, that the people of the state had lost absolutely all faith in their hon? esty or truthfulness. When the state? ment appeared in the newspapers Saturday morning, I received a num? ber of telegrams asking if it was authentic. Many of my friends had been misled by Governor Blease to that point where they doubted not only the newspapers, but .also doubted me. The fourth charge of jealousy is so ridiculous that I cannot bring my? self to consider it seriously. Ben Tillman jealous of Cole Blease! It is unthinkable, and, were I to answer it seriously, I would be convicted in the minds of all sensible people of South Carolina of the next charge: 5. Feebleness of mind. Whether my mind is feeble or not the people will judge for themselves. I am will? ing to leave it to any jury in South Carolina, Bleasltes or others, wheth? er Ben Tillman is feeble-minded or Cole Bleaas cra*y. The Blease circular, issued on Aug? ust 15th, which he rspublishes In the message, says?and he prints it In capitals?"1 have nev. r seen the Ferguson letter, and did not know what was in it until 1 saw it in the newspapers, and wh< n Oonsales says l did, and that 'Blease will fight Tillman,' he wired what was willfully untrue.' Notwithstanding Governor Bleaae'i denials, 1 know that he did light me In more counties than one and that his trusted lieutenants were very active In marshaling his followers, many of them our.- my beat friend.-, to vote against me in the primary. News to this effect came to me from all over the state, and the vote shows it. I have no doubt wbatev.r that the Ferguson letter caused me to lose 35*000 votes, while it gained me about 10,000. This was what I expected when I gave it out but I could not remain quiet after my confidence had been so betrayed. The ''midnight stab" of which he complains?meaning the lateness in the campaign when the letter was given out?was attributable to my wife's influence, she begged me to stand by my oft-repeated promise to r? main hands-off. I was elected in spite of him, and he was elected in spite of me. i got more votes than he did and feel that i am a better represcntath i of tin state than he will ever bej was a better governor than he has made; and have made a better senator than he can possibly make. While what be says about the May convention and the Southern Railway lawyers may be true, lie could not wriggle away from the fact that Ben Abney lives in the executive mansion although it ll the people's bouse and not a hotel. I am informed thai his salary la greater than all other ^^utbvfn Bnllwwy JU*wj*??g JJJ ..Ihfi state. He li the real octopus which strangles the legislature and per? suades it to do bis bidding, and has conferences with Blease whenever he ' sees lit. Governor Blease asks me specific all) to say why I "dragged In the n rm "i" Colonel Vbnej and Hon. >'nm .1 N i< bolls nnd II I did so vol? untarily," ? < ? ? i certainly did, hnd l k him again lo < \plaln why ro. one In South Carolina can gel a pardon unless he appli? lo some of Blease's i ? wyer friend L'nle? all Informa tion obtainable by me is false, no man in South Carolina need present an : application for pardon, unless one of his pardon managers has received a fee for it. Blease in too good a lawyer to think or believe that Ferguson's af ft davit will fool anybody Into believ? ing that lir had never seen my letter t.? Ferguson. While 1 know nothing about Ferguson, and never saw him, i do not believe be swears to the ex? act truth. A man can lie by sup? pressing the truth as well OS b> till? ing it directly, and a man with an aasj conscience can swear to almost anything. While I am discussing railroad lawyers and their Influence on the South Carolina general assembly, it is Just as well that I should make public all that I said on the subject Governor Blease has quoted only a part of It In a letter I wrote to P. B. Bailey, at Bluney, South Caro? lina, August lGth, replying to a reso? lution adopted by the Blease Club at that place relative to my letter to Mr. Sims, I said: "That the railroads are getting a hold in mir state again, 1 know. The legislature ought to compel the rail? roads to give us the right, on any system of roads anywhere in the state to carry as many people as we want to on the same mileage as Is done In the North. But Ben Abney and the railroad attorneys in the legisla? ture have been too venal and corrupt to protect the people against the rail? roads, and as I have already pointed out, Blease Is in closer touch with them than Jones; and Blease is on record as saying "the Southern Kail way will have a friend in me if elected." I think it well that the people of the state and the general assembly should know what I think about the Influence the railroads have exerted in the legislature. The fifth charge, of having lent myself to signing my name to an arti? cle prepared by someone else, whom he designates as a "statesman with? out a Job." and this "astute big Ex," meaning thereby, I presume, ex-Gov. John Gary Evans, is shown to be false by the following affidavit from a son of Hon. C. T. Wyche, of Spar tanburg: "Washington City, "District of Columbia. "Personally appeared before me, C. G. Wyche, who, on oath, makes the following statement: 1 am a stenog? rapher in Benator Tillman's office, and he dictated the letter to Harri? son Ferguson, of Bpartanburg, s. C, to me. Xo one was in the office ex? cept s.