The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1908-12-31

for some reason President Alan
Johnstone did not call the meeting
until December $, and am sure he
Was entirely innocent of any purpose
to make the conflict with my duties
in Washington. Every Intelligent
NAH knows or ought to know that
the annual session of congress begins
on the first Monday IN Deem Der.
There was, therefore, no necessity
for "conhlct' and had the meeting
been either earlier or later coHld
have attended it without difficulty.
In my judgment the Clemson trustee
meeting was of far more Importance
than Of nv answering the roll call
hele. Had | attended the meeting of
the senate on the 9TH would have
to have left immediately to attend
the meeting on the Sth.
Second. Senator Tillman has not
"tenaciously clung to that Clemson
college trusteeship in plain violation
of the State constitution that he
himself helped to frame l am a
trustee of Clemson college under Mr.
Clemson's will. | do not hold any
commission as trustee of Clemson
from the State government. was a
trustee before the State constitution
of 1895 was adopted and that consti-
tuition could not and did not attempt
to alter my status a. all. If you are
innocent of intentional or unjust
criticism of me, 1t must be attribut-
ed to your ignorance; if you were
merely repeating what you have read
in other papers without examination,
it ought to be warning to be better
informed lest you be charged with
malice,
But Senator Tillman signally fails
TO convict THE COUNTY RECORD
of either ignorance or malice, and he
ignores the kernel of the matter. The
Senator knows, or he ought to know,
that whether or not the several Offices
held by him are in actual 'conflict"
is not an issue. 1t is as irrelevant US
it is foolish, not to say dislngenuous.
to prove that had the president of
the board of trustees called the meet,
ing on some other day there would
have been no "confict.' Had the
date been week later, Senator
Tillman could have answered to his
name in the Senate on the opening
of Congress, but 10 have then at
tended the meeting of the Clemson
trustees would have required the
neglect of his duties in the Senate
for at least three days. Is there no
conflict" there: But the question:
as we promised, is not of conflict
it is of law. And the Fundamental
law of South Carolina commands
that:
"M person shaNh two Offices of
honor or profit at the same time.'
- The constitution makes no refer
ence to conflicting" offices; and it
makes oily this exception to its
sweeping prohibition: provided, !
that any person holding another Of
fee may at the same time be an Of
ficer in the militia or notary pub
lic.' The important Office of college
trustee is not excepted.
Under the second head of his let
ter, Senator Tillman appears to as
sumo that the trusteeship of Glenn.
son college is outside the jurisdiction
of the State constitution because his I
as trustee is not ''from
the State government but is by au-
thority of MIR Clemson's will. The
senior Senator knows, or it is mex
cusable is torrance on his part if ne
does not know, that the matter of |
the source of the "commissiou" to
hold Office has absolutely nothing to
do with the case. The constitution
forbids the holding of two offices Of
honor or profit at the same time, and
the supreme court has decreed that
the unsalaried intendant of a town,
however inconsequential "a village
that "town" may be, cannot hold an
other Office of profit or honor,that of
of intendant being deemed an office
of "trust," and so an hoaor. In