The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-08-26
Wednesday, August 26, 1891.
Did President Stokes Submit to In
suit without Protest:

suit W1tnOut PrOteSt:
We ask attention to the letter Of Mr.. Jos. I .
Kett.
1t is claimed that we credited Senator But
Ter with some Of President stokes words last
week. We believe we cut the words out OF
the Cotton Plant. In order to set ourseii,
President Stokes and Senator Butler right on
the record, as to what Senator Butler did say
at Prosperity, we reproduce his exact words,
as reported by the States stenographer:
'There are three classes of peOple-one class
that neither borrows nor lends money cana
they are a pretty large class); ana another
class lends money out on interest (and IL Is a
perfectly legitimate business; he prefers TO
live on the interest rather than put his money
in cotton or mules, and there is no reason
why he should not. Does that make him an
enemy to the country or make him any less
patriot because he loans money at such rate
OF interest as he may be able to get:l
"Then there Is another class, which, unior-
tunately, belong to-the borrowing class.
[Laughter.l 1 don't think man because he
lends money at ten per cent is thief. Some
times am very much obliged to the party tor
letting me have it; it helps me out of Il
scrape, and 1 gladly give him the rate he
charges. l have seen the time that would
like TO have borrowed s..
"Then you will take my class, and they are
susceptible Of division into three. You will
find the fellow who If he had one or two thou
sand dollars, would invest and mako some
thing by borrowing it at ), 6, 7, S. 10 or Is per
cent, and will in due time return the money
he borrowed and the Interest on the same.
truthful as the other man, who borrows mon
ey at or per cent, and misfortune over
takes him. q cyclone, sickness, or something
prevents his returning 1t; he is as honest as
the other man, but he cannot return it just at
that time, but If he is honest he will keep on
hammering until he does pay 1t back. Then,
the other class Dho ,ciH borro,O money at 2 Ii, 20
or 50 per cent. and nerer intends TO pay IL back,
and neper does. [Applause and laughtcr.l It
Is too little 1t is like gambling Iougetyour
money too easy and you spend your money
too easy"
These are the words which President Stokes
is trying to distort into an insult to the ALL
ance.
Under no sort Of fair reasoning, could Pres
ident Stokes feel that the Alliance was insult
ed, unless he himself believed that the mem
bers of the Alliance borrowed money without
intending to pay 1t back"
Why should the members OF the Alliance
assume that Senator Butler thought them to
be dishonests Why should his words be
more insulting to the members of the Ali-
sDce than to others-non- on-Alliancemen-who
were present?
II the President OF the Alliance quietly SUBJ
mitted to public insult in public debate,
without resenting 1t then and there, 1t would
seem 10 us that his failure to do SO might lead
the people to think that he was unworthy of
either the confidence of the Alliance or the
respect Of the public.
Does any man in South Carolina presume
for moment that Senator Butler would sit
quietly by, and listen to the defamation of his
constituents, without resenting it Immediate
ly, and without hurting the insult back into
the face Of the traducer?
He has not allowed South Carolina to be in
suited in the Radical Senate, and it is fair to
presume he would accept no insults on the
hustings.
If DR.. Stokes sat and allowed himself and
the noble organization whose principles and
tenets are as good as those of any order on the
face Of the earth, to be as grossly inSulted in
his presence, as lie alleges,-(after quitting the
grounds and retiring to his office)-it is ex-
ceedingly strange that he would tell it.
Does he run home and proclaim that he ac-
cepted at Prosperity public insult for him.
self and his order, without resentins it?
But II Is not true that the Alliance was in
suited.
DR.. Stokes was reared and educated gen.
ator Butler were not an insult to the Alliance
meu.
He knows that no honest man has any
right to object to them, and we believe there
is not an Allianceman of ordinary intelli-
genee in Abbeville county who can find an
insult in Senator Buffers words.
But admit, as President Stokes charges,
that 10000 AllIancemen were insulted, he as
President and chief OF the Alliance, accepted
the insult, instead of instantly demanding
retraction from Senator Butler. For this
most strange dereliction Of duty OH his part
the Alliance should call President Stokes to
account.