The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-01-08

vate secretary, who draws a
handsome salary from the pres
ent despised Republican admin
istration, saying that his father
was away on lecture trip, to
explain our not getting a reply.
We therefore concluded to wait
no longer, as it might give the
Senator an opportunity to make
capital, and charge us with re-
fusing him the use of our col
umns. So our readers have it
this week-every word Of it.
1t is a very easy matter to use
the words ''scurrilous" and
"lying." the vilest fend now
within the walls OF the peniten-
tiary probably sneered forth sim
liar expressions when accused of
the crime for which he was be-
ing punished, but he poor fallen
man, had no comrades to secret
the evidences Of his offense, and
now he is paying the penalty to
an outraged State. Senator
Tillman characterizes our edito-
rial in terms unworthy of him,
but the dust he kicks up will not
blind those who will permit rea-
son to outweigh favoriteism.
We said Tillman's connection
"with the whiskey purchases
was such as laid him liable to the
strongest suspicion, and why?
Because when John Gary Evans
was a candidate for United States
Senator he was charged publicly
with having asserted that "Till-
man lined his pockets with re-
bates," and the party charging
him had his witness present.
Mr.. Evans did not deny it and
when the scandal became a
stencil throughout the State the
General Assembly appointed a
committee to visit the Office of
the whiskey concern to inves-
tigate the transactions had with
Governor Tillman. This COM
mittee was denied the books and
they had to come back to South
Carolina to report their failure,
and why? Governor Tillman was
a party in interest; his personal
character had been impugned,
not by his enemies. but by one
who was his close friend and
whom he tried to save from de-
feat, and also his successor in
Office. Notwithstanding this,
Governor Tillman did not make
the slightest attempt to make
the parties from whom he
bought thousands Of gallons of
liquor alta greater price than the
same goods were sold to other
liquor esta hlishments, show that
his conduct in the matter was
honest. This committee repre-
sented the taxpayers of South
Carolina with a delegated duty
to perform: they were no busy
bodies, and thousands of dollars,
the estimate is about $4,000 that
the State was entitled to from
rebates, according to a binding
agreement entered into with the
whiskey trust. should have gone
into our State treasury and has
never to this day found its way
there. For this reason thou
sands Of taxpayers are dissatis-
fed and believe that Tillman
either permitted the taxpayers
for whom he was acting to be
robbed by the whiskey trust, or
that Tillman pocketed those re-
bates himself. The fact of the
trust refusing a scrutiny of their
books to an authorized commit
tee from the South Carolina Gen
eral Assembly, and Tillman not
demanding of the trust that the
committee from his State shall
see them, is circumstancial evi-
dence that the transactions be-
tween the trust and himself
would not permit the searchlight
of investigation.
We have never made the spe-
cifc charge that Tillman got
these rebates, for the reason that
the proof was in possession of
the parties the deal was consum-
mated with, and they refused to
turn States evidence. Tillman
was in position to demand and
force an investigation. He could
have compelled the exhibition of
those books, even if he had to
invoke the aid of the courts, and
had he done 50, and his transac-
tions shown up clear, this suspi
cion would not be haunting him
to this day, and the people who
now feel that they have been
robbed by some one, would be
satisfied. The Senator would
have it as a token of his inno-
cence that the people have en-
dorsed him since the whiskey
scandal, but to our mind his en-
dorsements can be attributed
more to his shrewdness in being
able to keep up an excitement,
than to the peoples belief in his
| innocence, but Notwithstanding
the endorsements the people
have given him since, the whis-
key rebate scandal still fingers,
and will continue to do so until
something more definite than
sneering and abusive denials can
be obtained.
Senator Tillman saws. Hfree