The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1905-12-13

legal after the injunction had been
served and the meeting practically
broken up. These citizens of Laurens
brought suit against said ten parties,
and upon application Judge Klugh
granted another order of injunction, in
which he authorized the defendants to
appear before him-''me" to move to
dissolve the same. Therefore this
meeting vas not held. A motion was
made before Judge Memminger, who
was holding Court in this circuit, and
presumably having equal power to dis
solve the injunction. He said that he
had no jurisdiction, since Judge Klugh
had taken personal control of the sub
ject matter. Being an attorney in the
case, I cannot permit myself to express
any opinion on the ruling of either of
these distinguished Judges. The reason
and inducements for the bringing of
this last named suit is obvious to all of
the home people and parties who are
familiar with legal conditions. 1t will
be amusing, and perhaps a little en-
barrasing q little later, when facts are
made known. In this complaint the
writer and others are charged with
having conspired to do many wrongful
and illegal things in favor of Mr.. Milf
ken, and it has been stated that the
course of myself and others in this mat
ter has been brought about by financial
aid, etc. In order that these ~falsehoods
may be set at rest, 1 am able to state
that do not know any more about Mr..
Milliken's intentions about the future
management of the Laurens Mills, nor
about his intention in reference to the
contract with Stevens & Co., than
every man in South Carolina. He told
me he expected to manage the mill in
the interest of all the stockholders; not
only this, l can further state that Mr..
Milliken has not a dollar of stock in
any enterprise in which / am interested,
save the Laurens Mill, nor has he aided
me in securing a single subscription.
Moreover, l was not employed by him
as attorney until some time after the
farce of the May meeting.
What | have done, and am doing, is
simply in behalf of justice and in the
love of fair play and honest treatment.
HOW MR.. MILLIKEN HAS HELPED THE
MILLS.
l have known MIR. Miliiken for sew
eral years, but it was not my good for
tune to be thrown with him often until
recently, still 1 have heard, and that
not through and by him, of several acts
of liberality which should endear him
to a great number of our people, and
should satisfy the public beyond perad-
venture of a doubt that he is not the
Shylock that he has been painted in
this litigation. A few years since 1 ac-
cidently knew of a mill in the Piedmont
belt in this State which had done as the
Laurens Mills had done, built more
than it had means, and it's stock was
selling at a great discount, probably not
bringing 80 cents on the dollar in the
open market, when Mr.. Milliken went
to it's rescue with his means, prestige,
judgment and ability, and it's stock
soon jumped to par, and shortly there
after paid a dividend, and l think has
continued in this f1ourishing condition
ever since. Not only this, but my re-
collection is that he joined Capt. Mont
gomery in the erection of the first
Pacolet mill, and aided him in raising
the first subscription to that magnifi-
cent property, and has been its selling
agent ever since. No doubt the success
of this mill has had as much to do with
encouraging our home people to build
other mills in the State, and of induc-
ing capitalists to invest in South Caro-
lima as any other enterprise in the
State, no doubt more so, since the stock
of this company was paying handsome
dividends, and was worth three to one
before it was washed away in part a few
years since. If Mr.. Millikkn had been
the great robber some people would
have you believe, how could this mag
n%ificent result have been accomplished?
Not only this, its stock has recently in
creased fifty per cent and is paying
splendid dividends. Further, / have
heard, and not from Mr.. Milliken, and
L believ it is true. that when this dis
aster occurred he telegraphed to the
creditors if they were anyways uneasy
about their paper they could draw on
him for the entire amount, which was
in the neighborhood of a half million
dollars.
1t has been my duty for the last year
or two to look into the question of sell
ing agencies and soliciting capital for
a cotton mill, and my information was
that the firm of Deering, Milliken & Co.
stood as high as any in New York, and
perhaps had invested more money in
South Carolina than all other commits
sion houses put together. Looking over
a list of quotations Of mill stock recent
ly another thought occurred to me. If
the firm of Deering, Milliken & Co. is
so unjust and were such poor business
people as has been charged against
them, why is it that the stock of the
two mills, which changed their account
to the new house, steadily decreased?
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