The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-11-02
Captain Davis "Annoyed" Did not Make
Request Of the Board.
Editor The Manning Times:

Editor The Manning Times:
Dear Sir:-In your issue Of last week
under the heading, "Those Election
Notices." and in last weeks issue OF
The Farmer, my name has been men
toned to my annoyance in connection
with "a reflection on the commission,
ers by me-" ''disapproval OF methoo
employed by Farmer to get adVertls,
ing and by "my putting the devil
into the commissioners, l feel called
upon to give the public my connection
with this matter.
Yon will permit me to say at the out
set that have no interest. other than
any other citizen. in either of the coun-
ty papers, and that neither ofyou coald
secure what little influence [ may have
TO the detriment of the other, and |
think I have been fair during the past
summer in publication of Executive
Committee notices, giving each Of YOU
a copy OF all matter to be published.
Here are the facts: 1t is the duty OF
the County Chairman to recommend 20
the Governor the names of the men de-
sired appointed as Federal and State
Commissioners. When the time Tor
making these recommendations arrived
was busily engaged in court, and up
on your own suggestion that you would
take the matter off my hands las you
state in your article you have done
with previous County Chairman), |
was glad to close with you and readily
consented to your proposition. and rec
commended to the Governor the names
suggested by you with one exception,
substituting for one suggested by YOU
the name of q man who intimated to
me he would like to serve again this
year.
On the day the Commissioners met
Mr.. Todd, of The Farmer, dropped into
nv Office and asked if l intended at
tending the meeting. replied that l
did not, as I had nothing to do with
their work as County Chairman. He
then asked me if [ could secure him a
copy of the list Of managers for publ
cation, and told him had no doubt
the commissioners would give me
copy. had no idea, and don't think he
had, that there would be any trouble
about this.
Shortly afterwards I went up into
court house and found the commission
ers busily engaged making up the list,
and Mr.. Montgomery being the first
man reached, and not because he was
on any particular board that | wished
to Influence" as you suggest in your
article. for did not at that time re-
member on what board he was, took
him aside that I might not Interrupt
the proceedings, and requested him to
make me copy of managers as they
went along, as The Farmer desired to-
publish it. 1 Immediately left and heard
nothing more about the matter until
the next day. when Mr.. Todd again
came to rae, and stated that Mr.. Applet
had said on the street that | had put
the devil in 2he commissioners and
that he had failed to get copy asked
for. Not seeing anything OF Mr.. Mont
gomery had concluded that l was out
of my Office when commissioners ad-
iourned and that he had carried copy
to The Farmer Office. On hearing this
remark of yours, and upon enqulrlng a
little, then saw how the land lay, and
admit that was put out at the seem
inc unfairness to The Farmer and the
marked discourtesy to me by the men
recommended by me, although sug-
gested by you, and at once went to
YOU, enouired as to whether Mr.. Mont
gomery had left copy with you for me,
and learning that he had not, requested
COPY of you, which you furnished me,
and I took it to The Farmer. These are
the facts:
Now then, if you correctly quote Mr..
MONTGOMERY: Captain Davis requested
that a copy OF the election notices be
given to The Farmer" and he intend
ed thereby to prefer request from me
that the election notices be published
officially in The Farmer, he totally
misapprehended me, for as will be seen
above I asked him, not the board, to
make me a copy, as The Farmer desired
to publish it. Were this not the case
and my business had been with the
commissioners, and I had been repre-
senting the financial interest Of The
Farmer. have no doubt would have
appeared before the boards in accord
ance with their view OF the correct
procedure, and thus avoided offend
inc the gentlemen composing them.
But my business was with Mr.. Mont
gomery or any gentlemen I could get
to do the clerical work for me, and l
understood him to consent. [ under
stood from Mr.. Todd he would take his
chances on getting pay therefor, and
in case he did not, he desired to publish
as matter OF pull ,ic information any
way.
Had I had the time or inclination to
sit there and make my own copy no one
could could have said me nay, and for
the life OF me can see no reflections
on commissioners in my courteous re-
quest, if it was done privately, and |
am sure Mr.. Montgomery did not so re-
gard it at that time.
Those men know me too well to think
for a moment that I would do any act
to reflect on them, and, regarding them
as sensible men, I would not believe
that they could or did so regard it,
were it not for your public statement
that they did, and their evident pique
as shown by subsequently denying my
request for copy, and as you say, sex
pressing themselves pretty freely about
the method employed for getting adj
vertising." # You knew, MIR. Editor, rs
YOU say, that I did not iotend giving
ofense," and being present, to avoid
doing me an injustice it would have
been far more in keeping with the
amenities of this life to have sent for
me, when the gentlemen could have
been easily set straight, and this was
due by you and the commissioners.
Taking your own account OF what oc-
Cured after Mr.. Montgomery prefer
red the request mentioned by you, the
unbiased reader will conclude. that
the devil: was put into the commis-
sioners by your remarks on the request
which must have been presented to the
board, for you were only a clerk AID
had no right to respond thereto, for
the tenor of those remarks is, THAT
I was intermeddling where l had 10
business"
The trouble, Mr.. Editor, at the time
you replied to Mr.. Montgomery, and
| l. o,,tsrla