Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-03-24
FIELDER COMES AGAIN.
Atlanta Attorney Asks Questions That
Seems to Require Answers.


The State has permission to print
the following letter from Thomas B.
Fielder Of Atlanta to the Charleston
News and Courier. the same being
called forth by an inquiry from the
Charleston paper whether Fielder had
offered Towill immunity from prosecu-
ton for $4,000. The Atlanta lawyer
takes the occasion to PROFOUND a
number of questions to Gov. Blease:
Charleston News and Courier,
Charleston, S. c.
Dear Sirs: l received last night the
following T. D.:
Reported you offered Towill i'm
munity from prosecution for $1,000.
Please wire reply.
News and Courier"
To which replied: Statement that
offered Towill or anybody else i'm
munity from prosecution for $4,000 or
any other amount, a base and un-
mitigated lie."
I beg to confirm this answer and to
say that the next report, take 1t,
will be to the effect that Towill de-
clined my offer on advice Of coun-
Sci Tie duNlCc IllO 6Cu-
eral counsel Of the plunderbund, Cole
L. Blease.
On yesterday I mailed communi-
cation to you for reproduction in the
columns Of your paper. AS I recall
I stated in the article that would
not further trespass upon your space
until after the lapse Of 80 days. Upon
reflection, feel that I should with
draw this proposition, so that may
give to the people Of South Carolina
through the columns Of your paper
some reasons why His Fraudulency,'
Cole L. Blease, should approve the
joint resolution creating a committee
to investigate the conduct Of the late
winding-up commission and the
agents and attorneys thereof, together
with the conduct Of all other persons
who have had relations with the wind
Carolina dispensary.
to know all the facts and the only
possible way for them to acquire this
knowledge Is through the medium OF
this investigating committee. but
fearing that the governor might OBJ
ject to the investigating committee
turning the searchlight upon the con-
duct Of Attorney Blease, and that this
consideration might impel him to veto
the joint resolution, by way Of emu
lation Of his example in having re-
course to the public prints, as the
proper means for ventilating these
matters, wish to PROFOUND to him 9
few questions which, II they should
fail to impress him as being pertinent
and relevant, will doubtless have q
contrary effect upon the public mind
They are as follows:
The Questions.
1. During your incumbency as 9
state senator, please tell the people
Of South Carolina what vote you cast
against and on what occasion you
spoke in opposition to any measure
pending in that body, aimed at the
regulation or abolishment Of the old
state dispensary as an institution, ol
inimical to the interests OF those who
managed its affairs?
2. Why did you, as q senator, oppose
all measures pending in that body
having for their object and purpose
the investigation Of the conduct OF
the affairs Of said institution and the
honesty Of the management thereof?
8. Why did you, as q member Of the
committee, created by joint resolution
charged with the duty of investigating
the affairs Of the said institution and
the conduct Of the officials thereof.
use every artful means and cunning
device to stifie the investigation and
thwart the objects thereof.
4. Why did you, pending the ses-
sions of the aforesaid committee, meet
daily and nightly during the recesses
of said committee with the dispensary
officials, whose conduct was under
har
and their friends who attended said
caucuses ways and means for secur-
ing for them a whitewash? Is 1t not
true that said caucuses were attended
by divers liquor dealers, who partici-
pated in your deliberations; that at
said caucuses the course to be pursued
by you as senator was agreed upon
and followed by you to the letter?
Senator for Grafters?
S. Is it not q fact that when the
resolution was pending carrying an
appropriation Of $4,000 to be used
by the attorney general in the prose-
cution of grafters, you opposed the
passage Of the same by your vote and
influence; that in your opposition you
spoke frequently against 1t and re-
sorted to every parliamentary device
II you should answer this question In
the affirmative, then I would ask II
the course you pursued In relation
thereto was not the result OF an agree
ment that you made with the repre-
sentatives of certain liquor houses,
who were on the ground resisting In
every way possible the passage Of said
resolution? Did you not receive ade-
quate compensation for your efforts In
this behalf?
6. Is 1t not true that between the
date of your election to the governor
ship and the date Of your message In
which you recommended the raising
of the joint committee you had sew
eral caucuses with your criminal as
sociates whom you were under obli-
cation to protect, when and where q
conspiracy was Matched to thwart the
efforts making for the punishment OF
your clients who had plundered the
state, and is 1t not true that in order
to effectuate the object Of this con-
spiracy it was agreed that you should
do certain things, which you have
since done? Coming from generalities
to specifics, l will enumerate them:
To Control the Bench?
(a) Did you not agree that no spe-
cial Judge should be appointed to pre-
side over any Of the courts Of the
state where the grafters were under
indictment except Of your own Sc
lection; that you could afford to take
no chances of getting another judge
to try your clients like the one who
presided in Chester?
(b) Did you not agree, In these
caucuses, to pardon any citizen Of South
Carolina who might be convicted un-
der pending or future indictments,
and that you would issue no requisi-
tions for foreigners?
(c) That you would dismiss the
winding-up commission so that they
could not, under authority reposed In
that body by the act creating IT, con-
tinue their Investigations, and In dis
missing these commissioners were you
or not influenced by the further con-
sideration that they had issued a sub
poena for one of your political lieu
tenants in the state; that he had
ignored the same and they had issued
q rule njsi reollirinR him to show