The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-09-09
A RETRACTION ASKED.
SENATOR BUTLER WRITES TO DR.. j.
w. STOKES.
The Senator Quotes His Own Language
end Derie that Ho Called alliancemsn
Thieves, and scoundrels--F'residsEt
Etokes's Reply.

]
stokes's Reply.
ORANGEEURG, S. G.. Sept. Below
will be found Senator Buffers letter to
DR.. Stokes and the answer to the same,
both OF which is from the Cotton Plant
of Saturday:
sENATOE. BCTLEE'S LETTER.
EDGEFIELD, =. G.. Aug. -, 1891.
DR.. J. w. Stokes, Editor Cotton Plant,
Orangeburg. 5. g.;
DEAR SIR-On my return to Edge
field yesterday after an absence OF three
weeks friend handed me 4 copy OF
YOUR paper, "The Cotton Plant" OF the
9Th inst. in which l find the following
in your editorial column:
At Prosperity Senator Butler divided
all men into three classes. Two Of these
classes are honest, including himself.
The "third one he said, "Eho borroWs
at any price and neysr intends to pay
1t back. This last class Is the one who
wants to borrow money at 2 per cent.
! from the News and Courier report
| This is a remarkable statement from
the senator. The lnan who borroWs
at any price and never intends to pay
it back" is q thief aod scoundrel.
According to the senator, therefore,
10000 AIliancemen In South Carolina,
and a good many non-,Alliancemel,
who would like to borrow money at
per cent, are thieves and scoundrel5.
How do you like that, farmers OF South
Carolina?. It Is an Infamous charge;
but since it comes from q United
States senator, of course we will keep
our mouths shut-till the next election"
was invited By Mr.. W. D. Hardy to
speak at Prosperity on July % "to dis
cuss the sub-treasury plan on its mer-
it's I accepted, and upon the an
| nouncement being made In the papers,
you challenged me to a joint debate.
| accepted that also. You then sought
to be represented by substitute, Mt.
| Livingston, Of Georgia, on the piea
that you had other engagements.
The newspapers prodded you 80 se-
verely for this retreat in the presence
of the enemy" you appeared and Liv-
ingston did not.
Although an invited guest, sod cn
| that account, presumably entitled 70
select my own place in the debate, you
and your friends imposed the terms
and notified me through Mr.. Hardy Of
your arrangement. promptly acceded
to them. These terms gave you the
opening and reply. You wsre on the
stand, and having the reply, are sup
| posed to have heard every word Ut
tered.
Permit me to refresh your memory as
to what did say In that portion OF my
remarks to which your editorial refeSs,
J. spoke as follows:
"There are three classes Of people--one
class that neither borrows nor lends
money land they are a pretty large class;)
and another class lends money out on
interest, land it Is perfectly legitimate
business; be prefers to live on the in
terest rather than put his money In
cotton and 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 ne
loans money at such a rate OF interest
as he may be allie to get?
Then there Is another class, which,
unfortunately, l belong to-the bor-
rowing class. Laughter. l don't
think man because he lends money at
| 10 per cent. is thief. Sometimes am
very much obliged to the party tor let
ting me have 1t; it helps me out OF a
scrape, and l gladly give him the rate
he charges. l have seen the time that
| | would like to have borrowed So.
.oChen you will take my class, and
thew are susceptible of division into
three. You will find the fellow who II
he had one or two thousand collars,
| would invest and make something by
borrowing it at 5, 8, Z, s, ~ or 10 yer
| cent, and will in due tims return the
money he borrowed and the interest on
the same. There is another fellow Just
as honest, just as truthful as the other
man, who borrows money at . or per
cent, and misfortune oYertakes MIN, a
cyclone, sickness or something pre-
vents his returning; he is as honest as
the other man, but he cannot return II
lust at the time. but if he is honest ne
| will keen on hammering until be does
nav It back. Then, the other class Tso
viii borrow money at 2, Is, 20 or 80 per
cent. and never intends to pay it back,
and never does. Applause and laugh
ter It's too little; it is like gambling.
You get your money too easy and you
spend your money TOO easy"
This ig a verbatim stenographic re-
| port of my remarks, and recognize 1t
as correct. l should like to have your
| individual recollection or what SAID.
! I made no special reference to farmers,
| but incllded all classes In every COM
munitv. There are many honest every
where, in every class, and some ulS-
honest men in almost every class. 10
| the latter l applied my remarks IN the
third class Ut the subdivision, and yet
in your editorial you make me 1nclude
10000 farmers belonging to the Alll-
ance. You did not put this construc-
ton on my speech either directly or
! piled In your half hour reply. ou
could not have thought 1t ansnable TO
| such a construction.
In view OF this explanation and cor
! rection Z ask 4 retraction OF that part
Of your editorial doing me injustice,
and a publication of this communica-
tion in Tie Cotton Plant, so that 1t may
reach those who have read your ed!-
| torlals.
note, that you predicate your cr1ti-
ciSm and conclusions on report OF my
speech in The News and Courier. This
| report does not purpors to be steno'
graphic report, nor does it, in its pres
! ent shape admit of the construction you
give it-but the issue ls between your
self and myself, and would be Obliged
| if YOU would inform me what conStruc-
ton you placed upon it at that time in
nv presence, and In the presence OF
that large assemblags Of farmers, and
il you construed, as you appear to nave
construed when penning that editorial,
in the quiet and delioeration OF your
sanctum, eight or ten days after the
event why did you not then and there,
reply to, and rebuke me, for these IN
famous charges" against 10000 1arm-
ers. whose especial champion you claim
to be? ,..o,
The remaining parts of your editorial
are teeming with misrepresentation
aad peryersions Of what said, and OF