The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-03-20
Attack on tho Press and Banner.

"a s'S'St ~ - 49, "
every one, this gave me no concern. But
on reading Yesterdays editorial in your
paper, | see vou have given vent to your
spleen and peut IN indignation in n very
unexpected manner. Now, | know pub
lie men are said to he public property;
and so they arc, aS far as their public acts
arc concerned but when what they q"
and say are wilfllly misrepresentcd, 1t is
another thing.
| was elected without mancuvrring for,
or asking the position, on my part. Il
straiSilt-out democrat, in opposition to
all the radicals lave evc said, thought or
done in South Carolina, to rectifv so far
as | could every act and thing done by
them for the oppression of our people, or
tending thereto. Never did l hear any
one advocate the payment Of radical
debts OH the stump. Governor Hampton
did not do it, nor did any n else i'll ABB
beville county. l do not believe such
speeches would have been tolerated at
that timc,-wc were Straight-out then.
How is it now? Straight-out rs far rs
changing all radical law is concerned,
proUiied JorSooth, 1t don't GUect the de6t!
Nearly every law appertaining to State,
county, city, town, village, church anu
school has been examined and changed.
In all these changes, we could all agrcc
very well. The Wallace House could
have agreed about the radical debt also
very we'll, but by hook or crook we have
gotten into the present House mem bers
that have proved in this case to be like
the editors of the Press and Banner,
aliens to the interests Of a ruined people.
1t may he they came from the "delcctable
mountains but the doctrine they preach
:. - Z NC ,,oYnolH-. fh0f FL nraSprrp
the credit and fair name Of South Carroll
ma means to pay all the radical debt, not
only the bonds that We're issued according
to law, but three and a half million is
sued without any form of law, Il half
million of which were positively stolen
from the treasury. The Wallace House
members with but few exceptions, have
stood firm against tho payment OF these
Ubiquitous claims, and nc man that knows
the trials through which that House has
passed dareS to impute want of integrity
and fidelity to it. For this firm position
for right, that House has brought dowu
on itself the indignation of such miSre1-
reSentationiS'S and would-be public critics
as the editors Of the Press and Banner,
Charleston NcwS and Courier, and Il few
other small fry throughout the State,
We entered upon q straight-out reform
two years ago viii n these public teach
ers would now make null and void.
Now Messrs. Editors: I wish to show
others. if I cannot show YOU, why OPP
pose the payment Of the fraudulent dept
of the State. In the first place, it is en-
tirelv wrong to pay it. Even the strong
est advocates Of the Consolidation Act
admitted it was al unjust debt, but
thought as a matter of e~rpcdicncy n had
better pay it. Now, I want no such eX-
pediency laid on my shoulders, or the
shoulders of the taxpayers OF AbbeVllle
county. Ispeak what | know and know
tax Of three and a half (34 mills on our
people, to pay q fraudulent uept Is
thing I will not do.
will act with regard to this so called
debt as 1 would if it were my own
where there was Il fraud or mistake; and
l am sure if I had made q settlement for
myself, and afterwards discovered q
fraud or mistake, I would feel disposed
TO overhaul the settlement and have the
fraud taken out. So would any other
sensible man do. Let us act with public
frauds as common sense men would TOR
themselves.
In the second place. 1t is not straight
out, not democratic. Straight-out means
to throw off the radical yoke entirely,
and 60 back to first principles. This is
what we declared IN the campaign we
would do. These views I have tried to
carry out with Ill the zeal attributed to
me by the Press and Banner, hut which
it chose to Term mot according 10
knowledge" OF this, I am willing the
people shall Judge. Democracy means
Justice to all-not that the whole people
shall be taxed for the benefit of q few
holders of fraudulent bonds, for which
the State receives nc equivalent or even
part of All equivalent. Mr.. Calhoun's
great doctrine was, not to tax the many
the benefit of the few; and if you adj
vocate the payment of these radical fraud
ulcnt bonds, You place yourself i'll oppo-
sition to Mr.. Calhoun's doctrine as under
lying Democracy. This you cannot do,
and remain in the Democratic ranks,-if
YOU propose to be Democrat, be M
and don't bow to the god of mammon,
but assist in placing our glorious old
State in that position Where she can enjoy
the reposc she so much needs.
AS to the Wallace House resolutions
they have been seen and read by the
country. They bear no construction but
the one we placed on them when they
were being passed. They promised
nothing that / am ashamed o~f---nothing
but that we intended to pay the ralid,
legdk, honest debt of the State, we are
just as firm on that position to-day as we
were then. l am willing that the honest
Democracy Of the State Judge how far
that House is now breaking faith with
those resolutions. We made no UNI
righteous contract with fraud then, and
l will not be vilitied into it now. Your
last issue, as we'll as former ones, ex-
presses surprise at my course on this
and other important questions with
which we have had to deal. I am MS
much surprised that you should try to
brand the members of that House with a
want of honor and integrity. In this
surprise, l would be joined by nine
tenths of that House. II your object in
throwing dirt on me is to build up for
either Of yourselves q political prospect
at my expense, 1 can inform you that you
have been unfortunate in the selection of
q plan. I claim to represent the honor
and integrity of the State by my course,
rather than you by the course you pros
pect. Your views of paying this debt,
fraud and all, has never been the views
in my opinion of the party in Abbeville
county that elected me to the Legisla-
ture.
In the meantime, you have gone out of
your way in bringing in DIR. Brown, Of
Anderson, az his own county papers
sustain his course, and which are as ca
pable, and some think 4 good deal more
than you are to Judge of his actions. lie
is 4 gentleman, a man that would disdain
to do a mean thing or break from the de-
mocratic party. He is nothing but a
private member of the Wallace House.
no leader for me, nor any other member
Of that House, nor do 1 propose to be
led by any man or set of men, not even
the editors of the Press md Banner; nor
do l intend TO dodge out Of anything !
have said or done. l have had a voice and
vote in everything that has been done,
for l have answered to every roll call
since the Wallace House was first organ-
lied. You can see every vote / have cast,
and you can either like or dislike them
as you please. So far as l could, I have
e%ndcavored to faithfully perform my du-
ty. You think differently. You have a
right to do so. Let our honest public
settle the matter.
You have seen proper to make ex-
tracts that you knew were false from
opposition papers,---papers that, from
the beginning of the contest, made false
representations, and have given the peo-
pies side OF the question no showing at
all,---whcn ever they saw proper to throw
dirt and violent Accommodation, to intlu-
ence and intimidate members. They
failed in their object, and so will you UNI
less you change front very quick. But,
be your own judgc,---I am going TO be
mine.
But you bring up Brown and Bradley
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