The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-02-08
Strait Attacks McI.aurin.
TO the People of South Carolina


Since manifestos, addresses and eX-
poses are in order in South Carolina, l
have decided to have yord to say.
The star player in the recent perform
ancc has been writing his own plays,
criticising and damnins all others
while painting his own part i'll glow
ing colors without regard to truth OF
the interests of any save himself. |
have decided it to be my duty to keep
quiet no longer while he is allowed
weekly to exploit himself and his
actions through the leading news
papers OF our State. ] shall confine
myself to a statement of facts that can
be fully sub>tantiated by the entire
delegation in Congress, and, in fact,
all who had an opportunity from the
inside to observe closely the trend OF
matters during the last six years. The
people of South Carolina have right
to know what is now and what has
been going on behind the curtain.
And when they have learned all the
facts they will not be SLOW to make up
their minds.
The address recently issued by Mr..
W. 4. Neal. it is we'll Known, was not
written by him. he was sick ut the
time and could not judge for himself
what the effects would be, nor how
despicablc it made him 4ppear in the
eyes of both friends and foes. 1t is
well known that it was written by
John L. McLaurin, who hastened down
to Columbia from Washington and rs
hulricdly came away after he had pen
ned this infamous SANDER. an instru-
ment of apostacy, and induced Neal,
poor, sick fellow, to sign it.
Along with other members of the
South Carolina delegation in Congress,
| have been subjected to the treachery
and undermining tactics of the junior
Senator from our State so long that
had almost become used to 1T and did
not expect to have anything more to
say during the short period in which
will remain in public life. But there
in such IN outrageouSly false accuSa-
tion against the entire delegation in
the Neal -McLaurin address that CAN
not longer remain silent.
McLallin has his commission as
Senator until 1903, and he may feel that
he can SANDER us with imnunity, but |,
at least, will not submit in silence.
McLaurin makes Neal charge: In 1894
| was invited to 60 to Washington to
attend a conference. was present III
Irby's committee room when it was
agreed to make John Gary Evans GOV
crnor OF South Carolina. There was
only one man who raised his voice
against it in protest. | was Il witness
to the scene when he Withdrew in anger
from the conference. There was 10
need for him to go back four years to
make an accusation OF there being 4
a ring i'll Washington 1T the time which
was running South Cardinals politics.
He made poor Neal sign a falsehood,
knowing at the time himself that it
was falsehood, and his only purpose
could be to injure the delegation here
in the eyes of the people. Now. the
facts are these, and | will be sustained
in my statement by every member who
participated, as well as by Senator
'rillman, who was at the meeting men
tioned-he being governor then: Irby
called meeting OF the delegation
without letting us know what he want
ed with lis. Tillman. Neal and Evans
were present. AS soon as the meeting
opened McLaurin mentioned that
Koester. then editing The Register,
and BOWden, two prominent South
Carolinians, then in Washington,
ought to be admitted to our council.
Irby and McLaurin were then not Oh
GOOD terms on account OF scandal in
volving McLaurin, of which will not
speak here, because it is too nauSeatlng,
and they began to quarrel, Irby .leclar-
inc that he would not have anything
to do with POpulist, and before any
thing was done, or the purpose for
which we had been brought together
mentioned McLaurin angrlly left the
room, saying he would ''stand by his
frieudS.'
Matters having assumed this shape,
Latimer, Talbert and myself, mem
bers of the house. also left, and there
was not one word said about running
John Gary Evans Tor governor. Nc
Laurin has become SO notorious him.
self for holding conferences and plan
ming political deals. and is by nature
such trickster and cOnsplrator, that |
presume he feels called upon to charge
such things to others. He was in the
"Forty- which had for
its object the destruction OF the
Reform party. He begged Latimer,
Talbert and myself to join him i'll a
Populist manifesto to the people of
the State in 1894. saying that the State
was ripe and that the people would
rally behind that banner if we would
ioiu him. He denied this when he was
running for the Senate, but can prove
it by both the gentlemen referred to.
He cursed and damned the dlspcnsary
law here during the Darlington not:
and wrote the Dear Applet letter,
giving Senator Tillman the 'Joab
stab" yet when 1'illman came on here
afterwards he went to him and begged
him not to fight linn in his Congress
sional district for Congress, an'! DIS
claimed intending anything but TREND
ship for him. He promised Bowdcn
that he would run for governor III lS96
and encouraged Bowdcn to run Tor
Congress. He made Tom Reed believe
he was in sympathy with the Republ!-
can party and thus obtained his posi-
tjon on the ways and means committee
above older and ADLER members OF the
House. He has been, i'll Il way, trying
TO deliver the goods, and his tariff
snccch was a part delivery. His fawn-
ing around the president last summer
and declaration that Mckinley was the
"most popular president since Lincoln
and ought to be renomlnated Dy accla-
nation" is another part. All these