The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-06-15
mn Yor SPEAK, BROTHER JONES:

munIcaUOn from y. y. 0oi!ee N''''-'
man OF the Executive committee OF
the Prohibition party that IS not I'M
pressed; the shrewd manner he ad-
vertises the Philadelphia concern
that he is representing, and was at
the time he obstructed the enforc-
ment of the dispensary law. And all
through his lengthy letter he has not
attempted to deny any statement we
have made, but he does admit his
connection with the State government
prior to 1890, and goes off among the
dead to prove that he declined COL
tinuance in Office. Brother Jones
seems to have peculiar way OF max
ing statements and tben give as rel
crences, men who are IL their graves
It will be remembered, Brother Jores
stated recently that General Farley
told him she was not surprised, that
the men did not obey orders and IN
effect created the impression that
Farley approved Of the militia refns-
ing to respond to Governor IllImans $
command when he undertook to queii
the riot in Darlington and save the
State coostables from being lynched.
Dead men cannot speak and 1t is easy
to refer to them without fear OF
being contradicted. Major Lett
ner, who Mr.. Jones says insisted on
his remaining chief clerk OF the
Secretary ofstate's office is also dead;
so it is seen how conveniently the
dead can be used to suit ones pur-
pose. But Jones gives a plausible
reason for not wanting to stay on; 1t
is, that his salary since 1856 has
averaged one thousand dollars year
more than when he was IN the
States service. Now Brother Jones
we wish to assure you it is pleasing
to hear that you are doing so nicely
but please explain why you have, with
all of this increased wealth rolling into
your pockets, deprived worthy young
men and women from earning an hon
est living by taking position since
1856 in the enerossing department
of South Carolina. There were lots
of widows of confederate soldiers and
orphan daughters OF confederate SOL
diers, and young men equally as COM
petent as Mr.. Jones struggling hard
to carry breaa home to their families
turned away, ,becausein the engrosslnS
department the places were filed by
men who were making a thousand
dollars year more than the salary
of the chief clerk of the Secretary OF
State; surely, no humanitarian can
with consistency take the bread from
his fellow mans mouth, and If our
friend is so solicitous for the welfare
OF mankind that he wculd dash the
cup from his lips, why was he not
equally so, when bis fellowman IN
need, was seeking labor at the doors
of the engrossing department and was
turned away because the desks were
filed by at least one man who boasts
of making at that time, an average OF
one thousand dollars a year more
than the salary he was getting as
chief CLERK for number of years.
Mr.. Jones boastful confession con-
victs lin of official greed and it does
not speak well for his ''holier than
thou record. We said that Jones
is a politician of the days prior to
1890 and if his own letter does not
confirm what we said then we do not
understand it He quit the Office to
make more, nevertheless he can not
deny that after he declined Major
Leitner's invitation to remain he did
90 back to the State House when the
legislature was in session and again
sucked the government teat.
As to his advising the citizens OF
Manning not to tear down the dis
pensary" we cannot say; it is the
first time We have had any intimation
that such move was even thought
of here. We knew that few OF our
citizens were opposed to the military
going to Darlington, but we did not
believe they had any idea Of resorting
to violence We agree with Mr..
Jones that ''sober men are as rule
peacemakers," but at the same time
we do know that some men were so
intensely bitter in their political pref
udices at that time, they did not
act soberly nor sonely and friend
Jones, We fear, was among the num-
Der. The fact that he opposed the
government in the execution OF the
law was nothing more or less than
aiding and encouraging lawlessness.
We never questioned Mr.. Jones De
mocracy nor did we insiDuate that he