The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-06-27
SENSATIONAL ToMMYRoT."
That Is What the Florence Times
Calls Patterson's Charges

The injection Of personalities in the
campaign by Hon. Howard Patterson at
Oraugeburg was the most unpleasant
feature of the occasion. This feature
was very much discussed on the street
corners aud in the cars. 1t was gen.
orally conceded that Gov. McSweeney
stood The attack very we'll, and on all
sides, except among the friends of Mr..
Patterson, were heard regrets that
such should have been injected in the
campaign. His friends held that it
was right and proper that man should
be called to account for his short COM
ings, and that the charges made were
Of short comings. Briefly summed Up
they were that the governor had taken
drink in one of the clubs in Colum
bia, which liquor was blind tiger stuff.
as Mr.. Patterson himself said that
nine-tenths Of the men in the world
drank liquor, and as the crowd prompt
ly replied, some that the other tenth
did too, and others that they wanted
to, the taking Of the drink was hardly
to be construed as the ofense, and it is
not very plain how guest is to satisfy
himself as to whore his hosts liquor
comes from. the ofense is at least not
of such magnitude as 10 warrant a
great dramatic display which was in
tended to magnify the ofepse into
serious moral and civil crime against
decency and the laws of the state, and
to put the accused in the light Of a So
cial !eper. The other crimes were in
regard to the disbursements Of the gov
ernor's contingent fund, fund intend
ed to be used for the benefit Of the
governors Office as the governor saw
lit. 1t has always been considered
necessary for the governors Office to
keep posted on the local atfairs Of the
various communities in the state, that
is part Of the governors duty, and the
duty Of those around lin. There is
but one way to do this, and that is to
read the papers from the different
towns. The taking CT these papers
was inaugurated in the time Of John
sen Hagood, and has enabled the COVER
nors of the state to keep themselves
better informed than any other means
ever employed, and understanding the
people bette, they have been enabled
to administer their affairs with more
justice and satisfaction. McSWeeney
has simply increased the number Of pa
pers used by that Office because there
were many communities not represent
ed. His own paper had been on the
list for years and he considered it en-
titled to the pay from the Office. If
these were crimes they were crimes Of
very peculiar nature and seriously
lack the element Of malice against the
people. The other accusation was that
no attempt was made to stop the blind
tiger business in Charleston because
McSaeeney wanted the vote of the
blind tiger element in that city. The
facts on record are against Mr.. Patter
son in this matter and the assumption
of the cause was purely grstultous.
These charges were made iu he same
manner as if the gjvernor had embez
lied all the funds that had come his
way, made all kinds Of nefarious bar
gains with the blind tiger element and
was altogether the most corrupt and
shameless character in the state, and to
the unthinking in the audience the i'm
preston left was that such charges had
been made. There was great confusion
at this stage Of the proceedings to
which the resentment Of the soft at
! tacks of hypocracy and duplicity and
calumriatiou of a pure and virtueus
people, leveled at Col. Hoyt. was but a
zypher. But for the quiet dignity Of
McSweeney, who held his tepmer un.
der the lash, there would have been
half hundred different rows at once,
for blood got hot all round, Florence
Daily