Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-09-02
CORRUPTION IN ELECTIONS.
Mayor Grace Comes Back on Senator
TlllmaD.
SHOULD WHALEY Be INVESTIGATED

SHOULD WHALEY BE INVESTIGATED
Unable to Get the Congressional Dele.
cation to Take Hold, Mr.. Grace Init.
mates That He will Continue the
Fight as Best He Can on Down to the
Last Ditch.
The opening letters of the cores
pondence between Mayor John P. Grace
of Charleston, and Senator B. r. Till
man on the subject Of investigating
the recent alleged election Of Congress-
man Whaley, were published last
Tuesday. Following is Mayor Grace's
retoinder to Senator Tillman, as repro
duced from the mayors paper, Com
mon Sense:
Charleston, S. c.. July 81, 1913.
Hon. B. r. Tillman, U. 8. Senate,
Washington, d. C.
My dear Senator Tillman: In my
letter of July 25th had told you that
1t would be the last time would ap-
peal to you to assist me in the Whaley
matter; and am replying now to your
letter of the 2Sth, not to make any fur
ther appeal, but to keep the record
straight. 1 see now that I should have
avoided you from the start. You are
not a free man. I cannot let the oc-
casion pass, however, without utterly
denying and disclaiming the motives
which you attribute to me. Although
1t would be false for me to claim that
/ anything but despise Mr.. Whaley, or
to deny that 1t would give me a great
deal Of satisfaction and vindication to
see him unseated; yet for you to inti-
mate that my conduct is matter of
"malignancy and personal spite and a
desire for revenge" and to make 1t
appear that from such motives / am
going to the lengths to which am go
ing in this case is simply to wilfully,
but unskillfully, pervert the facts. You
have promised to take the very same
course If B!ease goes to Washington by
corruption and perjury. There are sew
en- congressional districts In South
Carolina In order for Blease to be as
guilty as Whaley, he would not only
have to commit seven times as much
bribery as Whaley, but as much per-
jury. In other words, just enough OF
the one to "elect" and Of the other to
.seat" him. Regardless Of the. feeling
which you have against Blease-in
which I join, and which we will say
corresponds to mine against Whaley-
1 think the people Of the United States
would gladly relieve you Of the stigma
of revenge and malignancy" IL you
would do your duty in the Blease case
nor would 1t argue at home any lack Of
patriotism or love Of Carolina for you
to do 1t. ] believe in home rule and
state rights. 1t has been bred in my
bones. But South Carolina is part Of
the American Union. She was not only
one Of the thirteen original states Zone
of the most gallant Of them), but when
the war Of the Revolution was over, 1t
was a South Carolinian who wrote
most of the Constitution Of the United
States. 1t Is under that Constitution
our government is organized and you
are q senator; and you have taken an
oath to uphold 1t. So has Mr.. Whaley.
That Constitution fixes definitely the
bounds of the state and national gov
ernments. There Is no twilight zone"
The lines are only indistinct II the vi
sion Of so-called Statesmen" Is indis-
tinct. In her Jurisdiction the United
States Is as supreme as is South Car
olna In hers I am not asking the
United States to invade the proper SOW
ereignty Of our state. I am not asking
congress to intervene in local politics.
1 am simply asking, under the Consti-
tuition and laws made In pursuance
thereof, that congress say whether or
not Mr.. Whaley bought and perjured
his way into congress. The Democratic
party Of South Carolina, with all due
respect to 1t and you, has nothing to
do with this issue; nor has the legis-
lature of our state. If either one OF
these bodies could remedy this matter,
there would be something sensible In
your view. This matter has passed out
Of the cognizance Of the state. Under
the Constitution, congress alone has
power to decide the qualifications Of its
members. You recognize this in the
Blease case; and at first you recogniz-
ed it in the Wha!ey case, because l
have 1t from you in writing, as well
as by word of mouth, that II my facts
were true, you would glory In taking a
hand in the matter. What did you
mean by these words:
You say you are ready to prove the
facts of bribery and corruption in the
recent primary and you say, you will
be heard in Washington Come on to
Washington, Mr.. Grace and 1 will help
you in any way I can to be heard.
While am not member Of the house
you Sdiioi opPSoi ~
Caesar In my person. l am a senator
and have some influence with both
members of the house and senate, and
will facilitate to the fullest degree any
exposure you are able to make Of
corruption and fraud in the recent pri-
mary in our state. While 1t would
bring the name of South Carolina into
discredit and disgrace it, and cause
every true South Carolinian to hang
his head in shame, II 1t Is necessary to
go to the length in order to cleanse the
augean stable I say let us have 1t
done and quite clustering"
That was what you wrote me nearly
three months ago. The words under
scored, and particularly the words Il
WILL" in the sentence, Come on to
Washington, Mr.. Grace, and I will help
you in any way can to be heard" "
were underscored, not by the type
writer, but by pen and ink, presum-
ably by you; clearly manifesting then
determination upon your part (after
reading over and rejecting upon what