The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-08-14

TGreenville NeWs.I


into some prominence at the beginning
of the present campaign, and for that
reason we take the liberty Of consider
ing him seriously as the type and rep
resentativc Of large class, which is
! likely to become larger.
Citizen Ashley, us VIC understand his
case, is Il thrifty and wel-to-do farmer
who has during some years been rea-
sonably happy and prosperous under Il
Democratic State government. He has
lived we'll and by hard work and
hearty eating has developed a gigantic
frame which he keeps comfortably clad,
and he had great many Reasons for
being happy and contcntcd.
Mr.. Ashley is an energetic and en-
thuSiastic kind Of Il man, handy with
his fists on occasion, Ready and some
what blunt with his tongue. What he
goes into he goes into with heart and
soul, body and boots, fists, tongue and
all. If he had been old enough along
in 1860 we suppose he would nave been
one of the ioudest and iicrcest shoutcrs
for secession and one of the first men
to shoulder his gun and 60 to the front.
We dare say in 1876 he was one of the
hardest and bollcst Of Hampton's red
shirt riders.
Captain Tillman loomcd up rs Il po-
litical power and began to talk Of the
wrongs and suflcrings Of the farmer,
the corruption and oppression Of the
State government and the atrocities Of
the ring and to tell what great things
he purposed to do. Josh Ashley be-
lievcd all of it and a good deal more,
no doubt. A great many people re-
member that when l'illman opened
the campaign at Anderson Mr.. Ashley
was one of the first to appear and the
last to leave, the loudest shouter for
Tillman and the most rough and ag-
gressive in assailing everything and
everybody opposed to Tillman. He be-
lieved in Tillman with all his honest
soul and had no tolerance for any other
belief.
No doubt he heard Of what Captain
Tillman said at Grecnvlle and else
where-that he represented the cause
Of self government, the cause of equal
and full rights for the people, the cause
of undying hatred of an opposition to
ring rule and the aristocracy. He said
that hereafter when man had a
bright boy who wanted ali office that
boy should no more have to 60 knock
ing at the door of a boss, ringster or
an aristocrat to beg for it, but should
60 squarely before the people and ask
it Of them on his merits.
No doubt Citizen Ashley believed all
this. He thought Tiliman was honest
and in earnest, meant what he said
and would practice what he preached.
So Citizen Ashley proceeded to put
himself before his fellow citizens of
Anderson on his merits. He offered
himself as candidate for the Legisla-
ture and was, no doubt, happy and
confident in the belief that he would
not have to ask any boss or ring leader
or aristocrat for favor but would take
his chances fairly and squarely with
the two or three thousands Of his fellow
| farmers.
The Democratic County Convention
met in Anderson a few days ago.
When it had finished it's work the
Farmers Association, composed, as we
understand it, Of much the same men,
with the anti Tillman element gene
rally omitted, met and selected candi-
dates for the Legislature to represent
the Tillman element, to 90 before the
people sealed with the Tillman stamp
and backed by the great Tilman in
! fiuence.
Josh Ashley's name does not lead all
the rest. 1t does not appear anywhere
on the list of the favored. He is not 10
take his chances on his merits befole
his fellow citizens as he fondly imag-
incd and as Tillman srid he should.
His hash has been settled by about one
hundred men who have named the
representation Of Anderson County in
the next Legislature. The power he
did so much to help create is pitilessly
used against him. He is not given :,
tenth Of the showing he would have
had III those days Of aristocracy, the
oligarchy and the ring two years ago
those days when each man ran flat
footed in free and open primary and
nobody dared to insult the people of
Piedmont Carolina-slaves as Tillnan
tells us we were before he, the great
libcrator, appeared-by presuming to
choose their representatives and die
tate to them who they shall elect ard
who reject.
ut is not dictation" Citizen Ashley
may be told, and he may say 50 him.
self We suspect he is rather hard
headed kind OF a man and slow to ad-
nit that he has been trapped or fooled
Or mistaken or to let go a man or a
cause he has once taken up. He takes
his politics straight and deep. When
he was told that the State prim ary
will be very good thing two years
from new (when Tillman may be in
the United States Senate in the place
of honest and faithful old Hampton,
kicked out, and free from its dangers
and uncertainties but is a dreadful
device of the ring at this time (when
Tilman would lose by it what seems a
| l.