Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-10-09
Information For Mr.. LRttmer..

Information For Mr.. Latimer..
At last Mr.. A. C. Latimer has kindly
condescended to ask us for certain In
formation that we have been anxious
to give mm since the recent summer
school meeting at Tirzah. By the NAL
of Sunday, we received from him the
following, which Is reproduced verbat'
i'm ct literatum:
BELToN S. C. Oct 9Th 1901.
THE EDITOR
YoRKvILLE ENQUIRER
I have a copy Of the Daily Record In
which there is clipping headed up tc
Latimer' This article states that you
charge that I used my privileges as a
member Of the H. R. to canvass the
members in the interest Of Photo.
graph enlarging concern. What I die
in that matter has never been complain.
ed Of by any member of the House that
I have ever heard of nor by any other
gentleman who knows the facts. 1t Is
matter in which you have no concern
eccept as a meddler and for who's opin-
ion have no concern AS to the second
charge that I acted as an agent of a big
trunk line railroad in the distribution
Of free Passes to members Of the House
I deny the charge and demand the
name Of the congressman to whom Of
fered the Pass. A. c. LAT1MER.
Just as the clipping referred to in The
Record may have put the matter up
to Latimer." Mr.. Latimer has now
clearly put it "Up to THE ENQUIRER d
and if he will indulge us little we will
try to give him the desired information
Among the speakers at Tirzah, on
August 3, 1910. was Mr.. A. c. Latimer
THE ENQUIRER had no personal repre-
sentative at that meeting; but got Its
information of what occurred from diff
ferent people who were present. Among
other things Mr.. Latimer was reported
to have claimed much credit for his eff
forts in behalf of rural free delivery
and many of his hearers understood
these claims to infringe achievements
that they knew belonged to DR.. j. Will
liam Stokes. This writer was, at the
time, serving temporarily as the York
VILE correspondent Of the Charleston
News and Courier, and told Of the cir
cumstance related, in that paper. A
few days afterward, there came a let
ter from DR.. J. VIM. Stokes, and al
though we do not care to give all Of 1t
at this time, We'll beg permission to
introduce the following as Exhibit A."
ORANGEBURG, S. c., Aug. 10, 1900.
Mr.. w. D. GRIsT,
Yorkville, S. c.:
Friend Grist-I see by your report
in The N. & c., of the Tirzah meeting,
that Mr.. Latimer has been ''at 1t
again." If all my friends were
as effective as you in this sort of thing,
I would have no need to defend my IT,
tie. Your hit on the picture enlarging
business was a centre hit. Several 9TH
ers equally appropriate-organizing free
junkets among members, placing his
kinfolk in the government service, and
having mis- form set in grass at the gov
ernment expense and under a govern
ment expert when the state farm at
Clemson is but few miles distant. All
this is Of a piece with the penitentiary
book case scandal.
With kind regards,
Faithfully,
]. WIN. STOKES.
All this was so interesting, that the
writer was constrained to ask DR..
Stokes for more substantial details, at
the same time giving assurance that
nothing the doctor would write would
afterward be used to his embarrass-
ment as a public man. In reply, DR..
Stokes said that all the matters in
quired about were of common knowl-
edge In Washington, and some Of them
are of public record. The letter covers
four pages; but for the present one or
two short extracts introduced here as
Exhibit B." will suffice:
ORANGEBURG, S. c., August 81, 1900.
Mr.. w. D. GRIsT,
Yorkville. S. c.:
The party in question organ
lied junket to Cuba, and also one to
Due West from Washington couple
Of years ago, and many smaller trips
to New York and Niagara for family
and friends. On many, or most of
these, / was persistently urged to 60.
1t was urged that it would cost moth
ing-until plainly told the party that
was my chief objection to going. He
also had sent me an annual pass over
one Of the great trunk lines, which I re-
turned. I have heard of others whose
scruples Of this sort were overcome by
him. If any controversy should
arise and I am called upon to testify, I
will not finch; but don't care to ap-
pear in the role Of informant even
though 1t be as to matters Of public
record. Faithfully,
]. VIM. STOKES.
After these letters had been read
more than year ago, they were care
lessly thrown aside; but when Mr.. Lat
inner made his vicious attack on THE
ENQUIRER at Tirzah some weeks back,
they became of renewed Importance,
and 1t has required tedious search to
bring them to light again. They con-
tain some additional facts that are
quite interesting; but which, for the
present, will keep as we'll as the others
would have kept had Mr.. Latimer con-
Quoted himself with becoming circum-
spection at Tirzah.
AS to Mr. Latimer's claim that we
had no concern in this photograph en-
larging business. we beg to differ. We
are willing to concede his right to sell
pictures on the floor of the house. AS
congressman from the Third district he
is not our direct representative: but
when he asks for the privilege, as the
representative of all the people in South