The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1894-05-11
CONGRESSMAN MoLAURIN's HERETICAL
LETTER

DeaE hppets our lCtter OF recent Qutc
calling my attention TO widely circulated
reports Of my being in combination" with
Senator Butler in his race for the Senate,
has been received. 1t is q lie out Of the
whole cloth. Hitherto l have paid no atten-
-Asa>eu ISLANDERS "circulated' by interested
parties, for the purpose of destroying the
confidence that the people are supposed to
have in me. | canuot, however, avoid
reply to pointed question, such as you osk.
l shall "call spade a SPADE" and express
my feelings fully. Last Spring, when the
famous "5la;k isting' oftbe South Caro'ina
delegation was in progress, soon discovered
that the trouble arose largely from the aG
ministration confound .ng the Alliauceman
and the Populst. In the West, the Peoples
party swallowed the Alliance, and just c)m-
ing into power, the mistake was natural in
reference TO the Allianceman in the South.
If you will remember, was not present
when that disgraceful scene occurred in the
office of our postmaster General, where the
question of the Democracy of our Repre-
scntaiiycs i'll Congress was tested. felt that
the matter ofmy Democracy had been tried by
the people of the Sixth District, and if suited
them it ma,tered very little to me whether
suited anybody else or not. soon discovered
that Mr.. Bissell WIS n big-hcnrted big
braiucd man, MT much Ut u politician, but
q fine lawyer and throughgoing business
man, the only trouble heiug that he runs
the Pos. office Department in business way
instead of Is n politicians machine. Mr..
Talbert and myself had an additional a1van-
tage in not having defeated ex-membcrs on
the spot tc wage special war upon u.s.
While the issuing of ukases, pronuuciamen-
toes, etc, was going on | kept my mouth
shut, and attended to my own business.
Personally. did not banker after the dis
tribution of the offices, for | knew | couldn't
suit everybody, and every man who made
application and failed would either be
lukewarm friend or an open enemy. fet,
however, that had n certain duty TO per-
form in reference to these posto!fccs, and
made up my mind TO perform that duty, if
permitted by the Postmaster General, aud if
not SO permitted then the responsibility
was taken from my shoulders. was
pressed from every quarter by Reformcrs
90 secure these appointments. You wanted
the office at Manning, and suppose | hal
said: "Oh, l cannot recommend you Ge
cause Messrs. La,imer and Strait arc not
recognized" You would have very proba-
bly, told me that | was sent to Congress TO
represent the Sixth and not the Third and
Fifth Congressional districts. | made n
formal request of Senator Butler that hc
should not interfere with my rccommcnia-
tions or il he did 10 give reason why ne
should treat me in different manner from
that in which the Hon. George w. Dargan
had been treated. Senator Buffers treat
mcnt of me was kind. courteous and upon a
high plane. lie said that in his service in
the Senate he had never interfcrcd in the
district Of Congressman, where he
treated with that consideration due his Off
cill position, and would not interfere in
mine. In the maj ority of cases in my dis
trict, Senator Butler has made no rec9m-
meDdation whatever: in some cases, yours
for instance, at my request he joInei i'll the
endorsement.
1t is utterly impossible TO represent South
Carolina without some concert Cf action
between the Senate and the House. Senator
Butler has been kind and considerate. |
have in my turn, enieayored to be courte-
Gus and show proper respect to his etica!
Ard p .rsonal character.
The subject of State politics was never
mentioned between us until after the article
in the Headlight, due respect for the feeling
OF each preventing even an indirect refer
eucc to it. | have had appointed to nearly
every p>stoflice in the district iii NANTES of
the mpst marked type, without question
being asked or & pledge being taken from
a single man. So flr from any appointec of
mine feeling that he is under the slightest
obligation TO Senator Butler, you were per-
fecly free in your las, issue to compare him
to "buzzard." My dear Applet, what in
the name of Heaven is public man 10 do?
L1timer tells me that some of his people are
''cussing" him because he has not any inhu-
ence. and some Of mine are ''cussing" me
because | have.
have nothing TO do with the candidacy
Of Senator Butler he has treated me like
gentleman, aud | shall treat him the came
way regardless of consequences. The very
frat time that St.tc politics was discussed
between Senator Butter and myself was after
that infamous attack and insnua,i IN by CAN'T
of a. trade and combination,' then deemed
it my to talk to Senator Butler, and he said
not to pay any attention u that, that lie
knew the personal and political relations
between myself and Til man, and did not
expect me to do anything else, but that il
neei not disturb our personal and official
r;lations for me to support my friend.
Now, Applet, appreciate your kind letter
and the motive which prompted it. The
past four years have been u me full Of ex
perience, and tell you candidly that have
about reached the conc us on that ut present
there is no place in public life for a man
with any delic.cy Of feeling, conscience or
patriotism.
When think Of the dream had, when
we all started out in 1888 to amash rings
AMI to have free speech, free thought and n
truly popular g,vernmont, do not want to
see established as absolute \ despotism as
there is outside of "Dirkest Russia the
Alliance aud all those great financial and
governmental issues frcighte1 with the life
or death Of n nation, dwarfcl into the single
question of how whiskcy shall be dished out
TO thirsty souls.
Take the situation when | went TO Spar.
tanburg. After vilifying and slandering me
for months kilograms from Washington
ordered CAN'T to ask me certain questions
] said would support T,llman proyi ded ho
stood for the demands of the Alliance, and
actually one Of their lIttlc creatures, q peri
patetic school teacher, who wants to be
superintendent Of education, denounced me.
! think ii Imam is willing to stand upon his
own merit, but this crowd of sycophanis
auter his vanity and call everybody else
ORATOR when if the test came, like the
miserable vulturcs that they are, they would
be the first 10 turn and rcnd his vtals. |
will follow no man blindfoldcd, but if hai
been even willing to do this, | would have
died Il thousand deaths before | would let
ono of Tho n0litiCa! "!C hounds - that can