The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1913-01-24

8 o'clock that night, and found in
Senator Tillman's room, Mr.. Baker,
Mr.. L. II. Daniel of the Spartanburg
Herald, and Mr.. Wyche, Senator Till.
man stenographer. Mr.. Murray of
the News and Courier came in a lit
tie later. After few minutes of
general conversation Senator Till
man told us he had decided to give
out a statement, and began debating
1T to his stenographer. The dictation
occupied perhaps fifteen or twenty
minutes. During the time of it SEN
ator Tillman stoupped once or twice
to weigh sentence, but he finished it
without interruption and without sug-
gestion from anyone present. After
taking the statement in shorthand,
Mr.. Wyche wrote it out on a type
writer and gave it to Senator Till
man who read it aloud to us. He
made, as l remember, but one change
in the draft, and that was a minor
one, In the phresing of a sentence. He
then told his stenographer to give
| copies of it to the different news
paper men.
After getting through with this
Senator Tillman drew a long breath
and then laughed. "I feel that
have simply discharged duty" he
said, "and now l feel better. 1 am
off the fence
1 walked from the Dewey Hotel
to F. Street in company with Mr..
Daniel and Mr.. Murray. They had
been impressed, as l had been, with
Senator Tillmans force in debating
the statement. One of us remarked
that while Senator Tillman had had
a severe illness it had not impaired
VII Of ipfa
was heartily agreed to by the others.
Senator Tillman's statement was filed
In the telegraph Office on F street for
transmission to the South Carolina
papers that night. l know that Sem
ator Tillman gave out the statement
against the advice of Mrs. Tillman
and some of his closest friends, and
certainly it was dictated when nobody
was present except those mentioned
above, and without suggestions of
any kind from any of them.
(Signed) A. M. Carpenter.
Washington, D. c., Jan. II, 1913.
The South Carolina newspapers had
bounded Governor Blease so contin-
uously during the campaign, had been
so unfair in their opposition, that the
people of the State had lost abso-
lutely all faith in their honesty or
appeared in the newspapers Satur-
day morning, l received a number of
kilograms asking if it was authentic.
Many of my friends had been misled
by Governor Blease to that point
where they doubted not only the
newspapers, but also doubted me.
The 4th charge of jealousy is so
ridiculous that l cannot bring my
self to consider it seriously. Ben
Tillman jealous of Cole Blease? 1t is
unthinkable and, were l to answer it
seriously, l would be convicted in the
minds of all sensible people in South
Carolina of the next charge: ..
5. Feebleness of mind. Whether
my mind is feeble or not the people
will judge for themselves. l am will
ing to leave it to any jury in South
Carolina, Bleaseites or others, wheth-
er Ben Tillman is feeble-minded or
Cole Blease is crazy.
gust 25th, which he republishes in
the message, says-and he prints it
in capitalist have never seen the
Ferguson letter, and did not know
what was in it until l saw it in the
newspapers, and when Gonzales says
l did, and that 'Blease will fight
Tillman' he wired what was willfully
untrue"
Notwithstanding Governor Blease's
denial l know that he did fight me
in more counties than one and that
his trusted lieutenants were very ac-
tive in marshaling his followers,
many of them once my best friends,
to vote against me on the day of the
primary. News to this effect came
to me from all over the State, and
the vote shows it. l have no doubt
whatever that the Ferguson letter
caused be to lose $4,000 votes, while
it gained me about 10000. This was
what L, expected when l gave it out,
but | could not remain quiet after
my confidence had been so betrayed.
The midnight stab" of which he
Notwithstanding the lateness in
the campaign when the letter was
given out-was attributable to my
wife's influence. She begged me to
stand to my oft-repeated promise to
remain hands off.
/ was elected in spite of him, and
he was elected in spite of me. l got
more votes than he did and feel that
L am better representative of the
State that he will ever be; was a
better governor than he has made;
and have made a better senator than
he can possibly make.
While what he says about the May
convention and the Southern Rail
way lawyers may be true, he could
not wriggle away from the fact that
Ben Abney lives in the Executive
Mansion, although it is the peoples
house and not hotel. | am in
formed that his salary is greater than
all other Southern Railway lawyers
in the State. He is the real octopus
which strangles the Legislature and
persuades it to do his bidding, and
has conferences with Blease whenever
he sees fit.