The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-09-03
SCOTTS TACTICS.
A REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION.
HOW TIE GOVERNOR OF SOUTH CAROLINA
BOUGHT THE LAUgZEMS RAILROAD.
The History OF tho Locomotive Business
-what Crews had to Say-A Letter
frorn the Power Behind the Throne
How scott Runs the Machine.
TO THE EDITOR OF TIE NEWS.

nositlon in this State -once held only by men OF
honor and distinctlon-and also for the pur-
pose of correcting Misrepresentation mace by
one Of their clan, who. singuIarly enough. as
sumes the high-sounding nom de plume OF
| .sYeritas," as if there could possibly be truth
among such swoet-scented party.
The Laurens Railroad was chartered num-
bsr of years ago, and conducted until the close
of the late war BY president and board oil
directors. At that time, however, it was found
lmpracticable to run tho road as formerly, aud
| it fell q prey 10 the garr!sons OF United States
| troops, which, from time to time, occupied
Laurens Coarthe use. But even these soop
discontinu d ils use, and the road was virtually
abandoned for the space OF several months.
During that per od 1t became to be considered
public property. Its depots were abused; its
rolling stock subjected to tho most hagrant
and indecent violence; its cross-ties and string
era torn up, and freely used as irewood. In
deed, portion of one OF it's tressels was cut
way, at the imminent peril Of the whole struc-
ture.
In this emergency, I, as president OF the
road. with the board Of directors, concluded
| il to be advisable to lease the road to any re-
sp1nsble individual who would run it and re-
| turn it TO US, at the expiration OF stated
period. in ruonlng order. The offer was, there
fore, published in various journals of this and
other States; but, on the dsv for the reception
of proposals, no one made us an overture.
then, seeing the lmpossibility Of the road be-
| ing managed by itsregular directors, and be-
| ing convinced Of its imp >rtance TO Laurens
District, proposed to undertake the conduct Ct
1t myself. My proposition was unanimously
agreed to. accordingly obtained lease OF
the road for the period of five years. pre-
ceeied, at great trouble and expense to my
self, to carry out the terms of this lease, and
have continued up TO this time to run tri-
weekly train regularly for the transportation
of passengers and freight, and daily freight
| train whenever it became necessary. have
| not profted myself; havenot squsndered the
small resources OF the road; have not taxed
the patrons Of the road. I have restored the
| road-bed, formerly very defective; have re-
paired trestles. at one time positively dan
gerous; have kept the depots i'll order; 1
have added to the effective rolling stock; 1
have afforded transportation to passengers
and freight far more cheaply than was done
during the suspension Of the road. The
charge OF "Veritas" ,s. therefore, as false and
stupid as we should expect from Locomotive
Scott, Cylinder Crews, and thatilk.
But to the matter Immediately under discus
sion. a. M. Brodie and Joha w. s. Arnold OBJ
tained not long ago. judgments in the United
States Court against the Laurens Railroad.
Under these judgments levy was made, and
the rolling stock of the road sold at auction on
the first Monday in April last. The great sales
man and ubiquitous Joseph Crews was there,
aud did himself the pleasure Of bidding in that
property for the righteous Robert Z. Scott as
Governor of South Carolina, according to the
statement Of the veracious "veritas," and on
his own responsibility, without word OF dlrec-
tion from the said Robert E, either as On indi-
| yidual or as Governor. Why such sale and
| purchase were made I am at a loss to dis
cover; for there existed mortgages from the
road to the State Of South Carolina and the
Bank Of the State, executed in 1859, which
| would far more than cover all the rolling stock
that ever sharp-eyed Joseph and righteous DR..
Scott could scent out.
I wrote to his E1cellency-.he self-sacri-
6cng Governor-to know by what authority his
agent interfered with my lease. To this ne re-
piled through his secretary, John Heart, as fol.
lows: 4
STATE OF SoUTH CAROLINA,
EyrCrrTvc DrpAPTMFgT
COLUMBIA, June 8, 1869.
| B. s. James, Esq:
SIR-I am directed by his Excellency, Gov
error Scott, to acknowledge tho. receipt Of
your note OF the 5th instant, and to inform
you that the Laurens Railroad was bid in for
him, on his individual account, by Mr.. j.
Crews and that he is now acting under his
| authority. His object was anu ID 10 prevent
| sacrifice of the road, aud Of tho interest OF
the State involved in it, until final settlement
was made OF It's afflirs.
Very respectfully,
JOHN HEART. Private Secretary.
| It is difficult to determine what is most con-
spicuous in this document-good sense, good
rhetoric or good grammar. But whatever it
be in these respects, it is fat contradiction
OF "veritas," from which it appears that one
| of the two has been guilty of gross falsehood.
For "Verltas" says that the purchase was
| made without SCOTS knowledge, for the bcne-
| fit Of the State aud iu the namo OF the Gov
ernor. Heart says il was made in Scott's in
dividual name, and that Scott's object ct the
tune was, ic., plainly showing that Scott had
| Intended the p1rchase. Heart says that Scott
purchased the whole road; but it is reason
able to suppose that the old man had just
returned from dining party, and by reason
thereof forgotten that railroads are not thrown
in when one purchases locomotive. AS
10 his Excellency's object there can be no
doubt. OF course; all carpet-baggers are known
t. be honest, patriotic men, who would cheer
fully spend their last cent rather than see the
State suffer.
I desire, lastly, to reply to charge prefer
red, partly il not wholly, against me BY "Verl'
tbs. 1t is in regard 10 the disposal of proper
il belonging to the Laurens Railroad HIS
statement is utterly false, from beginning to
end, as can establish by all the officers of the
road who have had opportunity to beco me az
qulinted with these things. I did exchange,
on some occasions. worn-out castings of my
road with the Greenville aud Columbia Rail-
road, but exchanged them for new ones. which
! at once applied to the Laurens Road. The
| cylinders mentioned by "Veritas" as fraudu-
lently disposed of by me and purchased BY the
| patriotic Joe Crews, were not sold, nor pre-