The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-07-05
Cooper Proves Charge
OF McLaurin Wrong
HAS NOT BEEN GUILTY OF ANY
UNFAIR CAMPAIGN METHODS
McLAURIN'S STATEMENT
DENIED BY CRUM.

Laurens, June 30.-Hon. r. A.
Cooper issued this evening the fol-
lowing statement:
To the Democratic Voters of South
Carolina:
I have just read the statement
which John L. McLaurin has ad-
dressed "To the People of South
Carolina" published in Sundays
paper in which he makes certain
accusations which are intended by
him to reflect on me personally and
politically. My first impulse was to
have made answer other than
through the public prints, but upon
reflection I think I am hardly justi-
fed in giving him this notice. His
past political history as we'll as the
confession which he makes IN his
long article and his effort to show
that he was only trying to entrap
Blease are.suficient to condemn him
in the eyes of all good and true
men. His statment that John X.
AulI had furnished me the proof of
his. McLaurin's efforts to betray the
democracy of the State causes him
to explain a letter which I had new
er seen or herad of. Conscious Of
his W guilt, he attempts to turn
states evidence before the evidence
which he knew existed had been pro
dueed against him. He now asks
the public to be lieve that all
concerned in the plot as iex-
posed by him were guilty ex-
cept himself. It happens however,
that I did not have any copy of his
alleged dummy" letter to John e.
Capers, the Republican boss of South
Carolina. The only copy of a letter
which I had was one written by
John K. Adii to ': B: Cheshire, edt-
tor of The Anderson Tribune, which
letter Mr.. W. J. Cormack, in charge
of the Columbia bureau of the News
and Courier, he has set out in full
in a statement which he has furnish
ed to me. A copy of this letter was
furnished me by Mr.. Cormack, who
stated at that time that signed cop
les of this had been furnished the
Columbia State, Gov. Richard l.
Manning and himself on the night of
January 18th, Of this year and was
released by Mr.. Aull for immediate
publication; that he, Mr.. Cormick,
considered anything contained in
that letter to be the property of the
public.
Hon. j. .Crum, of Denmark, in
forms me this afternoon, over long
distance telephone that he did not
make the statement attributed to
him by Mr.. McLaurin, to wit; that l
had told him I did not propose to
use the Aull letter against McLaurin
until after the campaign when Nc
Laurin could not answer it, and fur
Their Mr.. Crum stated that I made no
such statement to him and Mr.. Crum
informed me that Mr.. Kennerly
Mayfeld says that he, Mayield, made
no such statement to McLaurin. l
did show Mr.. Crum the copy of the
letter written by John K. Aull to
v. B. Cheshire which had been given
me by Mr.. Cormack, as Mr.. Cormack
has explained, and which I knew had
been read by a number of other
persons before it came into my pos
session. I was debating in my own
mind whether I would use it at all.
I knew that the people of South
Carolina had conclusive evidence of
Mr.. McLaurin's political perfdy in
the "Dear Archbold" letter of May
29, 1902, in which Mr.. McLaurin
says: 81 can beat Tillman if pro-
perly and generously supported
With this knowledge and other mat
tiers connected with Mr.. McLaurin's
political life familiar to the people
of the State, I did not regard him
as a factor in the race and did not
care to stultify my manhood by
otr;kino q crinnle. did feel. how