Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1896-05-27
WILLIAMS REPLIES.
Warm Letter From a Member
of the Board of Control.
What Remains of the Beer.
REsENrs THE GOVERNORS INsINU-
ALTON AND SEEKS TO ANALYIzE
HIS MoTIvEs-SoME HITS AT
EDITORS.
Register.

Register.
Editor Register. : In your issue
of the 10th inst, appears q state
ment by myself, explaining the
shipmentto me and seizure of a
barrel Of ,ottled beer, and a state
ment by the Governor follows,
trying to extricate himself from
the hole iii which / put him. The
Governors defense of himself was
SO transparent, 1 considered it un-
worthy of notice from me, but the
editorials in some of the county
papers which have been brought
t, my attention make further de-
fense of myself necessary. While
at it, 1 will first handle the Gov
ernor's reply. By silence he pleads
guilty to my charges that he has
accepted presents of liquor, and
th at public money was used to ad-
vertise him in Atlanta. About
the only other point worthy of no.
tice is his attempt 10 explain his
wanton usurpation IF power in ar
angling to nullify sections 25 and
81 of the law. 1t is clear case
of executive legislation" and he
| is reduced 10 desperate straits to
unload the responsibility. l deny
that the Board of Control zap
proved" The transaction, or that ]
am "partic,ps crininis" in it, and
how on earth he obtained the oer-
tifeate from Colonel Jones and
Mr.. Nicholson, that the Board had
"approved" it l can't understand
| 1t must be another exemplifica,
ton of his superior diplomatic
powers. l have never met two gen.
tlemen in whom [ have greater
confidence in their purity and IL.
tegrity than Colonel Jones and
Mr.. Nicholson, and | can't believe
they would knowingly do me OIL
any other person an injustice, and
l don't believe they realized the
meaning of the certificate they
signed. I submit that the minutes
are the high .st evidence of the &C,
tions of he Board, aid l have at.
tended every session and if any
approval" was considered or min.
ute read to that effect l have nc
knowledge of it.
A rule was passed instructing
Chairman Jones, ON the advice ot
the Attorney General to release 8
few packages OF liquor already
seized and in the hands of the
Board, but that did not carry the
right to release future seizures OF
to approve" the action of fht
Governor in keeping it out of the
hands of the Board-and l be-
lieve this accounts for their certifi
cate.
The Governor gives as his ex
CuSO lOT lib lltLlo lllCh LllbI lin
Attorney General advised him tc
do it and, in support of that con
tentlon, publishes a communica.
ton from Assistant Attorney Gen.
eral Townsend, dated May 9th
which says: 81 advise his excel
lency, the Governor, to make the
arrangement" etc. Now / arrived
in Columbia ON May 4th and fonno
this little "arrangment" already
made, and it seems that he only
got the "advice" of the Attorney
General to do it on May 9Th. four
days after l knew it had beer
made. The Governor prates con,
siderably about his right" to ex.
pect he "co-operation" Of the
members of the Board in the Ell.
| forcement of the law-meaning
evidently to ins.nuate that he had
caught me trying to evade the law
by having beer shipped to me
| when be knows that l was igno.
rapt of fhp ahinnent and he said