Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1893-04-13
wA1.HAllA, SOUTH CAROLINA, APRIL 1a, 1898.

appointment of postmasters at the
suggestion of the Conservatives. He
reiterated today his determination
not to regard the recommendations
OF Congressman as final and not to
appoint postmasters from beyond
the delivery limits of the Offices.
These are, of course, adverse to the
Ocalaite policies.
Especial to The Columbia Register.
WASHINGTON, April ga cor
ference was held to-day in the pri-
vate Office of the Postmaster Gene
raj, at which was present Mr.. Bis
sell, Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General Maxwell, Senator Irby, Sen
at6r Butler, Congressman Talbert,
Strait, Latimer and Shell and ex-
Representatives Johnstone, and
Hemphill.
The object of the conference was
to permit the blacklisted Congress
men from South Carolina an oppor-
| tunity of refuting the charges OF
Third Partyism made against them
and of record in the Post Office De-
partment. Full stenographic notes
of the argument were made by
Messrs. NJ. F. Tighe and Blamen-
burg as the official record for the
Postmaster General.
The opening argument was made
by Mr.. Hemphill. His remarks were
confined almost exclusively to two
points, to-wit That the patronage
did not belong exclusively to the
Congressman, but also to the depart
mental officers, and to repeat the
threadbare editorials of The Neus
and Courier and of The State be-
smirching the political record OF
Latimer and Stre;t.
Col. Johnstone followed Mr.. Hemp
hill on very much the same lire. He
referred to what he called the Third
Party element in Mr.. Latimer's Dis
trict especially, and endeayored to
show that from Latimer's connec-
ton with the ST. Louis convention
and by the charge that he continued
to confer with Third Party leaders
in South Carolina that be was not a
Democrat.
Mr.. Latimer replied in detail to all
of these charges and denied each and
every allegation rejecting upon his
Democracy. In general terms he
said that while there were differ
ences OF opinion among the Demo
Gratis of South Carolina, and that he
differed with some of the brethren,
yet when the nomination Of Cleve-
land was made he went in with all
the Democrats to support him in his
public speeches and otherwise.
DR.. Strait, who was included in
the Indictment, defended himself Wig
orously in a speech in which he gave
facts and figures to sustain his posi-
ton, and to refute the imputations
upon the quality of his Democracy.
Col. Talbert spoke next, He spoke
with force and emphasis. He de-
plored the humiliating spectacle pre-
sented to the nation of having Demo
Gratis arraigned like criminals. He
said that this indictment came with
bad grace from defeated candidates.
He wouldn't charge that the de-
feated candidates had done this
thing, but if they had they deserved
the worst condemnation. He main
tanned that he was always Demo-
crat, apd held to the positions he had
always taken in his interviews and
speeches. He intimated very plainly
70 the Postmaster General that if
his brethren were not Democrats
elected on the Cleveland platform
that he (TalberD was not a Demo
crat.
Capt. Shell also made few re-
marks, which, however, did not cover
the points at issue, he not being in
cluded in the charges.
The closing argument was made
by Senator Irby. He spoke as the
Chairman of the Central Democratic
Committee of South Carolina. His
speech was an able, exhaustive and
vet concise review of the conditions
existing in South Carolina after the
nomination of Cleveland and out OF
which the present personal charges
against some of the States Con-
gressmen had arisen He attracted
the eager attention of the Postmas-
ter General at the. outset and held It
by his intense earnestness and array
of irrefutable facts until the close OF
his speech.
He spoke boldly, defantly and ag-
gressively He did not seek to touch
the opposition with any phrases cal
culated to intimate any compromise
after their arraignment of Latimer.
Strait and McLaurin. He main
tained that the elections in South
Carolina, whether primary or final
were conducted by him according tc
the rules of the Democratic party
and that if there were any bad faith
ILL.,. 4l.x 49,. oo,.1