The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-09-08
SENATOR CUTLER INTgRVIEWeo.
He Writes Letters to DIR. Stokes and
SMELLS Alliance.

AsHEvILLE, n. o., Aug. 31.--Sena.
tor Butler is at the Battery Park TO-
night, on his way to Highlands, with his
family. Talking with the Editor of The
State tonight, he said that he had writ
ten letters four or five days ago to DIR.
j. William Stokes and to Sne'l's ALI
ance, but had not seen them in print.
Asked about their purport, the Senator
gave the following as g rough outline OF
what he had written:
To DR.. Stokes lie had irst presented
a brief statement of the facts of the
Prosperity meeting. He (Batler) had
been invited there. Stokes and his
friends had arranged the terms of the
debate, and the Senator had accedcd to
them. The Senator her took The
States st~enographic report of the
speeches, stating il to be absolutely COR
rect, and showed that, according t O 1t,
Stokes had done him grave injustice,
which he requested him to correct in
The State, so hat its readers, who had
been informed Of his editorial, might see
his reply.
II note" he said, 'that you predicate
your editorial upon the report in the
News and Courier. This report was
not a stenoraphic report and did not
purport to be such, but it is not amen
able to the construction you put upon
it. The issue is between yourself aud
myself, and L will be obliged if you will
give me your individual recollection of
what l said. You replied to me in a
half hour. and If L said what you charged
me with saying, why did you not rcbuke
me in your prescnce-you, who claim
to be the special champion Of the Tar
mers?"
10 Snell's Alliance, Oraugcburg
County, Senator Butler wrote in sub
stance as follows, his letter being ad
dressed % the presiGent:
"a friend has handed me a copy of a
paper containing your resolutions, as
follows: [Resolutions q%uoted.] L will
be obliged to you i, you will furnish me
the source ofthe Information upon which
you predicate these resolutions. | have
never stigmatIzed the farmers of South
Carolina as thieves and scoundrels. L
suppose you mean TO intimate, by your
language, that 1 will hear from you
again, to intimidate mt from the full
and fair expression of my opinions upon
public questions, refer ing, l presume,
to my election TO the United States SEN
ate. You must indeed have q very poor
opinion OF me if yon suppose for one
moment that L am to be diverted from
the path Of duty, as L sec it,, by any
such threats. [ may not live TO sec the
election Of my successor, but If | should,
L shall abide the consequences with re-
asonablc complacency. There are some
things dearer 10 me than holding Office
among them are my own self-respcct
and freedom of conscience. L would
not surrender these for all the Offices the
State could bcstow upon me. The peo-
pie of South Carolina sent me to the
Senate, and when they retire me, l shall
make no complaint. But II thing is
certain: L do not intend to permit polit-
ical b~ushwhackers and gucfrillas to get
between me and the people, if can help
it. An early reply will very much oblige
yours, etc."
Senator Butler tells me tonight that
at the Batcsburg meeting on the 9th of
September he will formally announce
himself as a candidate for reelection TO
Che United States Senate, and will say
that he will sacrifice his election before
he will abate n iot or title of his con-
scientious opposition to the sub.treasury
s1heme and other devices OF the men
threatening him. The Senator is in the
fight, aud the hottest Of it from this
time forward, and will meet his oppo-
nents upon every stump in South Caro-
lima.