The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1897-05-25
TILLMAN'S LETTER.
The SEN .tTOR HIMSELF ISSUES a RE
VISEU EDITION. ,>-~'
Defonds Disponsney=-L "SmoIso",
sweet :IitcCnsc In '02, Now Burns Ills
Eyr8 State Must II0ld Agricultural
~ Irnn.
Especial to Tho Stato.1

joined tho congressional party at
this point this morning Senator Till
man gavo me the following state
mept which was also handed to rep
rescntatives of other newspapers.
Tho statement is tho modified vor-
sion Of the lettor recently written to
Governor Ellerbo, which tho Gov
ernor declined to make public. Sen
ator Tillman, however, explains all
this in his Introductory. Here it is:
Governor Ellerbo having declined
to givo my letter to tho press as I
requested, L waited to hoar from
him befors giving it out 1t YVES
written very hurriedly ..aId some
things in it seemelr to him to be
- reflection on his administration and
ho also objected to my STRUCTURES on
some meL and things rs coming
through him for fear they would be
considered rs receiving his cndorso-
mont. AS [ intended no reflection
on the Governor, and had no pur-
poso Of "strllSing othors ovor his
shoulder" l have modified tho Ian
guago which hc considered to re-
fleet on him and give the letter to
the public in tho form or state
ment. L only addressed il to him in
the first place because being Gov
ernor, ho alonc could order an invcs-
tigation. 1T Is substantially as first
written except that I have changed
my comments on tho Agricultural
hall mattor some since reading the
opinion of Justice Harlan and left
out ono or two sentences which
might be considered as making boast
full comparisons.
Tho dispensary scandals and tho
recent decision in regard to the Ag-
ricultural hall case havo excited
deop feeling Of concern in the
minds Of the peoplo Of the State,
and have givcn my enemies good
oxcuse to engage anew in the pleas
ant past time Of abusing and sland-
ering mo in connection with both
commend heartily tho Governors
action in pressing the recent in
vestigation and join in the scn-
timent: "Let no guilty man cs-
cape" | have no desire, uor do |
believe has tho Governor, to mako
scapegoats of anyone but if there arc
any big fish in tho net let thom not
@break, Though and punish only tho
little ones.
There has been moro or loss loose
moss in vogue in regard to samples
from the worry start and it is proha-
bic that contraband liquors and
samples became mixed in the minds
Of men connected with the dispen,
sary SO that due regard to law has
not been had in tho disposal of con-
traband seizures.
But if thoro are no gravor crimes
in connection with The management
than these with which they have
thus far been charged, ! do not SEQ
that much good will como, even if
Scruggs and Gastoa arc punished to
tho fullest eXtont Of the law. in
this connection, | wonld suggest
that too much stress seems to bo
given to tho having Of Il "hocus-
pocns" key. Scrnggs was The
trusted agent of the board of control,
SO l&uch so that they refused or
failoA to elect n commissioner and I
cannot SEQ what need he had for
k2Yx/ Shipments must have been ro.
coived constantly and do not know
how they could havo been placed in
tho contraband room unless there
was a koy always in his possession
to open it with. 1t is. possible, at
this distance, however, and for the
lack Of familiarity with tho present
workings of tho disponsary, my
criticisms along this limo are worth
loss.
Samples were sont in in great
quantities when [ was connected
with tho disponsary and not know
ing what else to do with them, they
wore freely distributed among tho
visitors to tho institution, as one
meansof determining the qualities of