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

Tells of Source o. Letter i'm Question
-COrmack Also Makes Statement
Laurens. June 30.-R. A. Cooper
issued this evening the following state.
ment:
To the Democratic Voters of South
Carolina:
l have just read the statement
which John l.. McLaurin has ad-
dressed ITO the People of South Caro-
lima" published ir 'nday's papers 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 an
prints, but upon reflection I think
ON hardly justified 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 tC
entrap Blease, are sufficient to con-
denim him in the eyes of all good and
true men. His statement that John X
Aull had furnished me the proof OF
mis- (McLaurin's) efforts to betray the
Democracy of the State causes him to
| explain a letter which / had never
seen Or heard of. Conscious of his
own guilt, he attempts to turn State $
evidence before the evidence which
he knew existed had been produced
against him. He now asks the public
to believe that all concerned in the
plot as exposed by him were guilty
| except himself 1t happens, however
that / did not have any copy of his
| alleged dummy" letters to John G.
Capers, the Republican boss Of South
Carolina. The only copy of a letter
which I had was one written by John
*. Aull to v. B. Cheshire, editor OF
the Anderson Tribune, which letter
w. j. Cormack, in charge OF the Co.
lumbia bureau of The News and Cour-
| ier has set out in full in a statement
which he has furnished to me. A copy
Of this letter was furnished me by
that signed copies of this had been
furnished to the Columbia State, Gov
Richard I. Manning and himself on
the night of January 25 of this year
and was released by Mr.. Aull for i'm
mediate publication; that therefore he
(Mr. Cormack) considered anything
contained in that letter to be the prop
erty of the public.
j. w. Crum of Denmark informs
ne this afternoon over long distance
| telephone that he did not make the
statement attributed to him by Mr.
| McLaurin, to wit: that had told him
| | did not propose to use the Aull let
ter against McLaurin until after the
campaign when McLaurin could not
| answer it, and further Mr. Crum stat
I
ed that i made no such statement tC
him and Mr.. Crum informed me thai
Kennerly Mayfeld says that he MAY
| Iield) made no such statement to Nc
Laurin. / did show Mr.. Crum the
copy of the letter written by John *
Aull to V. b. Cheshire which had
| <r;x Ia
Cormatk has explained, and which
knew had been read by a number OF
| other persons before it came into my
possession. l was debating in m,
own mind whether | would use il a,
all. | knew that the people Of South
Carolina had conclusive evidence OF
Mr.. McLaurin's political perfdy in
the Dear Archbold' letter of Max
%. 1902, i'm which Mr. McLaurir
says, 81 can beat TilIman if properly
and generously supported" With this
knowledge and other matters con
nected with Mr.. McIaurin's politica
life familiar to the people of the state
| did not regard him as factor i'm the
race and did not care to stultify my
manhood by striking IA cripple. ! die
feel, however, that the people ought
20 know Of McIAurins efforts to lcat
the state into the Republican party in
1916 rs alleged in the Aull letter ans
conferred with Mr.. Crum and Other
friends as TO the course ] should pur-
sue.
| have never supported please nol
have entered into or considered any
combination with Blcasc. Blcase, Mc