The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-09-12
Reuben TomIinson's Reply to Certain
CharOeS
CHARLEsTo- s. c.,

-. S.J CCpI. ..
To the Editors of the Cha ,ston News.
GENTLEMEN: On returning to the city to-
day, my attention is called to your editorials of
Friday and of yesterday, in which you refer
to charges made by +. l.. Cardozo and S. w.
Melton against me with reference to my alleged
connection with the passage of the phosphate
bill; and, looking upon at least one of these
gentlemen as having some character for veracl-
ty left, you may properly demand that l shall
meet the charges. I had already been inform
ed, in a private letter from Mr.. Corbin, of the
statements made by Mr.. Cardozo and Mr. Mel
ton, at Yorkville, and was awaiting an oppor-
tunity to notice them publicly. BY your kind
ly interference, I have that opportunity. !
have not yet read Mr.. Meltons speech delivered
in Charleston, but understand from others that
the statement made in that speech is substan-
TALLY the same as that made at Yorkville.
Mr. Cardozo is represented as saying at
Yorkvlle, "0Ir Tomlinson is no better than
Moses, so far as corruption goes, Tor II Moses
did issue fraudulent pay certificates, Mr. Tom
linson told me himself that he helped to buy
I'D 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,
unbushing and unqualified falsehood.
| Will you tell me how l am to prove chat Dir.
Cardozo tells an untruth when he makes this
statement? He might with as much propriety
say that I had tried to bribe him to murder
somebody; one assertion would be just as rear
sonable and as true as the other. But if hy
repeats these assertions until the crack of doom,
| I do not see how l am to prove their untruth.
I can only place my assertions and character
against his, and let the public decide for them
selves.
may say, however that in his speech at
Yorkville, previous to making the above state
ment, Mr.. Cardozo said of me that 81 had been
his friend for some years, and was an honest
and upright man." MIR. G. may think that
uprightness of character is consistent with a
weakness for bribing Senators. l do not:
Mr.. Melton is represented as saying at York
vile that he had been told land would give
his authority if Mr.. Tomlinson asked for it, J
that he (Tomlinson) had borrowed the money
or endorsed 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 statement as that made by him in his
Charleston speech. In reply, have to say
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 Mr. Mel
ton thinks he has foundation for his charge,
and 1 will be only too glad to have his author
ity for the assertion he has seen fit 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 Ian
guase 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 Judiclally
proven that there have been fraudulent issues
of pay certifcates-see the affidavit of Treas
urer Parker in answer to Judge Willard's or
der, in which it is shown that SAL 900 of pay
certificates for 1872 had been redeemed at the
treasury, and that for $399,OO0 the treasurer's
notes had been given, to say nothing 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 have stolen q
horse or robbed 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, fear you lean little
to the other side.
In conclusion allow me to say, that my con-
nection with the Phosphate bill was just this
I voted for it because thought it for the in
terest of Charleston and of the State to do so
I urged the Governor not to veto it for the
same reason, and tor other reasons not persona
to myself, and I have as yet seen no reason to
regret my action. For my stock in the compa
ny which is not $4,000, nor anything neal
that amount 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 anc
most absurd things have been said with refer
ence to the grant under which the company
with which | am connected and others associa
ted with us are acting. Without betrayine
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.
am, respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
REUBEN ToMLINsoN.