The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-07-06


McIaurin. which you published IN
your issue this morning seems to b,
inspired by letter written by me las
January. which evidently Mr.. McIaur.
In has. not yet even seen. and 1 ask
that you permit me to make reply tc
the portions of his effusion which
make charges against me. and that
you do me the fairness TO give IL as
prominent place in your paper as you
have given Mr.. McIaurin's address.
In the first place, desire to say
that Mr.. McLaurin gives some facts
which are absolutely new to me. and
which had never even dreamed of.
lie says that he frequently called
John Auil to take dictation for let
ters on this subject addressed TO
Capers" referring to securing money
for a bolt from the Democratic party.
in order to lead Biease in,o q trap.
Mr.. McLaurin states that wrote the
letters and retained carbon copies.
but that as soon as was out of sight
he destroyed the originals.
This is the first time / have ever
even heard of his writing any such
letters TO Mr.. Capers. He seems to
think that have a copy of some such
letter that he wrote to John G..
Capers In Washington. knew abso-
lutely nothing OF any such letter or
letters. and have never said or writ
ten that 1 did. and have no letter
purporting to be copy OF any such
letter. What made Mr.. McIaurin
think was charging him with this is
more than l can understand. He may
have given me dictatlon for letters TO
capers. but have no recollection OF
any letter to Capers OF any special
Significance. and during my course
with the state warehouse system.
as secretary to Senator McLaurin.
never tried to secure copies of any OF
his letters and never mentioned to q
living soul any letter that he had ever
fwritten TO anybody.
Lam sorry that MIR. McIaurin felt
that he was using me while / was his
secretary as n tool to lead Blease into
trap. III that was his game he fail
ed. because none OF Mr.. McLaurin's
letters were ever mentioned by me to
Mr.. Blease or anybody else: and the
Capers correspondence need give him
no further concern. so far as am af-
fected. because l can assure him that
I have no copy OF any of It, nor any
recollection OF any of IL. His letter In
the Columbia State this morning is
the first ever heard OF II.
was present I'm the Evans build
ing IN Washington. at a conference he
had with John G.. Capers. I'm which
took absolutely no part; and how lit
tie that conference met with my ap-
prevail is shown by the fact that i'm
mcdiateiy upon my return from Wash
inston I severed my connection with
the state warehouse system on the
very day that / was given balance
sheet upon my books by state Auditor
Widcman w. Bradley and Mr.. Walton,
special accountant. who were checking
up the system. by appointment OF
Gov. Manning. upon request OF Sen
ator McLaurin. who had asked the
governor to have the entire records
checked up by official accountants,
following some statement which the
governor had made I'm the public
prints In regard to the management
OF the system.
MIR. Capers may save himself the
trouble OF searching any files I'm an
effort to find any letter copy OF
which l may have.
Mr.. McLaurin says that I'm order to
win the support of the Blease faction
to his warehouse measure during the
extra session of 1914 he agreed to
make me his secretary. His letter i'm
this mornings State in the first 1 IN !
ever heard of that. Gov. Blease call
ed the extra session mainly for the
purpose Of getting "a warehouse meas
ure through. When II came to him ne
promptly signed IL. Later Senator Nc
Iaurin came to me and offered me the
position OF his secretary. told hin
I was inclined to accept II. but would
first have 20 consult Gov. Blcase. un
der whom I then held the position o
secretary to the governor. Next dag
MIR. McIaurln came into Goccrno
Blease's private Office and mentlone,
the matter to him. in my presence.
know from the conversation that en-