The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-04-25
FARLEY SPEAKS.
HE GIVES RlS VERSION OF THE OAR
llNGTON AFFAIR.

LlNGT ON AFFAIR.
Scmethiog 20 Say as te His Connection
With the Recent TccubIe-Hs Obeyed
Orders end Worked for Peace
GREENvILLE, S. c., April 19.-Gen
Hugh L. Farley was in Greenville q
lew days ago en- route to the reunion
of his old command in LauTens county
Upon meeting with him at the Man.
sion House the editor of tee Mountain
eer asked him few questions concern.
ing the recent stirring events in this
STATE, with which he was so promi.
nentIy and intimately connected, and
he very courteously complied with the
request to talk on the subject. His OBJ
| serVatlOnS are so pertinent and forcl-
bic, revealing the inward history OF
events at Darlington and Florence
that we propose to share with the pub
lie the interesting statement made by
L
the statements made concerning past
events, and his com meDts upon the po.
litical situation Will not fail to COM
mand attention. His conservatism as
citizen and public official is 10 less
marked than his devotion and sinceri-
ty as a Reformer, for be was one of the
earliest and staunchest advocates of
the measures which crystalized the Far
mers' Movement and upon which the
campaign of 1890 was fought.
General, it seems that some OF the
newspapers are trying to make it ap-
pear that there was antagonism be-
tween yourself and Governor Tillman
with reference to the conduct of affairs
at Darlington and Florence during the
recent troubles. Would you object to
giving the true inWardness of the
whole matter?'
"On the contrary, am anxious that
the matter shall be put perfectly right,
out Of justice to both Governor Till
man and myself Let US at least at
tempt to be fair to Governor Tlllman,
because there is so much partisanship
ard Misrepresentation at this time that
every occurrence is made use of for
some one or other political purpose.
From the beginning OF this trouble
there Was an attempt made to make
NE say things that l did not say. For
instane, that l had said and telegraph
ed to Governor Tillman from Darling
ton soon after my arrival thaS there
was no insuTrectloD. no need for mar
rial law and no need for troops, which
did not say at all. I am too old aud
experienced an officer to be guilty of
the presumption of volunteering my
opipioGs 10 my superior unless asked
for them. Any one reading my report
will see that Governor Tillman simply
Instructed ne to keep him ADVISED as
TO the true situation, and it will also
be seen thai these instructions were
simply complied with. KcowiDg my
duty, | kept my mouth closed and
awaited orders, giving no Information
to any one. If Governor Tillman had
asked my advice 10 regard to such mat
.ers Wonld have given it frankly and
cordially, but was only told to remain
al Darlington and take command of
apy troops that might be ordered to
that point. When l received he infor-
nation that troops were on their way
| communicated that fact to the mayor
and ciizans of Darlington, as was in
structei TO do by the Governors tele.
gram, and then took steps to secure
proper and orderly reception of Gen.
Rlchbourg's command. | have never
intended to give public expression to
nv opinion as to the necessity of send
ing troops to Darlington, because 1t IS
rot consistent with my position as Ad-
jutan5 General to criticlse the actions
of my superior officer, the chief execu-
tive of the State. | deemed it quite
sufficient to keep him posted as to the
situation SO that be could exercise his
own discretion, because tie response
bllsty rested upon him. Since It has
been made to appear, however, that l
did these things, and since am relleV-
ed from the official obligation of keep
ing silent, out of justice to both Cover
nor Tillman and myself, I do not hesi-
tate to say what would have been my
advice if be had sought it.
when the riot occurred in Darling
tor, the information received by the
Governor was necessarily meagre, and
during the riot there was, of course,
total suspension of all law. If the
troops in Columbia had been allowed
to obey orders, I am satisfied that the
power of the civil law would have been
restored within twenty.four hours or
thirty six hours. While found peace
and quiet in the town of Darlington, it
was the calm after the storm. do not
hesitate to say that some military force
in addition to the local militia, was
necessary for the restoration Of the
status existing prior to the outbreak.
Governor IiHman may have been mis-
taken to the exact measures or amount
of force necessary to restore the status,
but do not think that any impartial
observer would blame him for taking
am pie steps to bring ths community
back to its normal condition. Indeed,
after We had been thWarted IN our first
Efforts to secure troops, be could not
r-liDquish his purpo G Of restoring or
der without sacrificing the dignity of
the State and apparently surrendering
the prerogatives of bis Office. ANY
other course would have made it ap-
pear to the outside world that his
hands were tied and his official power
was paralyzed, and the moral effect
would have been irremediable. The
fact that Constable McLendon had
been taken from the Jail and carried
to place of safety in order to escape
lynchi1g. (much to the relief of the
good ciJizens of Darlington, as hap
pen to know is conclusive evidence
that the civil law was not deemed sutii
cient to control the situation. Without
sufficient force the investigations that
We're necessary in Darlington, more
particularly the inquest, which was
and ought TO have been held, could not
have been made with safety. because it
was imperatiTe'y necessary that the
consta5es should be present to testify.
Ihe necessity Was not so great at flor-
erce, but The presence of the troops at
either or botn places did no harm, and
gave assurance to the world that South
Caroiina vas capable Of restoring or
| oar AMI maintaining Deaco within Its