Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-07-02
LATIMER AND EVANS.
They Created Some Excitement nj
Marion Last Friday.

The most exciting incident of the SEN
atorial campaign developed at Marion
last Friday. The relations between
Messrs. A. C. Latimer and John Gar!
Evans have been strained since las,
summer: when it first developed that
both would be in the race for the SEN
ate. At Marion, last Friday, Mr.. Lat,
inner referred to certain criticisms that
Mr.. Evans had made Of him. and
charged that he (Evans) had came tc
Washington and suggested that ne
Iatimer) run for the senate. The fol
lowing story of the incident Is as re-
ported by the representative OF the
Columbia State and News and courier:
Mr.. Evans: You suggested 1t, but
did not want you," and then evans
added, You invited any one to raise
their finger and point to any pubic acts
of yours that was not credit to your
state. Here is something that DR.. j.
William Stokes, whom we all know to
have been an honorable, brave and
truthful man as ever lived, and was al
that time member of congress from
the 7th district, wrote about you and
had published in THE YoRKVILLE EN-
oUIRER"-
Mr.. Latimer: II know every word In
it, and 1 will tell you. fellow citizens
all about it, :
Mr.. Evans: Fellow citizens, here is
the proof that Latimer peddled pictures
in the house: had his farm stocked
with seed by the government, and rode
on and distributed free passes over rail-
roads to his friends in violation of the
law"
The confusion by this time was Sc
great that it was hard to understand
distinctly what was said; the volcano
which had smouldered for weeks, was
now sending out red-hot campaign
rocks, gas and Shiny black mud.
Mr.. Latimer turned to the crowd and
said that Mr. Wilson, the secretary OF
agriculture, had come down to Due
West, wanting to make experiments,
and that he had furnished the govern
ment the land, guano and labor free OF
charge and never had been reimbursed
by the government. When Bryan spoke
at Due West he had asked the railroad
to furnish them a train, and they did
so, and came down and invited all who
cared to come with them. Tilman and
Norton were with the crowd. They
went on to Cuba.
On another occasion QaSt Winter) he
and a party came down to Charleston
to the exposition, bringing with them
Mr.. Littlefield, who was so pleased with
what he saw in the south that he went
back to Washington and made speech
against the Crumpacker force bill, af-
ter having previously advocated 1t.
He had noted that Mr.. Evans had Of
ten spoken about being bounded
down" in the McLaurin campaign, and
he had heard that Evans had said that
he would put plasters all over him In
this campaign, and added significantly
that there are other places besides the
rostrum where such differences can be
settled. DR.. Stokes wanted to run In
that campaign for the senate, and that
was why he made that attack on him
(Latimer).
BY consent Mr.. Evans obtained the
floor and said that if the matter was
pushed to an ultimatum it would not oc-
cur on the stand and read extracts from
the newspaper. and when he came to
the charge that Latimer had offered
and rendered DR.. Stokes an annual free
pass over a western trunk line and that
he (Stokes) had declined and returned
| it to him.
Mr.. Latimer: Il emphatically deny
it,"
Mr.. Evans, turning to the crowd:
I'VE all know what an honorable, high
toned. truthful gentleman was DR..
statement as being emphatirally un-
true" and, turning to Mr.. Latimer
added: May God have mercy on your
SOUL"
Mr.. Latimer: There is not word of
truth in it."
The meeting adjourned under intense
excitement. If the matter comes up
again the clipping will be published in
full.
Renewed Mt Conway.
Conway on Monday. Mr. Evans read
a clipping from THE ENQUIRER Of last
summer that included extracts from
letters in which DR.. Stokes made the
charges that are referred to above. Mr..
Latimer explained at length. He told
how he had saved Dr. StokeSs seat in
the house, and how DR.. Stokes had
thanked him with tears in his eyes.
He said that Stokes was jealous of him
for having increased the free seed ap-
preparation over Stokes's protest. He
said that Mr.. w. D. Grist, represent
ing a strong anti-Tillman paper, CThe
News and Courier) in 1900, was unfair
to him in the report of the Tirzah meet
ing. He denied that DR.. Stokes de-
served any credit for free rural delivery,
the bill having passed before the doc
tor went to congress. AS to the pic
ture business. he said that thirty or
forty congressman ordered pictures
from seeing one in his hands while
he was looking at it, and that the
maker Of the pictures gave him n COM
plimentary copy He admitted that he
had taken his family to Saratoga on Il
free pass, and claimed that DIR. Stokes