Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1872-09-12
TOMLINSON,S REPLY TO MELTON.
An Emphatic Denial.

city to-day, my attention is called to
your editorials of Friday and ofyester-
day, in which you refer to charges
made by F. L. Cardozo and S. w.
Melton agains. me with reference to
my alleged connection with the passage
of the phosphate bill; and, looking up
on at least one of these gentlemen as
having some character for veracity
left, you may properly demand that [
shall meet the charges. l had already
been informed, in private letter from
Mr.. Corbin, of the statements made by
Mr.. Cardozo and Mr. Melton, at Y ork-
vile, and was awaiting an opportuni-
ty to notice them publicly. By your
kindly interference, L have that oppor-
tunity. l have not yet read Mr.. Mel
toms speech delivered in Charleston,
but understand from others that the
statement made in that speech is SUBJ
stantially the same as that made at
Yorkville.
Mr.. Cardozo is represented as saying
at Yorkville, "Mr. Tomlinson is no
better than Moses, so far as corruption
goes, for if Moses did issue fraudulent
pay certificates, Mr.. Tomlinson told
me himself that he helped to buy up
the Senate to pass the phosphate bill
over the Governors veto. He told me
this at the time, and have no doubt
that he told me the truth"
can only say that this statement is
bold, unblushing and unqualified
falsehood.
Will you tell me how am to prove
that MIR. Cardozo tells an untruth
when he makes this statement? He
might with as much propriety say that
l had tried 10 5ribe him to murder
somebody; one assertion would be just
as reasonable and as true as the other.
But if he repeats these assertions until
the crack of doom, l do not see how l
am to prove their untruth. can only
place nv assertions and character
against his, and let the public decide
for themselves.
l may say, however, that in his
speech at Yorkville, previous to MAX
ing the above statement, Mr.. CardozO
said of me that 81 had been his friend
for some years, and was an honest and
upright man, Mr.. G. may think that
uprightness of character is consistent
with weakness for bribing Senators.
I do not.
Mr.. Melton is reported as saying at
Yorkville that he had been told land
would give his authority if MI. Tomlin-
son asked for it, that he (Tomlinson)
had borrowed the money or endorsed
a note at the bank to get the money
which was used for the purpose Of
passing the phosphate bill through.
This is substantially the same state
ment as that made by him in his
Charleston speech. In reply l have
to saw that there is absolutely not the
shadow of truth in the statement. /
am bound to believe, even against
some reasons for lack Of faith in his
perfect veracity, that in this instance
MIR. Melton thinks he has foundation
for his charge, and I will be only too
clad to have his authority for the as
sertion he has seen tit to make.
Of course you do not ask me now to
prove that somebody did not tell Mr..
Melton that l had done the thing
charged, although the language Of
YOUR editorial of Friday would seem to
imply that it was my duty so to do.
respectfully submit that there is no
parallel between the charges made
against myself and those made against
Mr.. Moses. 1t is judicially proven
that there have been fraudulent issues
of pay certiticatcs-se see the affidavit Of
Treasurer Parker in answer to Judge
Wizards order, in which it is shown
that SAL, 000 Of pay certificates for
1872 had been redeemed at the treasu-
ry. and that for 1899 U00 the treasur-
er's notes had been given, to say moth
ING of the large amount not yet taken
care of by the treasurer-and yet you
seem to place the charge Of Smith,
Jones or Brown that L have stolen a
horse or robbed a bank, in the same
category with these charges which are
of judicial record. In your desire to
hold the scales even between the two
Radical factions, l fear you lean lit
tie to the other side.
In conclusion allow me to say, that
nv connection with the phosphate bill
was Just this. l voted for it because L
thought it for the interest of Charles
ton and of the State to do so. | urged
the Governor not to veto 1t for the
same reason, and for other reasons not
personal to myself and L have as yet
seen no reason to regret my action.
For my stock in the company, which
is not $40, 900, nor anything near Il a.
amount, l have paid precisely what
every stockholder in the company has
paid, including in the list some OF the
most honorable business men in
Charleston. Some of the widest and
most absurd things have been said
with reference to the grant under
which the company with which l am
connected and others associated with
us are acting. Without betraylng
business matters which do not concern
the public, permit me to say, that up
to this time the only parties who have
reaped any benefit from that grant are
the State of South Carolina and the
hundreds of mechanics and laboring
men employed by these companies.
l am, very respectfully, your oDedl-
ent servant, -
REUBEN ToMLINsoN.
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