The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-01-22


ready indicated why proof is not
forth coming just at this time,
but be patient it may come.
Tillman has confessed recelv,
inc things that he knew he had
no right to. from the peniten
tiary, but he puts it "A few Vese-
tables" when we have proof.
that the vegetables from that
institution consisted Of cabbage,
turnips, coal, wood, commercial
fertilizers, cotton seed, cotton
seed meal, brick and other vege-
tables. which he instructed the
book keeper of the institution
not to charge on the books.
Tillman virtually confessed
having betrayed his people into
the hands of one of those des-
pissed corporations. by saying
that his name appeared as a di,
rector because he was d United
States Senator. He says we
slandered him, buthe does not try
to show that we made false
charges-he simply denies. Does
he think his simple denial Will
outweigh written certif ca tie S
which are the basis ofall charges
made by US? The men furnish,
ing these documents are men OF
character and they do not ask
US to hide their identity, and for
that reason we asked the Sena-
tor if he would like to see this
proof. If Tillman has been
slandered, why does he not act
like an honest man should, and
not play the bluff game Of a
braggart and a bully. He un.
dertakes to make capital out OF
our declining to accept his chal-
lenge for a debate. Does he not
know that we have right to
select our mode of fighting him,
even if we accepted his challenge
we would not let him dictate his
own terms, but he throws out a
strong hint to be invited to come
here and we suppose he will get
the invitation: when he comes
he no doubt will make Us the
object of his coming. We ex-
pect to be present, and if he at
tempts to fool the people about
his connection with the whiskey
rebate steal and his becoming a
personal beneficiary of the pro
ducts from the State institutions,
we will have something to say,
and we will say it in our own
way.
The day Tillman comes here
to vindicate himself he will be
given to understand that sneer-
ING denials and contemplate but
shrewd insinuations against alb
sent people will not be accepted.
He knows what we said about
him. and the people will want
him to show it is false, which he
can do as we'll in the public
prints. Ben Tillman dares not
come out in the newspapers over
his name and tell the truth about
his connection with the whiskey
transactions. nor does he dare
give his earnest aid to force an
examination of the books Of the
Mill Creek Distilling Company
and other companies which be-
longed to that trust. II he will,
the people would soon learn of
the Whereabouts of their missing
$4,000. Tillman prefers the
methods of the bully, and when
he finds by his bullying tactics
that his game wont work, he
then plays the ''you-are-beneath-
my -notice-racket.
Our fight started in The MAN
MING TINES, Tillman recognized
our ground by coming on it with
a reply, and now that we have
taken his own letter and used it
as an instrument to knock the
scales from the the peoples
eyes that the truth might stand
before them, he wants to change
the base of hostilities, or call it
off, by contemptuously declining
to "dignify" US or our ''charges
by any further notice in print. :"
We do not ask him to notice
US, but at the same time we will
not be deferred from continuing
the war upon him. There was
a time in the very recent past
that we were about to stop:
thinking like many others, to
fight him would be useless, but
we do not feel that way now,
and have reached the conclusion
that it is our duty to convince
the people that Tillman is not
what many honest men think
him, that he has deceived them
for hispersonal aggrandizement:
and we believe that before the
year is out the public will be in
full possession of complete ex-
posure of Tillman's transactions
with the whiSkey trust. We
once had a strong faith in his
personal honesty, that faith has
beer shaken by his own brazen
of his having betray-
ed his people for what has been
often termed soulless corpora
tionS.
rTrDrC DI1DOy