The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-12-06

viewed last week in regard to his
position on ';rate legislation, "
and the statement accredited to
him was thathe was clearly in op-
position to President Roosevelt's
policy, and the language he en-
ployed was not at all compll-
mentary to the Chief Executive,
as we reproduced his interview,
tits but fair to print the Sena-
tors denial, together with what
Mr.. Larner, the reporter, has
to say about it:
THE SENATOR DENIES THE ACCURACY
OF Mr.. LARNER's STATEMENT.
To the Editor OF The News and Cou-
rier: have just read in your issue OF
December l. what your Washington
correspondent, "R. NJ. L." has to say
about my attitude towards the railroads
Mr.. Larner is sick man, as found
out while in Washington last week. Too
i'll to do good newspaper work and too
i'll TO provoke any other retort from me
than a brief correction of his preposter-
Gus and silly statement.
I have been in favor OF what is now
called ssthe President'sr railroad policy"
for ten years, as my record as a mem
ber OF the Interstate commerce COM
rnittee OF the Senate will show. I have
not the slightest feeling towards the
railroads in a personal way, least OF all
the Southern. for its officers have been
more than courteous to me IL many
wavs. There is no railroad building 60
inc on within hundred miles of NY
home that know OF and, therefore, It
is impossible that my laborers have
been interfered with in the slightest de-
gree. In my conversation with Mr..
Larner made allusion to the numer-
Gus suits for damages against the rail
roa6s,and the feeling of prejudice which
existed as shown by the practical unan-
nimty with which juries always gave
verdicts in such suits; and spoke Of the
feeling as arising out of the alien own
ership of the roads, and the manner in
which they are run, apparently with
very little thought or desire to please
the local patrons.
Labor in the South is very much de-
rnoralized by public work and by the
high prices paid bv the turpentine and
lumber men; also because of the large
amount OF money distributed among the
negroes on account of the high price of
cotton; but sensible persons will not
imagine, for a moment that | hold the
railroads responsible for this condition,
or that would be influenced in legis-
latipg by any such motive even though
railroad construction might be going
in my community, where have already
said it does not.
lido not impugn MIR. Larner's motives,
buta I have said he is sick. and as the
railroad rate question is the one burn
inc issue in the coming session of Con-
gress, do not wish to be misquoted or
Misunderstood by the people or by the
railroads.
shall be obliged if you will give this
the same prominence that you gave Mr..
Larner's special dispatch.
3. r. TLLMAN.
Trenton, S. c., December l, 1905.
WHAT MR.. LARNER SAYS.
Without attempting to quote the ex-
act language of the distinguished Sen
ator, violate no confidence in, giving
the substance Of a conversation with
him on the subject in his private CON-
mittee room at the Capitol, few Gays
ago, while he was in Washington at
tending the special meeting of the CON-
mittee on Interstate and foreign CON-
merce, of which he is member.
It was suggested that it might be a
surprise to some of his political friends
to hear the statement frequently that
he had made complete surrender to
President Roosevelt's will in regard to
the proposed railroad rate legislation.
When assured that such an impression
was abroad in the land, and declara-
tions to that effect freely circulated by
the supporters of the Presidents rail
road policy, Senator Illman fred up
with something like his old-time vim,
and denounced such an assumption as
idle and untrue.
He went on to say that if any intelli-
gent person will read the Democratic
platform on the subject of railroad rate
legislation they will find that the Dem
ocrattc party was far in advance OF
President Roosevelt in discovering that
existing railroad rates are unequal and
OUOtSSSLSS. oCS-ISO G1O L l So1NCA11 1St~
seen fit to adopt the principles so clear
ly set forth by the Democratic party,
it is hardly a square deaE' for the
President, and his personal friends to
claim that he has hypnotized the Dem
ocrats in the Senate to. dohls bidding
on the railroad problem.
"When T am standing firmly on the
Democratic platform on this question, :"
continued the Senator, smiling, II do
not intend to be pushed of because the
President comes tagging behind the
Democratic party" So far as am con-
cerned there has been no surrender to
the President by the Democratic party
on this question, even if the newspapers
and the politicians are saying so.''
II am opposing the railroads." added
Senator Tillman, mot because it graft
fes the President, but for other rea-
sons. Why, the railroads all through
the South are carrying on extensive and
expensive Improvements. They are lay
ing double tracks here and suraighten-
ing out curves there, drawing negro Ia
Dor from the cotton and rice planta-
tions, because they oan afford to offer
higher wages. Why, you can't hold ne
SIO 1GSOI-Oll UA0 2GL Ii LII Ui1O SIS1l4IVSS VI
railroad construction. The railroads
pay more than twice as much for a
days work as the farmer can afford to
pay, consequently our Southern farmers
are suffering because we cannot com
mand the cheap labor of the negro as
IN the paat."
OF course the Senator would not care
to stand pat on this broad and appa-
rently selfish position with regard to
cheap labor in the South. but there was
certain flavor of sincerity in his re-
marks along that line which indicated
his hostility to the railroads might be
regarded as local rather than national.
The cotton crop bulletin issued
l. <r,,I.,,1