The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-07-17
JOHN |. COMES BACK.
MLAURIN REPEATS CAMPAIGN
CHARGES.
Accuses Blease of Readiness 10 Sell
Out and Cooper of Secretly Circulat.
ing Slander.
To the People of south Carolina:


On June 80 addressed you through
the press OF South Carolina. stating
that wished to prove by letter and
testimony certain charges against r.
A. Cooper and Cole L. Blease. On
July LIST Messrs. Blease, Cooper and
Aull made answer and certain other
testimony has been given to the public
through the press and at certain cam
paign meetings. ] now desire to make
reply. This In the usual and customary
procedure--the opening. the answer.
reply.
showed that Mr.. Blease was dis
loyal. that he was ready and willing
to sail the party for a,money consid-
Grafton, that. he was encouraging
Beard in his bull moose" movement.
that his name appeared on the inde-
pendent ticket. that he was in favor OF
AFR. Hughes and opposed to Mr.. Will
son. that he so expressed himself on
number of occasions. so wrote the
Chicago paper and made a similar
statement.in the presence of his broth
er and other gentlemen. That Mr..
Biease expected in the event Of the
lsiecticp OF Mr.. Hughes to be placed in
charge OF Federal patronage in South
Carolina. The proof which i offered
pinned to Mr.. Blease the only verdict
based upon facts tangible and con-
sincing. and the charges I made were
established. The State. the News and
Courier. The Record and certain other
papers throughout the State have
analysed the proof bearing upon the
charges against Mr.. Blease and they
have rolled as a sweet morsel under
their tongue these facts which I gave
to the public. and they have thrown
certain sidelights and presented other
q cts which have served to emphasize
the truthfulness OF the charges which
I made against Mr.. Blease.
While the press OF the state as
whole has accepted the proof which
offered IN esta blishing beyond any rea-
sonable doubt the charges which
made against Mr.. Blease. this same
press has endeavored to- smudge and
pass over and make little OF the
charges which I have made against
Mr.. Cooper Now that the testimony
lain. submit that the charges which
! made against Mr.. Cooper have been
established by testimony that Is clear
cut. indisputable. convincing to any
fair mind. and even OF greater weight
than the proof which have made Of
tina charges against Mr.. Blease. which
proof has been accepted by the papers
OF the State. while they have declined
TO accept the proof against Mr.. Coop
er and have endeavored to whitewash
him. ..t
In the first place. charged Mr..
Cooper with being n cowardly oharac-
ter assassin. In that he was cIrculat-
Ing secretly and In an underhand man.
ner q letter rejecting upon my char
acter and good name. I stated that he
was circulating a COPY of letter die
tated I'm my office by me but never
mailed by me and furnished to him by
John X. Aull. who was at that time
my secretary. formerly and later the
secretary OF Blease. Under this
charge. Mr.. Cooper I'm his letter pleads
guilty TO more contemplate and a
more inexcusable act OF dirty politics.
Had he circulated copy of a letter
which 1 wrote and had done so openly
he might well have assumed that the
burden OF proof was on me to show
that that copy was not true. but Coop
er. In his letter. pleads guilty to hav-
Ing used a letter rejecting upon my
character and good name that was
written by John X. Aull. a weak man
whom Cooper himself would not be-
lieve nor ask for verdict against a
yellow dog upon his uncorroborated
testimony: no submit that II was
meaner and lower TO have used q let
ter written by such man than IL
would have been to have used the copy
Of the letter which / charged him
with having used. Second. Mr.. Coop
er says that he did not circulate this
letter secretly for political purposes
but that he presented II to his friend
Crum. asking the advice OF Crum an
to the use OF II at the campaign that
was TO be held at Aiken the following
day. and ne says that he did not use
this letter until after I had attacked
him at Bomberg. At Greenwood I
read two letters. one dated June %.
one dated June "a. from two gentle