The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-07-25

The Gathering Mt HOdges.-.Platform
| Decorations Governor Richard.
| sons Exhaustive Address-.-GOing
Deep int Figures -. Lieutenant
Governor MauIdin In bad Shape.
Ren TilIman's Talk.-.A Full stock
of fAmmuntion...Wan Insult to
Reporter.
Greenuille Ne,U,. Saturday, 2lst.
The State campaign opened at Hodges yes
terday with the meeting appointed oy tne
State Democratic Executive Committee fol
the candidates for Governor and Lieutenant
Governor before the State Nominating Con
| yention, to address the voters OF the Third
Congress District. The gathering was IN 9
large and shady lawn minutes walk from
the depot, where the crowd OF not more than
thousand people, At q liberal estimate, as
sembled around the speakers stand, Whlch
bore on its front in evergreen garlands the
back of the stand were hung. steel engraylngs
of President Cleveland and the late Vice
President Hendricks with highly colored
print of Mrs. Cleveland swinging demurely
between the two.
At half past ten o'clock when the assem-.
bIage was called to order by DR.. w. T. Jones
in the absence OF County Chairman Gary
who is in the mountains, there were on the
TiIiman OF Edgefeld, Col. w. G. Benet, and
several prominent citizens OF Abbeville coun.
| ty. Later, on the arrival of the down train q,
ll.5O, LieutenantGoyer1Sr vi Il r. Mauldln;; Enle q;
Greenville, and Col. D. X. Norris, OF Ander'
son, appeared on the stage.
| The program was opened by the introduc'
| ton of Governor Richardson, who In two
hours address inaugurated the campaign.
The first part OF Governor Richardson
speech was devoted to refutation OF the
charge made by Ben Tillman that the ex.
penses of the government now were greater
| than under Radical rule. 1t consisted Of an
| exhaustive mass of figures and statistics,
which would be absolutely unintelligible
without verbatim report Of the speech;
Governor Richardson next devoted his at.
tention to lengthy detailed explanation OF
| the discrepancy between the State expenses
of 1873 20 and 1869. reading from carefully
prepared type written statement whicn lt me ne
proprations for these two years and COM
meiting in explanation OF the decrease or
increase as the case might be. The apparent
that while the appropriations in 1867 were
SSS2 SS7 Sc as against S54S 12643 in 1879, the
Increase of 1884 ,76l.3l was found in s2l3,4S
more interest on the public debt paid In So ~
tban'in 1879, when much of the debt was In
tie courts and interest could not be paid.
| Add TO this S33, 500 for the University and the
| Citadel organized since 1879, Sl3,OO0 for the
nsX satens ad ass of Gh fhe IN:
crease was explained at once. The numer.
GUS smaller increases were touched on and &C.
counted for In order.
Closing his reference TO those matters, the
speaker said, II believe have shown you
pretty well In what condition you were In
1876, when this country was redeemed. Inc
State had no credit, not public institution
open, not q college or school; all IN debt
and utter rottenness and confusion. In step.
| ed this solid Democratic rank and with
Hampton at Its lead, with God directed wis
dom redeemed this government, In ten
short years order has been brought out of
chaos; not school district in debt; not a
county in debt the taxes reduced from ten
mills 10 five mills-with this condition
grown every day, with this grand progress,
| This wonderful achievement IN SO short
period OF time and ali done, God knows how,
Is there not much to be thankful for and to
The Governor took up the Clemson bequest.
"[ don't proprose," he said, ITO be dishonest
on that or any other subject" General
Hemphill, the speaker said. had said IN this
"Goyernor Richardson had not answered
those questions yet" No. nor had he ever
lad any idea Of answering General Hemp
hills questions; the thought had never oc.
Cured to him that he should do so. If he
tried to answer all OF the gentlemans ques'
| tions there would be so many he would have
no time for his public duties. The reason ne
had not answered was because tne Demo
! ,.ratic party through their convention had hx-
cd certain days on which he shonld appear
| before the people Of the respective congress
sional districts and state his positions On
matters Of public import. A letter had been
published, The Governor continued, which he
| mad written before the last nominating con-
| vention. The question wus then In It's In!
| cipiency, and he was honest In what he then
said. He believed TINT 1t would cost the peo-
pie OF the State something; but" he declar
ed, 'if the people want IL, let them have II;
if the farmers want 1t, they have only TO say
| so, and 1t Is theirs" Not u man In the state
would oppose IL. He was in favor OF any In.
stitution that would educate the people of the
State. Here the Governor read statistics Civ.
| Ing the comparative illiteracy,. wealth, taxa
ton and population of each Of the fine new
Rhode Island, Connecticut and Marsachn.
sets, with South Carolina.
| 10 the question how he stood on the Glenn.
son bequest matter, Governor Richardson
said he would answer just rs he wrote 10 one
| OF the trustees Of the bequest who had asked
1t Of him: "Il ii is 10 become State institu'
| Llon ii it is 10 be under State control lie
mend that the most liberal aid be given to II
| TO carry out the purpose OF the testator." But
before the State took hold OF 1t, 1t shonld
clearly be shown that it would belong to the
College, he was for it first, last and all the
Time. 1t would be a beautiful arrangement to
| have an Agricultural College here under the
shadow OF the m0nntains, % a. onxeIsiIy fi,ads al al
DENY, suited for still another class TO stu
dents. But he did not believe that the peo
pie should be deprived Of one institution to
| get another.
He was friend of education In any
form, and what be delighted to see was pro
gress and advancement In all lines, giving 70
the children and the youth and the young
men and young women, too, OF the land, Inc
opportunities they should have.
| The Governor closed with a tribute to South
Carolina, eloquent clear, chaSte ana musical
worded as his whole address has been. There
were few efforts at applause during the ad.
dress and they were weak and not sPontan
eous. When the Governor sat down he was
presented with q handsome bouquet.
Lieutenant Governor Mauldin followed
Governor Richardson. He was suffering from
an acute attack Of rheumatism and had gone
10 Hodges at the expense OF great pain ano
personal Inconvenience. The Lieutenant
point and tellinely. He began by referring
modestly to the office 10 which he was can
didate for reelection us kind Of politica
fifth wheel TO be used only In accidents. he
opportunities for the exercise of the deciding
power conferred on him, and he felt he hac
no sins TO answer for In that line. He had al
ways tried TO exercise calm and unbiased
Judgment and always acted as he thought
was TO the best interests Of the State.
At the time Of his nomination to the office
he held, DR.. Mauldin said, he had been accus
That was wrong. He was not opposed tc
higher education, and he was not opposed tC
the South Carolina College. He was indeed
glad to know that the abolition OF free tut
ton In that institution had not operated tc
its detriment,
"As to the Clemson College," DR.. Mauldir
said, 81 don't know that I've been called or
to express an opinion He said he was In
favor Of sustaining the present State Institu
tions and wanted to see the South CAROLINE
College become the high classical institution
of the State TO which the denominational col
leges would be feeders rather than rivals
But an agricultural college would greatly ait
the cause Of education, and If the Clemson
beauest was what II was claimed to be, he be