The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-02-08
The Retiring Congressman Issues
an Address to the People.
ASSAlLS SENIOR McLAURlN.
Says He Has Been Treacherous to
His Colleagues and Uncru-
pulous. Very Warm
Language.
70 the People of South Carolina:

have decided to have word to say.
The star player in the recent perform
ance has been writing his own plays.
critising and damning all others while
painting his own part in glowing colors
without regard to truth or 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 newspapers of our State. | shall
confne myself to statement of facts
that can be fully substantiated 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. \. Neal, it is we'll known was not
written by him. He was sick at the
time and could not Judge for himself
what the effects would be. nor how des-
picable it made him appear in the eyes
of both friends and foes. 1t was well
! known that it was written by John l..
McLaurin, who hastened down to Col
umbia from Washington and as hur-
riedly came away after he had penned
this infamous SANDER. an instrument of
apostacy, and induced Neil. poor, sick
fellow to sign it.
Along with other members Of ::
South Carolina delegation in con@".~>
| have been subjected to the trca tcrr
and undermining tactics Of the ::lor
senator from our State so long t..,' |
had almost become used to it ami did
not expect to have anything more 10 say
during the short period in which | will
remain in public life. But there is such
an outrageously false accusation against
the entire delegation in the Neal Nc
Laurin address that | cannot longer re-
main silent.
McLaurin has his commission as
senator until 1903, and he may feel
that he can SANDER US with impunity,
but I, at least, will not submit in 81
lence. McLaurin makes Neal charge:
''In 1894 | was invited to go to Wash
ington to attend conference. | was
present in Irby's committee room when
it was agreed to make John Gary Evans
governor of SouthCarolina. There was
only one man who raised his voice
against it in protest. I was witness
to the scene when he withdrew in anger
from the conference" There was no
need for him to go back four years to
make an accusation of there being a
ring in Washington at the time which
was running South Carolina S 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 par
ticipated, as well as ex-senator Tillmau
who was at the meeting mentioned-he
being aoverner then: Irby called a
meeting of the delegation without let
ting us know what he wanted with US.
Tillman, Neal and Evans were present.
As soon as the meeting opened McLaur-
10 mentioned that Koester, then edit
ing The Register, and Bowden, two
prominent South Carolinians, then IN
Washington, ought to be admitted to
our council. Irby and McLaurin were
then not on good terms on account Of a
scandal involving McLaurin, of which
| will not speak here, because it is too
nauseating, and they began to quarrel,
Irby declaring that he would not have
anything to do with Populist, and
before anything was done, or the pur-
pose for which we had been brought to-
gether mentioned, McLaurin angrily
left the room, saying he would stand
by his friends
Matters having assumed this shape,
Latimer. Talbert and myself, members
Of the house, also left. and there was
not one word said abost running John
Gary Evans for governor NcLaurin
has become so notorious himself for
holding conferences and planning politi-
cal deals, and is by nature sucha tricks
ter and conspirator, that presume lie
feels called upon to charge such things
to others. He was in the Forty move
ment, which had for it's object the de-
struction of the Reform party. He
begged Latimer, Talbert and myself to
join him in Populist manifesto to the
people of the State in 1894, saying that
the State was ripe and that the people
would rally behind that bannerif We
would Join 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 dispen-
sary law here during the Darlington
riet and wrote the Dear. Appel let
ter giving Senator Tillman the .Joab
stab, yet when Tillman came on here
afterwards he went to him and begged
him not to fight him in his congress
sional district for congress, and dis
claimed intending anything but friend
ship for him. lie promised Bowden
that he would run for governor in 1896
and encouraged Bowden to run for con-
gresss. He.made Tom Reed believe he
was in sympathy with the Republican
party and thus obtained his position on
the ways and means committee above
older and ADLER members of the house.
He has been, in a way, trying to deliver
the goods, and his tariff speech was a
part delivery His fawning around the
president last summer and declaration
that Mckinley was the most popular
president since Lincoln&nd ought to be
rcnrminated nv acclamation is another