The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1908-07-10

IL Wo WahGeu TO use our Judgment
rather than his he would arrange
the conference for us. I immedi.
ately abandoned our plans and 50
informed those present. Mr. Find
ley and Mr. Ellerbp tho n went off
somewhere and | did no see either
of them again until | heard the
next week that they had given out
the details Of what | what I
thought was a private conference
and | went to then before it's pub
LEGATION to endeavor to prevent it.
MIR Lever and MYSELF went to lunch
Immediately after the conference.
in The basement, and l then dicta-
ted the following letter and sub
mitted it to Mr. Lever:
CLetter)
Rev w b Oliver,
Florence, S G.
Dear Sir:
| have had a conference with
Senators Tillman and another con.
ference with Messrs Ellerbe.
Findlcy and Lever of the South
Carolina Delegation, in tie read
visibility Of a conference with the
President along the lines discussed
bv us in Florence. The consensus
of opinion is that it would be un
wise to hold such a conference
with the President at this time.
| wired DR. Hicks to rush chnrucs
as signed to Ellerbe at once and
not to send the delegation here.
l.llcrbc has not vet received the
charges and is anxious to have the
pctltion come forwrrd at once. He
will use his influence to prevent
the re appointment and Senator
Gilman is confident that he can
hold up the appointment until af.
ter this session OF congress. at
which time it will be more easy to
prevent the appointment than i,
will be Just now. Please say to
DIR Hicks that it is important to
get out petition at once and that
we deem it best not to Interview
the president now. | would pre-
fer that nothing else be given out
now.
Yours truly,
Jan. II, 1908.
In this letter | thought I gave
all assisting us in our affair credit
for their efforts and criticised no
one. / then went to Senator Till
mar and told him what had occur
ed. He sent for Senator Clay of
Georgia and consulted with him
him about the whole situation and
Senator Clay stated that he would
talk to the president about the
changes of removing Wilson, The
next day [ met DR. Hicks Of FLOR
ence or Pennsylvania Avenue
about II o'clock and learned for
the first time that he had not fol-
lowed instructions in every way
and had not sent the pctction and
charges to Mr. Ellerbc. He said
he distrusted Mr. Ellerbe and
would not risk the paper in his
hands until he had assured him
either in his presence of witnesses
or in writing that he would work
for Mr. Stroud. That his CORES.
pondence with Mr. Ellerbe was
unsatisfactory and that he had no
confidence in him. | toldhim that
Mr. Ellerbe had promised to sup
port Mr. Stroud and suggested that
we 60 to his hotel, the Mctropoli-
tan, which was near, to see
him. DR. Hicks said he had al
ready been to his hotel and the
capital and his Office and could not
find him. Just then Senator Clay
came up and | introduced DR.
Hicks TO him rs the son-in-law Of
the man we wanted for postmas-
ter. Senator Clay said Il am Just
back from the president and he has
kcard Of NO dissatisfaction at the
postoilicc at Florence. Go see
Senator Tillman and tell him to 90
at nee to Postmaster General
Meyer asked him if we had
not better get Congressman Eller-
be and others and he said mo,
leave that to Tillman." 1t follows,
of course, that a southern senator
is backed by his whole delegation
when he tries to have a white man
supplant a negro" We thanked
him and went to Senator Tillman's
Office. He communicated with
Postmaster General Meyer who
came to the capitol to a committee
meeting shortly afterward. Scna-