The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-12-12
Sensational Charges
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Made bysH'| 3 Perry Against; {;
EgGoY HMmaa J

Made Dy H E.efeEIW AgaiHss
by i 8 anaa
The State Dec. Z.
Last night considerable sensation
was caused by the circulation Of a
printed sheet among the plembers ef
the State Legislature: sAlong with
other matter printed thereon. was the
copy of letter written to Repre-
sentative Josh Ashley, which is
reproduced just as it appeared on the
pamphlet. Here it is to speak for
itself:
WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. i, '94.
Dear D Josh : I suppose you al are
in Gohnhia trying do sopething
to patch ap Ylnan's foolishness, and
geis thnas staght again SD South
Carolina The first step you ought
to take is to break up the corrupt
ring which has. grown up in the
Reform party 4 Ns IS cppposed q
Irby, Tillman and Evans, andtheir
henchmen in the different counties.
You remember when you aud Iand
esgreat body of farmers, went into
the Reform movement four years ago,
Tillman came forward as the leader,
and made a great fuss about the
..Old Ring, etc went to work
aud broke up that ring, and now he
has built up worse one. The old
ring was at least honest The pres.
ent or new ring is dishonest aud cor
rupt, and has brought disgrace ON
our movement.
You remember also, Tilsman made
great promises about reducing taxa
ton, the salariessof officers, cutting
down expenses. giving equal rights
to all, special riVileges tonoi1e. He
rode into office on these promises;
and hasn't carried out one Of them.
Taxes are higher than when he came
into Office, because the assessed value
of property has been increased by
fifteen millions Of dollars, and this
: fails with especial hardship on the
'sfarne1s. Taxes going up, and every
Athing they make going down. Till.
Anan took care that salaries should not
Abe reduced while he was in Office
draHiDg his, and they hnve not been.
The expenses Of the government are
higher row than when he went into
Office, and all in the name of Reform.
The equal rights teal and special
priyiseges to nonen dodge, has re-.
sulfed n about three famiIiess the
TilImanss Garys and Evans holding
alIahe most importantofices insthe.
State, and if these families are not
provided for, ! suppose new Offices
will be created to give the, other
members places. Il saw two years
ago they were using the movement
to get into Office themselves at any
and every cost, and were bringing
discredit aud disgrace upon ns. So
warned good many fellow-Reform-
ers Of what was happening, and it
has resulted as ] thought.
That dispensary issa fraud, and has
been used by sthes ring as q political
corrupt machine TiAman denied at
Union, during the canvass that he
had ever received the rebate of, I
cents a gallon on the whiskey he
bought from the whiskey trust. /
am creditably Informed that he did
receive that rebate, and a check was
sent to him for the amount, aud he
returned the check and asked them to.
send the money III currency, by ex-
press; that the money was sent, and
received by Tillman, amount
ing 10 many thousand dollars, that
ought to have gone to the credit of
the taxpayers. Furthermore, am
informed that the railroad company
that transported the liquor, paid Till
man rebate ON the freight He has
used this dispensary to cheat the tax
payers and enrich himself, and the
constables and spies as political
workers and strikers. 1t is danger.
ous political machine and ought to be
broken up. A friend, just from home
informs me there is more liquor sold
in South Carolina now than ever
before, a.,d yet they claim the dis
pensary has diminished liquor drink
ing. | understand Irby has stated
that Tillman got good slice ont of
that Port Royal lawsuit, and that is
the reason why Tillran is afraid of
Irby.
There is no doubt that Ti.lman and
John Gary Evans got good slice out
of the hundred and eighteen thou
eand dollars given to Rhind in fund
ing the State debt. Why don't you
demand committee to investigate
these things? The people ought to
know the truth, and if they are not
true, Tillman, Evans and Irby ought to