The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-09-10
SENAT OR BUTLER INTERVIEWED.
He 'writes Lotters to DR.. Stokes and
Snells Alliance.

AsHEVILLE, N. c., Aug. 3l.-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 DR..
j. William Stokes and to Sne!l's Alli-
ance, but had not seen them in print.
Asked about their purport, the Senator
gave the following as @ rough outline of
what he hal written:
TO DIR. Stokes he had Iirst presented
a bricf statement of the facts of tho
Prosperity meeting. lie (Butlcr) had
been invited there. Stokes and his
friends had arranged the terms of the
debate, and tho Senator had acCcded to
them. The SENATOR then took The
States stcno"raphic report of the
speeches, stating it to be absolutely COR
rect, and showed that, according to IT,
Stokes had done him grave injustice,
which he requested him to correct in
The State, so that its readers, who had
been informed of his editorial, might see
his reply.
81 note" he said, "that you predicate
| v
News and Courier. This report was
not stcnoraphc report and did not
purport to be such, but it is not amen
able to Tic construction you put upon
| it. The issue is between yourself aud
myself, and will be obliged if you viii
| give me your individual recollection of
what l said. You replied to me in a
half hour. and If said what YOU charged
me with saying, why did you not rcbukc
mo in your presence-you, who claim
TO be the special champion of the lar
mers?"
TO Sncll's Alliance, Orangcburg
County, Senator Butler wrote in sub
stance as follows, his letter being al
dressed to the president:
"a friend has handed me q copy Of a
paper containing your resolutions, as
follows: Resolutions quoted. | will
be obliged TO you il you will furnish me
the source Of the information upon which
you predicate these resolutions. | have
never stigmntlzed the farmers of Soutl,
Carolina as thieves and scoundrcls. |
suppose you mean to intimate, by your
language, that will hear from you
again, to intimidatc me from the full
and iair expression of my opinions upon
public questions, referring, ! presume,
to my election to tho United States SEN
ate. You must indeed have a very poor
opinion OF me if yon suppose for one
moment that am to be diverted from
the path of duty, as ! sec it, by any
such threats. may not live to see the
election OF my successor, but If | should,
l shall abide the consequences with re-
asonablc complaccncy. There arc some
things dearcr to me than holding Office
among them arc my own self-respect
and freedom Of conscience. / 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 one thing is
certain: do not intend to permit polit-
lcal bushwhackcrs and gucrrillas to get
between me and the people, if l can help
it. An carly reply will very much oblige
yours, ETC."
Senator Butler tells me tonight that
at the BaLcsburS meeting on the 9th ol
September he will formally announce
himself as 4 candidate for reelection To
@e United States Senate, and will say
that he will sacrifice his election before
he will abate one iot or title Of his con-
sclcntlous opposition to the sub-trcasury
s-hemc 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-
ncnts upon every stump in South Caro-
lima.