The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-06-25

Only Makes IL Personal Explunn
tion-I;X.G GovcrnorT Tillmnn Declines
toDiscuss the Question for the Pres
| cnt.
| New York Times
BALTIMORE, Md, June I2.-Thc New
YORK Times yesterday printed reply
from State Treasurer Bates. Of South
| Carolina, to the article published on
the ith, regarding the management of
| the South Carolina bonds issued in
| lS93, BY United States Senator Tillmun,
Ireasurcr Bates and Governor Evans.
Tho article in the Times referred to
| seems to have caused much surprise
and Indignation in South Carolina and
other parts Of tho South. Senator
llllman has been SO prominent in load
Ing the free bust" movement.
ana so LcrcC in his dCnunciations OF
the moth DDS of the President and Sec
rotary Carlisle, that the narration OF
his operations as " tiuancicr caused
much excited comment. Nearly cvory
newspaper in South Carolina publish
cd the case as made out in the Times,
ana demanded an explanation OF the
curious circumstances revealed by the
evidcErp in the suit now pending here
over commissions on the bonds.
IN response to all this, Treasurer
Bates alone replies, although it was
announced u week ago tina, he and
GoVernor Evans were preparing Il
"joint reply" Tho Treasurer simply
asserts that the $1,000 he was shown
to have receive ed personally from the
bond syndicate was honestly earned by
him, and that his employment by the
syndicate WAS after the completion OF
the bond transaction, and did not in
lucncc his official action. 1t is worth
noting, by the way, however, that
", 3UU for few weeks work is quite
liberal pay in South Carolina, even
with some clerk hire and expenses
deducted, the pay 0. the State Trcas-
urer being only $2,4OO Il year. Tho
treasurer does not explain why or on
what terms MIR. Rhind, OF Augusta,
Ca, was employed us the States OIL
clal broker, and received exclusive
control OF tho handling Of the bonds
three separate times, ranging from
fourteen months to six months before
they were to be issued the State hav-
ing offered bonus, first Of $500, 600 to
place per cents, then of $l2O, 600 to
place 45S. lie does not explain what
the New York and Richmond brokers
who organized the syndicate for Mr..
lthind meant when they informed
members Of that syndicate that of tie
$iS,OO0, or two-thirds of the total bonus
unaccounted for, the bulk would have
to be given to parties in South Caro-
lima having political influence whose
names had better not be mentioned"
Senator Tillman and MIR. Bates were
the commissioners chosen by the Leg
lsiaturo, and they had entire control
OF the matter for the State. Governor
! Evans was then recognized as the con-
trolling power in tho Legislature, and
representative there Of tho Tillman
State Government. He had approach 4
ed Mr.. thind, and he and his uncle,
Major Gary, who was paid 81 900, wcro
Rhind's attorneys. Mr.. Rhind has not
denied that he made that statement
to the two brokers, non has he denied
that he told them he would only got OF
tho $l9, 900 left him, after he paid them
and Major Gary, enough to pay his
travelling expenses and time.
On these matters all concerned are
silent We are not even told whether
the amount OF Governor Evans fee us
attorney for Rhind has ever been de-
tcrmincd or paid.
Senator Tillman, Governor Evans
and Mr.. Rhind were in Augusta to-
gcthcr " few days after tho publication
OF the article in the Times-accidcnt-
ally, the Governor says. No one of
the thrcc has made IL statement or
spoken word in reply. Treasurer
Bates confines himself to explaining
him personally, and which was no cs-
scntial part of the general bond trans
action.
Senator Iillman is quoted az saying
that he has no time to reply to " lying
newspaper correspondence and that
nc will answer only when charges
are made against him by responsible
persons" He does not question any Of
the statements made. They are from
the sworn testimony Of Mcssrs. thind,
Tillman and Evans, and Of the brokers
with whom they dealt, and the nom
hers of the syndicate who took the
bonds. Thorc Is no question Of charges.
1t iG question Of unchallcngcd state
mcnts on which the public has natural
ly promptly and inevitably based
evidence presented by tho New York
Times, and the rcc-silvcr-or-bust" "
candidate for tho Presidency refuses
to answer.
1t is stated !Or Governor Evans that
he will discuss the subject on the
stump during his canvass before the
people for the United States Senator
ship. He prefers to speak for himself
strictly in South Carolina before cx-
cited masses uf mon, composed largely
OF his own partisans and dependents,
rather than in cold type before the
general public.
There are several facts in the case
which it is not necessary to publish,
except in rebuttal, and there is appar-
emily no occasion for rcbutting evil
dcncc, as there is no dcnal-nothing
but an explanation by one Of four mon
OF one comparatively unimportant
truth affecting him alone. AS col
lateral incident, however, it may be
stated that when Mr.. Rhnd went to
New York to attempt to place the
south Carolina loan he visited Con-
troll Ter Hugh S. Thompson, OF the Now
York Life, Ex Governor OF South Car.
Olina, and assistant Secretary Of the
Treasury under Clcvcland's first ad-
ministratiOn, and said to him:
"GOvcrnOr, | have seen enough
here to know that cannot place this
loan, while you can. There is about