Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-06-12
TILLMAN AND McswEENEY.
Tho Senator and the Governor Exchange
Warm Compliments.

graphed to Governor McSweeney to
know Officially" whether Senator Nc
Laurin had withdrawn his resignation.
Governor McSweeney telegraphed that
he understood Senator McLaurin's letter
to be withdrawal. Senator Tillman
then wrote another abusive letter about
Senator McLaurin. In the meantime
The Governor had already replied to the
warm lottor ho had previously received
from Tillman. The two letters passed
i'll tho mails. They are as follows:
TILLMAN TO M'swEENEY.
Dear Sir: l am in receipt of your tele
gram In which you say, "I understand
Senator McLaurin's letter to be with
drawal of his resignation" and I have
that worthy's communication in which
he graciously consents at your request,
Ito hold on to his commission as United
States Senator and continue to serve the
State rs ho has done in the past, to the
bost Of his ability"
This leaves mo one of three alterna-
tivcs. To appeal to the Democratic
Executive Committee to take the matter
up and determine what tho best interest
of the party requires to be done, to
appeal to tho Senate itself to determine
tho question as to whether resignation
from that body, to take effect at some
future time, is binding, or withdraw my
own resignation. There are no prece-
dents on this subject, because in tho 1875
years of our national life, with more
than 200 designations from the Senate,
no Senator has hitherto been willing to
occupy tho despicable attitude now
assumed by Senator McLaurin and forced
on me. l am certain Of one thing: that
tho Executive of State has no authority
to decline resignation that has been
tondercd, and am equally certain that
had your excellency confined your action
within legal bounds that your appointees
would DO seated in the Senate when that
body meets in December, and hold their
seats until the Legislature should act in
January. My chief regret is that l am
forced by your action to engage in what
the outside world will consider game
of opora bouffe, by withdrawing my own
resignation after Senator McLaurin's
undgnifiod and puerile action; but tho
purpose for which it was tcndered has
been thwarted by Senator McLaurin's
precipitous acceptance of executive
advice. Bob Acres has been outdono
for once. AS have already said l had
no motive or purpose in resigning except
to force McLaurin's, and there is l,othing
for me to do but accept the situation and
withdraw my own resignation, if it be
lawful to do so. Yours respectfully,
b. II. Tillman.
M'swEENEY TO TILLMAN
Sir: Your letter of June 1st has been
received | have carefully noted it's
contents, and the most charitable Wow l
can take of it is that it was written in
consideration.
l note that you say that l have "trans-
cended" my authority and that tho
Governor 'cannot compel member of
the United States Senate to hold his
commission and exercise the functions
of that Office if he chooses to surrender
it," and that you "decline for the
present to withdraw" your resignation.
Had you read carefully my letter
addressed to you and to Senator Nc
Laurn, you must have seen that l did
did not express any desire to compel a
member of the United States to hold his
commission and exercise tho functions
of that Office" if he chooses to surrender
it. My sole purpose in returning the
designations was to ask your gentlemen
to consider calmly and thoughtfully tho
consequences to the people of what 1
Judged to be hasty act, and must
confess that l am somewhat surprised at
the tone of your answer to my request.
consider the course which took in
this matter to be for tho best interests
of the people of South Carolina, and l
am responsible to thom alono for my
action. And, furthermore, still bolievo
that my course has met the approval of
nor do l consider them "unthinking
citizens" but men who know and recog-
nizo as fully as any people on earth tho
rights and duties and responsibilities of
citizenship, and do not need the services
Of any ono to tell them their duty.
You insinuatcd that l have boon
"importuncd" to "await tho conven-
icnce" of any present or would.be aspi-
rants who ''are not just ready for various
reasons to enter the contest brought on
so unexpectedly" and that for this rea-
son my action has taken tho direction
it has, is unworthy of man holding tho
high commission which has bcon given
you by tho people of South Carolina,
and deserves notice in this connection.
However, l may say for your benefit that
alone am responsible for my reply and
will give account for the course have
taken to tho people who honored mo
and not to any ono individual.
In this matter L have dono what l
thought best calculated to promote tho
present prosperity and contcntment of
the people of my State, and shall con-
tinue to do so regardless of what any
one man may say or think of my course.
did not think that a political campaign
this summer could do any good. How
ever, had the designations been uncon-
ditional and unrestricted, my action
might have been otherwise.
With due respect for your opinion,
think have as high conception of the
office of Senator and it's powers as you
or any other citizen Of this State, and
you must have known that tho brief
interview to which you refer monnt that
would simply meet tho responsibility
and perform my duty uIdor the condi-
tcns