The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-09-29
TILLMAN- BUTLER CONTROVERSY.
A Dispe ssionate Letter Which Meets Mr,
Tillman's Charges.
Row About the "Joynes Matter Now7

How About the ~"'Joynes Matter Now7
Mr.. Tillman has failed complete
ly failed to sustain any OF his
charges against the Department of
Agriculture. He finds himself in
a very awkward position and en-
beavers to get out of il hy making
new "~charges." This is his usual
mode Of warfare, as l explained in
my former communication. His
reply to my letter in THE ADvER-
User is Il labored effort to deny
what he did say and to explain
what he did not say. After repu-
dating the greater part of his
speech he endeavors to Dodge the
questions l put to him By inventing
new Charges" This may be in
g%enuouS, but can hardly be con-
sidered manly.
Let me give one instance of Mr..
Tillman's ingenuity. After repeat
ing the statement about the analy-
SEES, which Prof. Joynes so emphat-
ically denied, he says, in effect,
swell suppose Prof. Joynes did not
tell me this, that makes no differ
ence, the Department should have
made the arrangement anyway"
This is Il new way of crawling out
of close quarters. After reading
this attempt to eXtricate himself
from a very dis agreeable position
he must have said to himself, in
the words of that famous little
Startling, Il can't get out; / can't
get out"
Mr.. TiIlman charged that the
Department is a "hOt-bcd to hatch
Office seekers; /" "that it is not un-
der the control of farmers;" chat
it fails to protect consumers of fer
tilizers;" and "that the analyses of
fertilizers cost more than the South
Carolina College offered to make
tn m for" Has he proved any of
these charges? Has he not failed
to do so?
l have repeated this much of the
former correspondence between
Mr.. Tillman and myself in order to
keep his "~chargcs" before the peo-
pie, and will now notice some of
his new complaints"
The Board of Agriculture has not
abdicatcd in my favor, nor yet in
Mr.. Tillman's. AS the Executive
officer Of the department, and fa-
miliar with its work, / have under
taken to show the people that all Of
Mr.. Tillman's statements are not
strictly correct. This I felt at
lbnrf1- fn ln x,htln ,lisnbn rrirr ,,x,
duties under the direction of the
Board Of Agriculture.
| beg to inform Mr.. Tillman, if
he needs to he informed, that | ask
no favors at his hands. | am res
ponsiblc for the execution Of the
work, under the direction of the
Board, and am willing to assume
my full share of the responsibility.
He may strike me therefore as Of
ten as he pleascs, for | serve no.
tice on him that | propose to "take
up the cudgclS" for the Board and
the Department every time that |
lievc, that he has misrcprcsrntcd
either the Board or the Depart
ment. SO much for that.
To prove that the department; DIS
q hot-bed to hat,n Office SEEKERS"
Mr.. Tillman says that Gov. Thomp-
son holds an Office, so does Col. un-
can, so does Col. Lipscomb, and
that Chancellor Johnson wants an
Office and Col. Lipscomb is running
for another. What has all this to
do with the work of the Depart
mcnt Of Agriculture? As well
might claim that the FARMERS
Office seekers because Mr.. Tillman
vas Il candidate for the legislature
in Edgcfcld; or that some of his
supporters there, ard elsewhere,
have been Office seekers and Office
holders. But / charge no such
thing. Nor has he the right to say
that because some of the members
of this Board hold office that their
efficiency rs members Of the Board
is thereby impaired. But to re-
turn. If these members Of the
Board Of Agriculture have used
their official positions to advance
their political or personal interests,
they have been guilty of a great
crime against, not onlythc farmers,
but the entire people of the State.
If they have not so used their pO-
sitions, the fact that some Of them
hold Office, and others desire to do
so, does not i'm the least effect their
efficiency, and does not prove that
a Board composed Of those who do
not hold Office would discharge the
duties any more faithfully. Iagain
ask Mr.. Tillman to show to the
peopl' Of Laurens one single act Of
any character that any member Of
the Board has ever done i'm his off,
cial capacity to advance his polit-
zeal aspirations, or where the De-
partment has ever been used to
benefit any Of them personally or
politically, and again repeat that
unless he does do so, he must adj
NIT that he has slandered the
Board Of Agriculture. This I think
should answer for this branch of