The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1912-10-11
CITES FOUR MISTAKES
OF SENATOR TILLMAN
W. H. L. McLaurin, Replying to Letter Given to Press,
Declares He Holds Tlman Directly for the Dispen-
sary and Indirectly for the Corruption At
tending Its Administration.

The following reply by w. H. L
McLaurin of Latta to letter to him
by Senator B. r. Tillman is self-ex.
planatory:
Latta, S. c., Oct 1, 1912.
Hon. B. R. Tillman,
Trenton, S. C.
My Dear Sir:
Today's mail brought me your let.
ter of September %, together with
copies of same, published in both OF
the leading papers of our State: The
News and Courier and The Columbia
State.
1t gives me pleasure to note the
spirit of your letter, which not only
does credit to your own name, but
will commend you to those who are
not of your views, whom you style,
always, as your enemies"
AS to the general statements Of
your letter, senator, it is not necessa-
ry to reply, because history either
contradicts itself, or the record you
have kept, and that kept by others,
have not kept pace. The answer to all
those questions, however, will be
found in the official records of your
"incumbency," and the files of the
newspapers Of that day.
The one question under considera-
tion is not whether you are or were
responsible for all, or any of the cor
ruption that naturally, and necessari-
ly followed in the wake of the dispen-
sary the great "moral institution u
for which you claim responsibility, in
its origination.
The except from my letter, which
you use as a basis of your defense,
does not charge the responsibility of
any or all of the corruption attendant
upon the dispsnsary, upon you at all.
It only charges that you are the
"paternal ancestor of the dispensary,
and of Bleaseism;" the first of which
you frankly admit, the last you re.
pudiate in former letter to me.
Since then, you admit being the
original parent,of the dispensary, and
grace, in so far as your intentions
were, or are concerned, but in so far
as a scwer may be responsible for
the harvest, by the seed he sows, you
are responsible, for all the disgrace,
and fruits of that sowing. 1t is not
sufficient to deny responsibility on the
grounds of good intent. That may
mitigate the crime, but never excuse.
So that it must be said in all candor,
and in considerateness of your feel
ings, senator, which I do not in the
least wish to wound, that you are
indirectly responsible for all the dis
grace brought upon the State by the
dispensary, and its fruits as well; and
that you are directly responsible for
the dispensary-a disgrace within
itself, too true to be denied.
To make this clear to your mind it
may be we'll to review little history,
and point a moral or two. If memory
serves Alright, the State, by the voice
of the people( which you were so fond
Of magnifying, when you were seek
ing to dethrone the "autocrats and
grafters," of your early campaigning)
had spoken by an overwhelming ma
jority for prohibition. 1t was your
clear duty as their servant, which you
gladly proclaimed yourself 10 be, to
have acquiesced in that will, and as
governor of the commonwealth, seen
to the enforcement of the law apper-
tanning thereto, as religiously, as you
would, or did, any other law on the
statute books. You had been elected
governor, not senator, or representa-
tive. It was yours to execute the laws
not to enact laws. It was neither
your prerogative, nor the lawmakers,
to institute the dispensary or any
other form of sale, Of whiskey, until
the voice Of the people had spoken
again, authorizing you, or rather the
legislature-to do so.
If this is q Democratic govern
ment--a government Of the people, by
the people, for the people, doc
trine which you fondly proclaimed,
then beyond all cavil, the voice of the
people, as expressed at the ballot box,
must be obeyed by those elected to
serve, or a. trust, solemnly imposed,
has been betrayed. It is not sufncient
neither becoming to assert that the
great State Of South Carolina did not
know what they wanted, or what was
best for them at that time, or now.
True, 1t is, that at times, in the his
tory Of every State, by the use of
money and whiskey, and other dirty
means, the elections do not represent
the best interest Of the State; but