The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-04-30
BAD BUSINESS IF NOTHING WORSE.


The tremendous crowd that
heard Senator Tillman last Fri
day will of course expect US to
make some editorial reference,
and after this issue our criticism
of Senator Tillman so far as it
relates to the recent controver-
sy, will cease. What we have
had to say before was based up
on written certificates, news
paper reports, and Senator Till
mans own letter to US, and what
we shall have to say now will be
based upon his own utterances;
this we shall endeavor to do
without feeling, and only for the
purpose Of pointing out whatap-
bears to us the weak points in
his explanation. In this con-
nection we will state that the
newspaper correspondents were
mistaken in reporting US as hav-
ing said we are satisfied with
Tillman's explanation Of his
whiskey transactions. After the
Senator had replied elaborately
to one of the FIVE questions re-
lating to his dispensary transac-
tons, he turned to Us and said
:'Do you want all these questions
answered." We replied II do
not think it is necessary, " mean
ing that his reply to one of the
questions covered the other
four, because in his answer to
the first question, he placed
before his hearers a full presen-
tation of his side of the whiskey
story, and had he been required
to answer all OF the questions on
that subject, it could only have
been a repetition of his answers
to the first; that is why we
said II do not think it is neces-
sary."
The account of the meeting
will be found on another page,
and it will be noticed that every
advantage is given to the Sena-
tor. The News and Courier's
account was full. and impartial,
but the account in the Columbia
State from which our account is
taken was evidently written from
2, o9rEiZan Sfa00DOint.
Senator Tillman's written man
uscript from which he read the
future policy for the Democratic
party, was one of the finest pro-
ductions of the kind we have
ever heard, and while in some
parts of it there is a confrma-
ton of what we have all along
been contending was his object,
yet his presentation of it was ex-
ceedingly forceful and worthy
of very serious consideration.
We do not regard it altogether
consistent with his past utter
ances, nor with the original
principles of the Reform move
ment, at the same time we real
ize the changed conditions, and
that his views may in years to
come, force such action as he
now recommends. Therefore
we have no hesitency in saying
that he presented ideas which
we have never before considered.
Senator Tillman's explanation
of his whiskey transactions was
indeed, plausible, but when con-
sidered from a business view,
and stripped entirely from a sus-
picion of dishonesty, we would
be hypocritical if we did not tell
our readers, that it was the most
unbusiness-ike transaction we
have ever heard of. He admitted
that the trust" with which he
had the transaction allowed re-
bates, and we showed from the
quotations that the rebates al
lowed was 5, Z, and 10cents per
gallon. He said that the appro-
priation was not sufficient to buy
the stock for cash, and inasmuch
as the ''trust" had confidence in
him, it sold the stock on credit,
and he waived the rebates. We
have no means of knowing the
QUANTITY of LIQUOR purchased,
nor did he say; but he did say,
that the trust" did allow re-
bates, and by reason of their ex-
tending to him credit he waived
the rebates, and by mixing ''col-
ogne spirits" with ':two stamped
liquor" the price averaged up
about S1.35 per gallon. The
quotations at that time show
prices ranging fromS1. - to S1.30
per gallon with a rebate allow
ance of Z cents, and only
one day, January 10, 1898,
is there a quotation as high as
S1.35, all other days quoted dur
ing his administration show an
average of about sI.18 per gal
lon. Thus showing that his ex-
planation does not check up with
quoted prices of the ''trust," " and
leaves the matter still open for
explanation, why he should have
paid more that the quoted prices
and waived the rebates too: AS
a business proposition we con-
tend that from his own showing
Senator Tillman should have
had placed upon the books of
the State for his own protection