-uator Tillman and myself, as well as 1 remember, and 1 know that no one else had anything to do with Its dictation to me. "(Signed) C. G. WYCHE. "Sworn to and subscribed before me this 17th, day of January, A. D. 1913. "R, B. NIXON, "Notary Public." Governor Blease's charges that I allowed some one, "this astute big Ex," to dictate to me makes me will? ing to ask him if Colonel Abney as Bisted him In writing this message. His anxiety about honesty Is path? etic and reminds me of 'Hudlbraa' couplet: "No thief ever felt the halter draw With good opinion of the law." Being a low type of man himself, he does not realize and cannot con? clave how anyone else can be honora? ble, clean ami above-board. I will say in conclusion that I have read the bill Introduced by Mr. Rem bort and heartily approve of it. 1 hope it win become a law, for it is nothing more than just that a news? paper should give a citizen who Is attacked in its columns the opportu? nity to reply through the same chan? nel. B, J i. Tillman. MI ST OBEY ORDINANCES. Automobtlists and Hackmen Must Have Lights on Vehicles. Affairs have been going pretty hard of late with the hackmen who have failed to conform to ordinances pass? ed by council sometime ago, for both Tuesday and Wednesday a number of them were haled before the Record? er for violations Of tbe ordinances and were fined for their negligence. The police are also on the scent of the automobilists, and the owners of cars will ha\ ? to be cart fid In future and tee that liuhts are properly attach? ed to their tars, or they too will get Into the toils of the law. Tuesday a number of hackmen were charged with soliciting trade, NV.UUi; XVc'Um s?1 av tho cjharjpj^before the Uocorder was failing to have the proper lights atta bed to their ve hicles and Ihe number of their hacks placed where it could be seen. There were quite n number up both daj s and the ?n< s will make th? m more careful in fut m >? I The Civic League l.lbrarj has kind P. consented t" i ndou** or to t an) book that any of it-; subscribers de? Mr,. AH I hat the p< rson has t" do : to let the libr iri ?t. know v.hat I. Is \\ unb d. WILSON Ol I LIMN Ills PROB? ABLE COURSE IN APPOINT? ING OFFCIALS. Decline* Request of New Jcthcj Men Tlial Democrat be Named to Sue coed Incumbent, Who a Repub? lican* Trenton, Jan. 21.?Efficiency in public service and the merit system more than partisan politics will be the basis upon which President-elect Wilson will make appointments to office, he indicated today. Gov. Wilson had occasion to declare himself in this connection when a delegation of 30 men representing va? rious labor interests made an earnest plea for the appoin.ment of a Demo? crat to fill the State commissionership of labor now held by a Republican. John T. Cosgrove, B Democrat and labor leader, was urged for the posi? tion to succeed Col. T. Lewis Bryant, incumbent, who was appointed by a He publican governor. The president-elect told the delega? tion he recognised the force of their argument that labor should be repre? sented in the government by one who knows its interests, but he saw no rea? son to displace Col. Bryant who had performed his duties faithfully and efficiently. The governor declared himself in a speech. He said: "Public office Is not worth any? thing if an entirely satisfactory ful? filment of the duties of the office does not entitle a man to considera? tion for reappointment. If men a ? to know that a mere change of ad? ministration is to empty an office, no matter how they have dew rved to be reappointed, there is not anything of justice or public right left, I feel to the full extent the argument you have made in favor of Mr. Cosgrove, but 1 have not a clean slate to write on. If we were creating this office, your arguments would be different. "I do not need to say to this com? pany that I entirely sympathize with tho aspirations of labor and that 1 entirely recognize the rights of la? bor, but Col. Bryant has made good, and I am bound to consider his claims. I would be ashamed of myself if I did not. "Would it not be justice and mer? cy to appoint a labor man? Would it not be graceful?" pleaded Samuel Botterlll, spokesman for the dele? gation. "Gracefulness is easy and justice is hard," sighed the governor, and the discussion was ended. The colloquy took place in the big ante-room just outside of the gover? nor's office. once Mr. Botterill re? marked that Mr. Cosgrove's appoint? ment might not be exactly accept ible to the manufacturers and employers. "Oh, class opposition does not af? fect me one way or another," quickly interrupted the governor. Later in the day another delegation of labor men appeared in Mr. Bryant's behalf. Incidentally Gov, Wilson set forth In the day that he recognized the right of labor organizations to be represented in the government and indicated that the creation of a national department of labor might follow that course. Among the governor's callers today was Representative-elect L. W. Beekes of Michigan. Mr. Beakes outlined con dltions in Michigan, stating that the Democratic organisation had not ex? erted itself to Its fulb st powers to ob? tain the election of a Democratic United States senator. National Chairman William F. Me Comba will be here Thursday for a conference with the governor. ELECTRIC LIGHT WITHOUT HEAT. French Scientist Gives Details of Re? markable Discovery. Baris, Frame, Jan. 20.?M. Pus BUad, a French scientist, who has dis? covered a means for the production of what he