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

Tribune on notice, I wrote the editO,
of The Tribune, about the time cal.
culated Senator McLaurin was tt
start for Charlotte to give out his
great political annunciation, and told
Cheshire that l thought it would be
better for him to come to Columbia
and make certain statements face I'd
race rather than to be publishing
them from long range. and also
warned him that none of the news.
paper men involved is subsidized by
candidate for governor, as you are
and none of them is supporting a man
who, in the face of his previous rec
ord, went to Washington, after the
campaign of 1916 and offered to car
ry the State Republican, if $1,000 for
each county was put up by the Re-
publican committee"
Thats all l said, and it was in a
letter to Cheshire, in which I did not
mention the name of McIaurin nor
OF Capers, nor did say anything about
any correspondence between McLaur-
In and Capers, Of which learned only
this morning. AS the matter in con-
troversy was the incident here in CO.
iumbia, with regard to which the
newspaper conference had taken place
In the office of Governor Manning's
secretary, participated in by the News
and Courier and State representatives
and myself, and at which Governor
Manning stated what he felt would
be the injury resulting to South Caro-
lima if the fisticuff should be publish.
ed at that time-in which l agreed
l furnished copy of the letter to the
city editor of The State, the Columbia
representative of the News and Cour-
ier' and to Governor Manning. 1t
was from one of these sources that
Mr.. Cooper must have secured the
copy of the letter and not from me.
Had Mr.. McLaurin requested a COPY
of the letter, 1 would have gladly
furnished it to him, and he would
nave saved Mr.. Capers n search of his
files and saved himself all that far
ietched rigamarole about letters to
Mr.. Capers, dictated to me, and the
originals of which he says he DESTROY
ed. in order that Blease might be led
into trap through me.
That is about all there is to the
whole matter. Mr.. Capers' statement
to my dear Mac" as to any over
lures made by me is absolutely false
Mr.. McLaurin's statement that l was
Keeping Blease informed" as to any-
thing going on in Mr.. McLaurin's Of
lice is also absolutely untrue. As I
say, in view of later developments, l
have no doubt that Senator McLaurin
was endeavoring to use me as a tool;
but he succeeded only in so far as Sc
curing from me the best work of
which I was capable for him and the
State warehouse system.
AS to any change in my attitude on
account of McLaurin's frequent
changes of position in the guberna-
torial race Of 1916, that is simply an
evidence of the senator's imagination
which too often leads him to believe
that those who are trying to serve
him have some double purpose. MY
recollection of the senator's position
urging that the Blease candidacy
would elect Cooper, and that Blease
should get out of the race in favor OF
Manning; that he then played to the
Manning regime until Manning threw
him down in the State convention.
and Fred Dominick and l, in that con-
vention, came to the rescue of the
State warehouse system. Then he came
out actively and openly for Blease.
and made speeches in his behalf.
When Blease was defeated, he then
drops Blease. He then has petitions
circulated asking himself to run for
governor and in reply to one of these.
signed by certain members of the An
dersOn delegation, he takes occasion
to excoriate these gentlemen who had
paid him the highest compliment
they could; cusses out Tillman ami
Blease and sets out to create a Nc
Laurin faction i'm South Carolina. He
then has the idea of running for GOV
ernOr. Later he concludes he can beat
both Tillman and Blease, and sets
about feeling his way towards an en-
trance into the senatorial campaign
l;efore the lists close, however, lie
L.