The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-07-03
MIR. CONNOR'S SPEECH.
He Makes a Speech Defining His
Position on Various Questions, and
Wins Many Friends by His Manly
and OutSpOken Remarks.

When Mr.. Conner arose to address the
Club after adjournment, he was received
with great applause. After the cheering
subsidized, he said, ...'
Fellow-Citizens, I thank you cordially
for the hearty welcome you have given
me. After so long a session of the Con-
v~ention ! shall not detain you with a long
speech. What l propose to do is as a
question of privilege to come before this
Intelligent body of the people who hon
CURED me in &c by making me their rep
heard by my constituents that ! may be
understood by them on certain questions
that have unfortunately been brought for
ward in this campaign. ] have evcr felt
proud of having been elected by you two
wears ago. You know that l did not
seek the position. It was given to me
and while l ju: tly regarded it as a high
honour l was conscious at hes same time
of the great responsibility attaching to it.
You remember that the republicans had
q law IN the statute book authorizing the
| voters Of each School District to assemble
in primary meetings to levy an addition
al tax for school purposes. / introduced
a bill to repeal that act and it was done.
There was also a law known as the ku
klux law, levying a tax for the benefit
w liz LIN vi Vi PS1Soiio
killed for their political opinions. This
law only applied to counties where the
hubeaS corpus had been suspended. 1t
had not been suspended in Abbcville,
! and vet the tax was levied and, strange
ly, the people paid it when there was no
law for it. l also introduced a bill to re-
peal this law.
l do not wish to discuss the bond qucs-
ton as that question has been disposed of
by tho action Of the Legislature but rs I
have been misreprescntcd, and am mis-
understood on that subject 1 claim it as a
privilege to set myself right before the
people of Abbeville. You remember,
tel low-citizens, that my speeches of 1877
and 1878 were both published by a Ger
tain paper in Abbcville County, and
headed "Mr. Connor's speech in behalf of
the people," and the other "N1r. Connor's
, speech in behalf of the bondholdcrs.'
This was intended, evidently, to excite
the prejudices of the people against me,
and it is due to myself that / explain my
position. When ] made the speech in
May ~, l confess that I did not under
stand the debt question and I opposed the
levying Of any tax to pay the interest
upon the bonds until they should be
thoroughly investigated in accordance
with the recommendation of Gov. Hamp-
ton. l understood and / think it was
generally understood that he made this
recommendation because it was current
ly reported that the republicans who
were then in possession of the archives of
the State, seeing that they were about to
he Ousted, were using the plates to issue
duplicate bonds and were putting them
upon the market, and hence a commits
sion was appointed to scrutinize the
bonds of the State. But it was found that
not one duplicate bond had been issued.
l then had an opportunity to study tho
question, and l gave it my best attention
that l might form a judgment of what
was best for the interest of the people
South Carolina. l form my own opin-
ions, and when / maturcly consider Il
question, and come to a conclusion ] do
not fear to express it. l am not n Of
those representatives, who are sometimes
referred to as telegraphing home to know
whether a measure is popular or not. l
supposed when the people sent me to the
Legislature to represent them, they had
some confidence in my intelligence, and
honesty of purpose, l do not claim II
ability but I do claim 20 be an honest
man and unless the people instruct me
beforehand, l intend to be governed by
what l think is right, and for tho best in
terest OF the people. l treat with scorn
and contempt the imputation that I was
personally interested in the bonds. l
now declare to you that neither 1 nor any
OF my family ever owned a state bond or
that l was eye interested in them n
more than any other citizen who has to
pay taxes. I have to pay as much taxes
as most other citizens, to pay the interest
on these bonds and would be glad to get
rid of them if it could be done honora6ly
and successfully. 1advocate measures in
the interest of the people at large, with
out considering my personal interest,
and with ditfidence / will refer to the
usury law. 1 had been taught by every
political economist that / have ever read
that money should be as free as corn or
any other commodity but our condition as
a people, since the war, was anomalous,
almost all borrowers, and but few lend
ers. And whilst it was to my advantage
that interest on money should not be re-
stricted, yet I-believe that it would be to
the interest Of the people ut large that it