terms 'cold light." today mad*- public some details of his dis? covery, which, it is thought, may rev? olutionise electric lighting. Starting on the principle that rest is as essential to matter as to animal organism, h ? has constructed an electric lamp In which the light is concentrate.) on a single point by filaments, working successively; thenc? the light is projected through a lens magnifying a thousandfold. Thus he h.is succeeded in concentrating a 2, 000-candle-power light on one point and in passing 3J volts into an B-voll lamp, which with the ordinary light, would burst. Experiments with this lamp have established thai the nea li^ht is ab solutely without danger, as no heal Is given off and it re.inins a bun dred times less current than the or dtnary lamp, it can be worked by tiny battery or sufficient motive p w? er ? an hi obtain. ,! from a jel of wa? ter from an ordinary faucet or . squirrel t urning ??? cage. n. light, ii i- said, offei i gr< at advantages in phot<>rraphj . phoi geni? powet i^ four times thai . ? thi m igneslum flashlight. GL?REM?MT UPENS ON FIRST. KOKK <>\ HUI.MV. kapiiil1 m \m\<. compli-tilos. i ha-, F. Whitted of North Carolina to Manage Now Hostelry; Furniture ami Fixtures Being Installed; Will Be Run on luiopeun Plan. The Claremont Hotel, Sumter*? new four story building containing seven ty-seven guest rooms, ?rill be <d" ned for busine s February 1st and will thereafter do a general hotel busi? ness for the benefit of the traveling m? n and a'l visitors to Sumter. This informatn n was given to an Item reporte*" Thursday by Mr. Charles F. Whitted Of Weldon, N. C, who will manage the Claremont Hotel when it is opened. Mr. Whitted arrived in the city Thursday morning and will be here for a couple of days. He will return next week, before the first, to look after the arrangements preparat- ry to opening the hotel and to see that everything is in proper shape at thf opening. Mr. Wh. ed stated that he thought the work on and in the building might be completed a day or two before the first, but that the formal opening would not take place until the first, as the Interim would be necessary in getting things in shape. He would have charge of the management of the hotel and he would send to Sum? ter a force of clerks, cooks and waiters from North Carolina. The day clerk will be Mr. G. E. Lavander, who has formerly served at the Rick's Hotel at Rocky Mount. Mr. R. E. Moore, formerly of the Terminal Hotel. Mary? land, will ;:ct as night clerk and Mr. H. M. Swann of Charlotte will be steward of the hotel. The heating, lighting, water and plumbing systems have been complet? ed some time and at present a force of workmen are very busily engaged in Installing the furniture in the building and putting in the fixtures which have not yet been installed. The lobby of the hotel ifc at pres? ent crowded with ,1'uJrnitAire and bedding for the rooms. In the three upper floors carpets have already been laid and in the two upper floors the beds and bedding have been placed in the rooms, although they are not yet put together. The rooms will all be furnished exactly alike with brass beds and mahogany furniture. Hot and cold water, electric lights and tel? ephones are provided for every room. The telephone system has been com? pleted on the two upper stories, and the workmen are now engaged in in? stalling telephones In the other two floors. The furnishings are all sup? plied by Wannamakor's, of Phila? delphia and * s men have been sent on to se? that they are installed properly. The elect! ic elevator for passengers has not yet been completed, but work? men are employed getting it in shape as rapidly I possible and it will be ready for service in a few days. The baggage elevator will also be ready soon. On the ground floor there is still considerable painting to be done. Painters are now engaged in finish? ing up this part of their work. Mr. Whitted stated that the hotel would be run on the European plan, as this plan was found to be very much more agreeable to the hotel manager and the guests of the hotels. He would not only have charge of this hotel, but would continue to manage the hotel at Weldon, which he is now running, and he would divide his time between the two places. Later, as soon as another hotel which was beng erected in Durham by the Messrs. Paschal was completed, lie would also take charge of it also Mr. J. E King of this city will have charge of .he cigar and news stands. FIRST N ATIONAL OFFICERS. Old Hoard i Directors Re-elected, as ;u Former Officers. The annual meeting of the share? holders of the First National Bank of Sumter was held st the bank on Tues? day, January nth. The annual report of the bank in dlcnted a very healthy and satisfac? tory condition, the results of the year being fully up to those of previous years with this old institution* The retiring Board of Directors was unanimously re-elected, to wit: Nt ill O'Donnell, R. D. Lee, F. P. Ricker, H. D. Barnett, Qeo. l>. Shore, Archie China, Qeo. F. Epperson, w B. ITpshur. At the subsequent meeting of the i Directors the old officers were re I elected. These are: Nelll O'Donnell, ' President; R. 1?. Lee, Vice-pre* ?? J, I* McCallum, Cashier. The l 'la ? mont Hotel will reall> n|H n i It V* l?1 Ui r\ 1st The gam of I kct ball Wedn? *? da) evening attracted i good crowd ? f sp.-. tatoi - u I n eemed mu< h plas , ,1 with Hi . Khii ition of thii m a game in S mt? r. The I* am - spl i