The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-05-15
TILLM an AT RIDGEWAY
THE OPENING SPEECH OF HIS CANVASS
FOR GOVERNOR.

a 81 .tcment OF tho Reasons FOR the Farm
ors Movement In the Present ShSpo---
Where tho Legislature Has Done Wrong
How to Correct Existing Evils.
The following is the report made
10y the Columbia Register of the
speech of Capt. b. r. Tillman at the
public meeting held in Ridgeway:
Mr.. Chairman and Follow Citizens
of Fairfield County: Before [ begin
to say what 1 have to say, L must
specially request the men behind me
to come around in front and be where
thoy can look me in the eye. Gap
plause.) I will make u further re-
quest, and that is that you give ,ne
your undivided attention. Voice:
We'll do it.D If there is any one
here who loses his interest, if he
wants to talk, he should walk one
side where he won't disturb those
who want to listen.
[ am pleased to meet my fellow
citizens of Fairfield; county. 1t al
way affords mo pleasure to meet my
follow citizens of any county that they
may look me in the eye and Judge
whether / am the man / have been
painted.
From what you have seen il, the
newspapers you have reason to be-
lieye that you would see q man with
horpA, hoofs and tail, who would
belch forth fire ana birthstone. But
you will see only simple farmer, who
up TO four years ago never had made
II speech.
THANKFUL FOR FREE ADVERTISING.
/ want to return my thanks to the
newspapers of South Carolina for so
literally advertising me. [ think the
newspapers should furnish me q
purse for giving them so much ma
terial to put in their papers gratis.
CHILDREN OF ONE FAMILY.
We are here as the children of one
family, Sons of old South Carolina,
and | feel that / can appeal to all of
you to. do nothing to cause heart
burnings or cause any to regret this
meeting.
We have family quarrel in this
State. When it is over we must come
together rs one man and see to it
tnat the ascendcncy Of the Demo
cratic party i'll this State is MAIN
tanned.
AT THE NEWSPAPERS AGAIN.
l have no bad feelings against the
newspaper men. l Icannot feel other
wise than grateful to them for draw
ing to me friends, such friends us
always come from just men to any
one mjustly treated 1t is sweeping
through the State, from county to
county. This intolerance, this abuse
0. un honest white man and u Demo
crat, is having tho natural effect of
making me friends. And in some
places they arc taking most et1ec-
tive way Of bringing the newspapers
to taw by refusing to subscribe to
them.
[ don't want to be understood Us
saying anything against the freedom
Of the press. A free press is the pal
ladium of our liberties. A licentious,
a one-sided press-every paper of that
kind should be made to see that you
can maintain your own right to think
for yourself and keep your money in
your breechcs pocket at the same time.
But they'll get right. They'll get
step in i'll time. You need more pa
pers; you need good newspapers. You
read too little. We are too ignorant,
That is one reason of the trouble in
the Democratic party of this State
to-day. This has driven us to can
vass to meet tho people face TO face,
and explain what the newspapers
suppress and garble, and tell them
the truth.
ALL SMOKE AND POWDER.
While the newspapers have thun-
me, it has been all smoke and powder.
They have shot no bullets.
A gentleman is here Cunning to
Colonel YOumans) with q carpet-bag
full of them Qefelring to the Colo
ners valise on the platform) and /
hope and beg you to give him a re-
spectful hearing. Qrom the crowd;
"We'll listen at him, but they didn't
. listen to you.'O
Captain Tillman: 81 had q good
deal of cheering the last time was
in Barnwell.' "
Resuming tho direct line of his re-
marks, the Captain continued: What
/ is the charge against me! Sifted
} down it is that J. have dared to allow
5 the Farmers Convention to put me
before the people rs u suitable man
! for Governor.
Abiding to what he was pleased to
term the suppression of his speech
before the March convention: l am
here as the
EXPONENT OF A PRHCIPLE.
and advocate of policy. I am the
champion Of the principle IbeBeve TO
be for the best interest Of this people,
and that is self-government. The
policy ! refer to is fair play among
Democrats, and sdch reform as will
give us an economical and good gov
ernment This is Tillmanism.
If you have self-govornment, and
have bad government, you are to
blame, and you can remedy it when
the shoe pinches. Now you don't
have self-government, and when the
shoe pinches you can't remedy it.
WHY THE CONVENTION WAS CALLED.