The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-01-31

against MI HughcS?"
Mr.. Frear: "Yes, and he stated that
he would not. ! agree with the gen.
tleman on that; but I think these
charges ought to be investigated"
Mr.. Post: II want to ask another
question"
Mr.. Frear: II can not yield. When
/ get through / will be glad to an
swer them all; but you disarrange the
thought that ! have here. and l
would like to carry 1t through. AS a
matter Of courtesy YOU were not in
terrupted yesterday. i was very care
full to refuse to take your time, and
know You appreciate the situation"
Mr.. Post: II yielded to all the ques-
tions that were asked"
Mr.. Frear: II know but I did not
interrupt you at the time. Now, the
testimony Is that over 100000 was
spent by Mr.. Whaley and that was
spent to buy votes. and not the votes
Of negroes, but Of whites. because the
whites were the only people who had
any votes to sell at that time. Over
whelming evidence OF this vote buying
Is presented by seven witnesses, as
have stated. They were residents
down there in that district. and they
came up and offered their testimony
with seeming fairness and frankness.
and these witnesses testified to facts.
Their testimony was not hearsay tes-
| timony.
1T has been shown here as one
fact that Mr.. Frank Simmons received
$1,000 in Mr.. Whaley's private Office
on the night before the primary. He
received it from Mr.. r. c. Richard
son. who was treasurer for Mr..
Whaley. Mr.. Dan Bean was also
there. and he received 800. That
testimony Is undisputed except BY one
individual, in q very flimsy affidavit
f1led by Mr.. Simmons himself; but the
other friends OF Mr.. Whaley. who
were there, do not deny it. And OH
the following day in q little room,
that was there MIR. Grace came upon
Mr.. Simmons with $4,000. or there
abouts upon C table before him buy
ing votes for Whaley. buying voters
like cattle, and when Grace came to
him and upbraided him for it his an
swer was 1t 10 none Of your affair
because this is between Whaley and
Hughes That Is the testimony.
Have you got to say: Did he pay
the money to John Jones No; Rich.
ardson was the man who was paying
the money.
There were the lot of evaaive am.
davits that were fled.
| Tho police court record of half a
dozen OF Whaley's witnesses was fled
although that is not stated to you by
the committee. That record shows
what their record was. l want you To
leave all Of this evidence out Of your
minds for moment. What DO you
think Of member Of this house
charged with bribery. charged with
corruption. charged with perjury.
here for weeks, while the hearings
were going on over in that Office
building. who was notified Of those
hearings, as he was. because, I saw
to that. for ! asked the chairman 70
notify him. who never once appeared
at "a hearing to meet his accusers
face to face?
The question has come: Why don't
you prosecute? How can We, with
clean hands. point the finger Of scorn
to South Carolina and ask thern down
there why they do not prosecute. when
we have full knowledge OF oil these
same facts? 1t was said here last
night that Mr.. Grace admitted that he
could not prosecute successfully down
there. that an indictment Of one
would be to indict the whole COM
munity. and that doubtless ia the ef-
feet. We have startling evidence of
that fact when 985 convicts have been
pardoned down there. an evidence of
the contempt for law and order. a
contempt for courts Of Justice, and
may we not we'll believe that the peo-
pie down there in South Carolina, the
good people-and there are thousands
Of them there-the law abiding and
God fearing people would welcome an
investigation that pointed the way to
better political conditions, to better
public welfare.
zone hundred years ago to the day
there sat in this body the greatest
statesman that South Carolina ever
produced. second to none In his day
and second to none in ours. With
marvellous foresight that profound
OF nd ~