The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-05-24
tied hand and foot by one cir.

tied hand and foot by one cir
cumstance or another, first by the Radi.
cal government and next by the necessity
for unity, and this slavery has lasted so
long that In many places the people are
absolutely helpless and unable to assert
their rights. They have fallen into the
apathy of death. There is even putre.
faction in some sections, they have been
dead 80 long.
/, "Talk about no need for reform. When
I think of the outrages which have been
committed in this hall l shudder to
enumerate. I want to call the attention
of the Convention to one fact, that in
1879, when johnson Hagood was comp
troller general, the expenditures of the
State Government were s750,000 year,
and yet with all the pledges of reform
they are now nearly 100000 a year.
The people know these things and they
ought to know them, and they demand
that the candidates for public Office shall
come before them and see them face to
face, and explain to them why reform
has gone the wrong way. I will not say
anything about the injustice which has
been done to certain class Of the people
in their educational college. I will not
say word upon that subject. The poll
ticians may succeed now in voting down
the right of the people, but they are only
danlming back the waters. Two years
from now, when there is full head on,
You will be swept before the flood" !"
Applause
Mr.. John O. Haskell was next recog-
nized by the chairman. Col Haskell
said:
"There are, Mr.. Chairman, in this hall
nearly three hundred men who are in
every sense of the word as true represen.
tatives of the people as the gentleman
from Edge6eld, who threatens US with
floods and volcanoes" Laughter.
Mr.. Tillman: 81 have not threatened
anybody with volcano, l only said We
we're standing on one."
Mr.. Haskell, continuing: II have
heard what he has said, Mr.. President.
You have heard what he has said. You
have just heard him say in substance !:
4 warn you that / represent the people
of South Carolina. The people that I
represent will hurl you politicians out of
place unless you give us our way. Those
that I represent are harboring their
wrongs that they may break forth and
oyerwhelm you.'o Laughter.
Mr.. Tillman: 81 said | did not repre-
sept anybody but myself"
Mr.. Haskell: II once told the gentle.
man that his party was in his hat, and I
am glad to hear him admit that he has
come to my way of thinking. Laughter
and applause. The people who come
here year after year are representatives
of South Carolina. The eighteen men OF
Richland, sitting here, represent the
people of Richland, and every man in
| the county had voice in their selection.
I say the same of York, and of Anderson,
and of every county in the State. That
the people select their delegates and
select them as they will, and l say that
these men here to-day are as true repre-;
sentatives of the people of South
Carolina as the gentleman from Edge.
| field is. He says that he has left bis
data at home, and it is good for him
that he has. He says that there has
| been an increase of a quarter of q million
dollars of expenses since 1878. Let him
get his data and it will give him an
answer as positive as do-that it is not
so.n [Applause.
| Mr.. Tilfman: "Do you dare say, sir
| that the expenditure of this Government
| in 1887 was not 1000 more than in
1872 L dare you to deny it." lap.
Mr.. Haskell: "I do deny it most
positively. Applause. What the gen.
tleman is driving at is very easily
explained. In 1879 there was fund Of
money in the treasury and the Legisla.
ture did make appropriations then largely
Hess than in 1887, because that surplus in
the treasury was used in addition to the
appropriations made. There is a differ.
| ence between levy and an appropriation
The levy is what you collect, and the
reason why We collected less in 1879 than
in 1887 Was because We had q surplus
which had been previously collected. II
is fact, Sir, that the expenditures have
| not increased materially, and that they
| have been pretty much the same. The
appropriation bills upon our statutes are
| things which cannot make mistakes, and
they are better proofs than the data
which the gentleman has left at home
These books are here, and my friend can
satisfy himself. I say right here that
there has been no such increase in the
expenditures Of the Government as he
charges, and I say that the people are
| heard here as fairly as they are heard in
any primary election. I say that 8
primary election will be subversive ol
every opportunity for the whole State to
secure fair representation. live have
a plurality system, the choice of the
people will rarely get into positions Of
honor and trust. live have majority
system the people will be 30 worn out
with repeated elections that they will
not enjoy the chance Of securing their
choice that they now do. Applause.
+ It will not do, Mr.. Chairman, in an
intelligent body of men like this, who
come here as the representatives of the
people with as much right to speak as
the gentleman from Edge6eld, men who
dare to do as much, to suffer as much, and
are as true to the State as he or his ever
have been, to taunt them with being
| politicians while be and his are the true
Democracy of the State. Applause.
Tell us Of real wrongs, tell us Of evil.
that the people are really suffering, and
we will try and help the gentleman n
relieve them: but 1t won't do to make
vague accusations, to charge all the
suferings of the people resulting from
the war and the period which followed
upon the more system of making nomina.
tions. It will not do to charge the
people of the State who have done SO
much to bring up the State to higher
condition Of prosperity, and who will be
ever mindful of her interests, With the
responsibility ofevery misfortune suffered
by the people. 1t will not do to indulge
in such glittering generalities. Come
down to tho proofs. They are bere'
Let him produce them" [Applause.]
Mr.. Cannon, of Lsurens, suggested
that for peace sake the Convention might
try the primary plan for one term and il
it did not prove satisfactory 1t could be
changed back to the convention system.
Senator E.. B. Murray, of Anderson,
next obtained che floor. he said that
the change proposed was one of great
| ~..~,.,no CO.. uoo1 hr rna fo th n