The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-08-02

QdIu0 VI your SOfS1uO1, dA@nSo6h ~ AAAs
graced their own State. Now, I want
to uncloak this committee Of Felders;
I want you people to know that IL
addition to Felder's fears Of coming TO
your State, because Of the bribery
charges against him here, he had an-
other cause for not coming; I wish
you to know why this committee OF
South Carolinians, misrepresentation
of the honest citizenship Of your State
were willing to trail the dignity OF our
commonwealth in the dust at the bid
ding of a bribe-taker and perjurer, and
this is the reason-any testimony CIV
en- by Fielder or any Of his henchmen
before that committee in the State OF
Georgia, however false and without
foundation, would not subject the man
so swearing to prosecution for per-
jury. Perjury is a serious crime under
the laws Of our State; conviction OF
lit results in Imprisonment at hard La
bor, without the alternative of a fne.
Fielder knew that he and his hirelings
were going to swear 70 outrageous
falsehoods, and the fact of their being
falsehoods could be established with
lout question. He knew that jury OF
South Carolinians would convict any
man proved guilty of falsely swearing
away or attempting to swear away the
good reputation Of an honest man.
This vile creature and this commit
its s.saz.a he-ss being
LAWYERS. knew that Fielder and his gang
could testify to anything they desired
to swear to at Augusta and so Tree
| of the punishment for perjury, because
that committee, acting under the ap-
pointment of a South Carolina body
and under South Carolina laws, was
not recognized by the laws OF the State
of Georgia, and that committee could
not compel any person to appear be-
fore it in Augusta, had no power In
that State to punish for contempt, and
no power under the laws Of Georgia
IN administer an oath and no power to
bring a prosecution in that State Tor
false swearing.
wish to remind you that, accord
ing to the Columbia State, Fielder was
represented at the Augusta hearing oy
aseyen able and prominent lawyers OF
the State of Georgia" 1t took not only
the South Carolina lawyers who were
nresent as members of that committee,
and w. F. Stevenson, of CheraW, (tne
leader of the Jones faction In the
last session of the general assembly,,
but Fielder, although lawyer himself
had to have the assistance OF seven
other lawyers, before a friendly COM
mittee, to help him bring out MS ma
licious and dirty fabrications,
Taking Up "Charges" Separately.
But what did Fielder, his detectives,
his lawyers and his committee do and
say in Augusta? These are the mat
ters which for several days you had
displayed before you and which I shall
now answer to the complete Vindlca-
ton of my own good name-if you
have any doubt as to my good name
and to the vindicatiop Of the honor OF
the tSate we love.
7 have not copy of the testimony
or pretended testimony taken before
the committee; this testimony has not
vet been filed with the secretary OF
state. I must take the charges and
insinuations made by Fielder from the
newspapers. I have concluded TO
quote them from the Columbia State,
for I am sure none of you will feel
that that paper has 1lisquoted any
thing or done anything that. would be
to nv benefit, and in quoting from the
acts of this newspaper I wish you
also bear in mind that those reports
were written by one Joe Sparks, and
that Sparks is the man whom order
ed out of the governors Office last
wear because of his wilful misrepre-
sentations of me.
It is a hard task to cover every
thing mentioned in all the stuff print
cd from Fielder and his associates, it
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