New-York tribune., 1908-09-30
STOLELETTERS, HESAYS
CHARGE By ARCHBOLD.
Ex-senator M'Laurin Replies to
attacks of Mr. Hearst.


Standard Oil correspondence made public re
Gently by William r. Hearst was entered upon
yesterday when John D. Archbold -ice-presi-
dent of the Standard OIL Company, made a
statement setting forth details of the alleged
theft of correspondence from his files. Former
United States Senator John Lowndes McLaurin'
= South Carolina, also entered the field with a
signed statement declaring his attitude In the
matter of the correspondence between himself
and Mr.. Archbod. Mr.. Archbold said:
In response many inquiries TO the theft Of Of
known: -
over three years ago a report reached me that
newspapers Of this city. avowedly stolen letters.
Examination showed that some letters hsa ~fag en by
some not only familiar with the office a detalls
but highly trusted. The party on whom suspicion
fell stoutly denied all guilt. A little later how
ever man who represented hhnsen as ittrs atttIs
between the thief and those to whom the IetleIs
had been sold proposed to return some co OF +t9 Sne
letters for His story was Sv thf hs
brother, who had at one time been IN tne ,d GUaal
the eynploye already suspected to accomplish the
theft.
posed OF the letters or some OF them 20 No
men. who purchased them on behalf Of, OF MI MI;
stolen letters been thus traded for, but the thief
Tas WA bnd to IF S1,e on one paa 81 he claims
photographed, other pages being rehhoSeu a -
tween said, returned after forty git hours 1t Is
impossible to say how many WT t, Hi.d IsisiIre
1t is not thought necessary to SAY n3fe Of the
ent or to mention names Iav in his
return of some of the correspondence at tne I.lG =
further Confederation now Obviously. among SUCH
coterie authenticity OF their output - no
ton suppressfng of context ard distortion of pas
sages are many.
Ex-senator John Lowndes McLaurfn. of South
Carolina at a hotel here last night gave out the
following signed statement regarding the corre-
spondence between himself and Mr.. Archbold:
AT effort has been made TO create a political
sensation by the publication OF certain ai GorEG
spondence between John D. Archoold vlce.pres5tf- 5f
For that correspondence l have no apologies to
make At the time the letters were written
d the fe rens1p to aGp of aPo r
whom have the highest regard AZ tne Z, 'i,ie bit
ter struggle IN which was involved not only my
cal principles for which I stood and which. stat
ed briefly, meant the emancipation or the Soutl
from fbo bioodE ,he shirt into the freedom Of
Ightened seIf-tnterest and the progress OF an IN
In the support Of these principles and the hope
enlisting If practicable. the assistance of the
most progressively administered and the most
teiigence has yet produced. Nor has the enor-
nous body of statutory crime since created, e5 %
the hypocrtical affectation Of morality assumed
by some of legislatures and congress, IN IN
nv conscience Of expediency. as seems TO have
been the case with some of my former colleagues
and associates.
The constituencies that they represent do not
hesitate take Mr.. Carnegies trust-prod1ced % s.d
libraries or to accept Mr.. RockefellerS laTgess
for the education of the negro whom they nave
disfranchised. ,..,,.
money. and political progress Is TO pc achevet
without financial expenditure. II is high rre tnat
both parties should be apprtsed OF the ar;iVaI OF
that utopian era: but until that period mas ar :
rived | can why l. Whell patIIlhs
for what conceived TO be the right, should reIuSe
to seek or decline to accept the support Whethe1r
financial or personal Of which / stood IN neeo-
Men may die, but right principles persist anu III
the end they will triumph -, CO..
believe that the South. and especlaily tle
of South Carolina is to-day throtted IN its natu-
raj progress and its intelligent exercise OF the
right Of self government By an oIgarchY "niCH
keeps alive the prejudices OF past gene SLo -.
through the perpetuaton of ignorance and the fer-
tIization of corruption; and snail WelCliie LIle
day when the educational propaganda, Whicl can
only no spread by the OF money-Whelher II
he Standard OIL money or railroad money or any
otber none save that derived from the govern
,,1entsI sale OF whiskey-will enable the people 20
see more clearly their best interests ana casI
out those leaders whose hypoCrttical moraiity anu
fII-disg,IiEed selshness are responsive lot ne La
that in the South illiteracy Is greater ana tne III
crease of population and wealth slower than III
anv other great section Of the Union -,
II is the fashion of present-day pohCCa HyPoC-
rsv 10 deCry the corpora tton. TO aonoI tht -. a.
F,ience Of wealth: but. in this country ana IN
thfe age wealth is and must be the reward OF IN
taIIicenre 7 am not willing 10 be considered among
tbCec coWardIy enough to deny II the ltliueLlco
fcrIo II government thus far devised or gov
a-nr,ep+ Of ignorance have had enough IN ny
,.ty,e state hope for and shall continue u
work for a government of intelligence