The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-02-08

ne IS my friend, and worthy Of your con-
ldencc always-printed yesterday some
figures to show that there We're fewer
street taxes this year than last. He was
correct as far as lie went, but he did not
get ia the forks of the creek.
He took his figures from the tax asses
sors books. Now, the men who give in
their taxes are rich men, careful men,
like Judge Hillyer and Mayor Cam pbell
Wallace-not like me and a few fellows
around me. This is important, because
those figures looked like something. He
showed that the number of persons who
paid street tax in 1885 was 3,Sl4. He
showed that the number who paid their
tax at the assessors Office in 1855 was
$500. That shows an apparent decrease
of 2l4 people. Well, ain seeking after
truth, and that sorter staggered me. SIS
that fact? asked. "Is that the end of
it? 1 asked Judge Hillyer, and he has
been stutfing me anyhow. "Nc. In adj
dition to the men who gave in at the tax
assessors office in 1885, there were 4,1SO
who were looked up'-made to pay with
a little addition. That made total Of
1894. Next year there were $500 people
who gave in, or 214 less than the year be-
fore, but they found out among the hedges
and byways s 400, one of whom I have
no doubt was with. That makes a total
of II, ,064 total taxes paid last year, against
1894 the year before, showing gain in
this good old city Of 400 poll taxes.
The figures for this year have not been
furnished. TO be perfectly frank, they
have not got me vet / think they will
show All increase of three or four thous-
ands poll taxes in this city, two-thirds of
| which, in my honest conviction, are due
to prohibition. These arc the figures.
They came though Judge Hillyer to me,
and give them to you without change.
There are S29 more children in attendance
at the schools this year than last. How
do you account for that? (Laughter.) 1t
has beeh two years since prohibition was
| adopted, and there are S29 more children
| in the schools. That means one of two
things, and you can take either horn of
the nilemma, either there are more peo-
pie here or there are more people able to
send to school. Take the fact of owning
houses, Artemus Ward says:
"a man may die for his home, but who
ever heard of man dying for his board
ing house?" I say to you here, it IS the
poor mans home, and the poor mans
home alone that has stood time and again
between Jay Gould and Vanderbilt and
the enraged mob of American working
men. 1t is the conservatism Of the home
owning wage-worker that has kept social
ism out Of the admirable labor organiza-
ton. In the last two years there have
been 67S citizens who have become home
owners, against 153 in the two years pre-
ious. Owing no man and owning no
man, as master, wearing the collar Of no
faction, free born American citizens, not
quibbllng about personal liberty, but
standing with wife and little ones, honest
inHnnnnHnnf 4 4
radiation. (Applause.)
There are great many things about
prohibition that people do not like.
think it was an outrage to arrest those
two young fellows on Marietta street, and
| don't hesitate to say so in this company.
But If you judge.every cause by single
incident, what cause will hold itself
blameless? If you judge prohibition by
every act done by one Of its adherents,
where will you find anti-prohibition. :?
(Great applause.)
When find an objection T turn to look
for good. II it is more serious in my
opinion than the good, simply stand
back, but if the good outweighs the OBJ
lection, there is simply one course for the
man who has got honest convictions
that is to waive the objection.
doubt if our women-God bless all
can do their best work in the public
turmoil of this campaign. I wish it was
so we could take hold of it with such
manliness that every woman could 90
back home and rely on her prayers and
our efforts the carry it throug. Woman's
best work is gentleness. She should
come as the dew comes, not in the garish
sunshine or the rushing strom, but when
the earth is wrapped in nights sober hush
falling like soft distillation of the stars
on the sleeping flowers. Tremendous
applause.) Better work there, but I hon
or her when she comes to the front in an
emergency like this, bringing her SCARED
heart and tender nature and shining eyes
to our aid.
When read in the Constitution the re-
port Of Mr.. w. A. Pledger's speech. last
night, in which he said "Don't be mis-
led by women and preachers; listen to
mep-Bill ,Pledger. "Don't let Haw-
thorne, or Barnet, or Mr.. Gaines, mislead
you; listen to me phil Pledger.
"Don't let the good women of the city
the salt of the earth, wearing heroism as
garment don't let them mislead you
listen to me % When, he said, talking
about the women in this campaign, the
mothers in Israel and the wives of the
best men in this town, when they left
their homes and put away their woman
ly nature they forfeited their right to
mans homage, and this sentiment met
with applause at the hands of that au-
dience. (Hisses and cries of shame.)
No mattter what my opinion may be,
will never cast my vote with a people
that applaud that sentiment.
Tremendous cheering and cries of
"Amenw "That's rightw and $50 on
we will stay all nightly
Mr.. Grady-I want to catch the last
street car.
A voice: "We will hire carriage for
you."
Continuing, Mr.. Grady said:
my friend, Mr.. Hooper Alexander,
has sent me note in which he says:
II see you are on statistics. If it is
worth noticing, I can add few. ex-
amined the city court criminal docket
this afternoon, and it shows a marked
and steady increase in misdemeanors
from 1881 to 1885, a falling off of twenty
per cent. in 1856; the record of 1857
shows 313 indictments against 765 in 1885
and 40 in 1885," Mark that. An in
crease in 1885, and in 1856 there was Z de-
crease from 675 cases to 440. That was
with the experiment only half tried.
The present docket extends from 1851 to
1887. Crime in 1887 less than half that of
'S5 and less than any wear of the docket