The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-05-10
BLTSHED 1865.

WuSG uaye iCS OSaituS upOu LASA az
ton.
I went to Chicsgo, not as delegate
to vote in the Convention, but to meet
the Democratic national executive com.
mittee, in order to organize with t hat
committee for the work OF the cam
paign. I associated with them "open-
ly" I confess; most of the committee, ]
believe, were supporters Of Mr.. Cleve-
land, and the results ofthe Convention
indicated that there were quite num-
Der Of voting delegates also who were
in favor Of his nomination. I felt then.
as ] do now, that I as free white
South Carolina Democrat had as much
right to my choice Of Mr.. Cleveland for
the Presidency as Governor Tillman
had for his choice.
AS already stated, my position for
Mr. Cleveland was well understood
before the May Convention met. No de-
mand was made upon me by that Con-
vention, and I deny the charge that I
consciously deceived any one, either by
silence or by speech. The next count
in this wonderful Indictment is that I
pledged myself if elected President OF
the State Alliance not to seek any
Office, etc., and this report, I am told,
is being very industrsously circulated
in Alliance circles as though it were a
fact, which if believed will, as is hoped
for by those who seek my injury, have
the effect of breaking the unity of the
Alliance in supporting my efforts as
its official head to build up and main.
tain the true principles Of the Order.
The exact truth is did not seek the
nomination Of the presidency Of the
State Alliance, but on the contrary ex-
pressed to many of those who ap-
preached me on the subject that I pre-
ferred to decline, and I am sure that
every member Of the State Alliance
who voted for me will bear me out in
the statement that I did not in the
slightest degree express or imply any
such pledge, nor was any such require
ment laid upon me by any one whom
soever. I did say after my election
that I would do all within my power
to build up and advance the interests
Of the Order, which 1 have done and
will continue to do.
It might be interesting right here to
inquire of the Governor whence comes
this new born zeal for the welfare and
safety Of the Alliance on his part2 /
believe that at one time he was made
President Of the Edgefeld County AL
lance, and that Notwithstanding he
had published far and wide-to show
his disinterested patriotism-that he
wanted no Office save that of q trustee
of an agricultural college, yet he did
not hesitate to embrace the first oppor-
tunity to hold Office of another kind.
When Alliancemen all over the State
revert to his defiance Of the Order and
its principles, as he demonstrated it at
the meeting of the State Alliance at
Spsrtanburg, they will no doubt look
upon his great and sudden Alliance
virtue in this case az somewhat ludi-
crous and grotesque.
In the last count he charges me with
"treachery to the people and to the
Alliance" in that I injected into the
railroad bill Of '91 ''two Objectionable
features" viz: The right Of appeal on
the part of the railroads to the Courts
and the feature Of the bill which al
lowed the election Of railroad commits
sioners by the General Assembly. To
any one with the information and in
telligence Of schoolboy reply to
these charges would seem superfrous.
Mr.. Tllman when inaugurated Gov.
ernor took solemn oath to sustain
the Constitution Of this State and Of
the United States. I, with every other
member of the Senate and House Of
Representatives, took the same oath.
The constitution unquestionably guar
antees to the citizen the right of appeal
to the Courts, which right is one of the
bed rocks Of civil liberty, and yet the
Governor o. great State, who has
sworn to sustain the Constitution
thereof, feels justified in proceeding
seriously and deliberately to Washing
ton and apparently under cover Of
secrecy asks the chief executive Of the
nation to decapitate a man who, as
State Senator, refused to betray his
trust by denying to the citizen his
rights under the Conssitution-for in
its last analysis that is what this rea-
son, as given to Mr.. Cleveland, means.
BUNCH M'BEE AS A BooMERANG.
So far as relates to Bunch McBee
having suggested to me that the right
of appeal be inserted in the bill, have
to say that Mr.. McBee never once men
toned the matter to me, nor to the
best of my recollection did he ever dis
cuss the bill in my presence. Ihave
been told, by the best authority, that
the railroad men, after failing in their
efforts to defeat the bill in the House
and Senate, concurred very fully with
the Governor in his desire to deny the
right Of appeal to the railroads, as that
would have rendered the whole Act
and consequently
Again, incurred the displeasure Of
the Governor by allowing the Legisla-
ture to elect the commissioners instead
Of the people. AS a matter Of fact 7
was in favor of clause being inserted
LII