The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-11-15
EDITOR INTELLIGENcER:


In the issuc of your paper Of Fri.
day morning last. you saw fit to make
a fierce attack upon me I'm the form
OF questions you seem to think you
have the right to have answered by
me.
Several OF your questions are equiv
alent to asking me: "City attorney,
tell the Southern Public Utilities COM
pay. through The InteIligencer. what
your client, the city council, ie doing
and will do?" This / most respect
fully, emphatically and finally decline
to do, Editor. even though like you
immensely in your normal and better
moods.
shall answer questions I, 2, 8.
which by inference and in effect arc
a very thinly disguised attack upon
me as far as 1 can without discussing
confidential communications between
attorney and client" which of course
would be improper.
ask the people to read again qnes-
tions 5. 6 and z. I'll put their. real
meaning for you into two questions
as follows: 1. Please give the editor
all the information you have about
the plans and purposes of the pres
ent city council? 2. Please violate
your professional duty and tell me
what your clients are thinking about,
are doing and are going to do?
Now, Editor, I make mistakes"
but am only foolish" at times-not
ali the time. Every sensible citizen
knows it. would be improper. unfair
and a serious breach OF ethics and
duty for me to divulge the plans and
purposes of the present council. I
therefore again decline to answer
questions 5. 8 and z.
/ do not pretend infallibility. I
make many mistakes. do not even
pretend to be as deep" and good at
Strategy" as the editor Of The In
telligencer or that distinguished pub
lie service expert-Qegal and practi-
cal)-Zebulon Vance Taylor, who en-
gineered tho contracts" through
council, I admit. frankly. that the at
titude Of zebulon Vance Taylor
fooled" mo on one vital point.
Doubtless he has since often laughed
about how he out-generaled the young
country lawyer, handicapped with a
general practice. having had little ex-
perience In the handling of matter
OF tl.is kind, impl0ring council at
every step to employ or to permit him
to employ franchise expert TO aid
him In his unequal combat, working
night and day to. master the various
phases OF the numberless questions
involved In order, in q crude way, to
make up for lack OF an expert to help
him guard the interests Of the people,
Offering to Ex-Alderman Fouche and
Farmer to resign as one Of the city's
attorneys Il crae- no. 70 annhafrass q
majority of council who differed with
his views and not resignipg, merely
because Aldermen Fouche and Farm
er and perhaps others, asked him not
to- do SO and he himself realized that
1t might be more embarrassing to
council to resign than net to resign-
yes. / was out-generaIIed by the gift
ed expert lawyer-president OF the
Southern Public Utilities company.
The only wonder is that I gained any
thing at all in the fight"
So, while frankly confess this, I
will also say that at no time was eth
-er OF the city attorneys asked to make
an Investigation and report as to the
power or authority of council tc grant
the things asked for. From the very
first night, when a desperate effort
was made to put through the 6e-year
| permit without sny previous i55ssicesto
council at all. until the last night
when the papers" were passed" by
| a bare majority OF council. without
my approval, the kind or franchise
to be granted or net granted was the
bone OF contentton' frankly ad-
mi n Il oIp Iwv kAyE ~.