Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-04-10
The Picture Broken.
[From the Greenyille News.]

tranquility Of mind, and, therefore,
we desire to own up frankly and
freely on tho Tillman question.
We hoped against hope until the
last minute that our first opinion of
Capt. Tillnlan was right. We
thought him somewhat extreme
and violent man, but believed that
he was entirely conscientious, and
was induced to make rash state
ments and take positions he could
not hold by honest zeal for the good
of his State and tho righting Of
wrongs. When he declared at the
beginning of his career that he was
a candidate for no office, but trustee
of an agricultural college and desired
no other, we swallowed it whole and
believed it implicitly. We have re-.
sented and repelled the charges of
opposition newspapers that Tillman
was working chiefly for Tillman's
advancement. We believed that
we had at last found a patriot who
was giving his time, breath and labor
for pure love of his State and his
class.
The dream is over; the idol is
shattered. Capt Tillman stands
forth as a candidate for Governor at
the head of the movement he has
done so much during the last five
years to give shape to. The Farm
ers' Movement for the farmers, of
the farmers and by the farmers, has
been twisted into a Tillman move
ment for Tillman, Of Tillman and by
Tillman. What we thought was
patriotism we find to be politics.
We can only ask the Columbia Reg
lister and other esteemed contcmpora-
ries who have all along treated Capt.
Tillman as a candidate in training
for race for the Govcrnorship to
pass along our dish of crow as gently
MS possible in the circumstances, and
will then unite with a vast number
of honest and confiding people in the
doleful chorus, "sold again |"
We are sorry to loose tho disin-
terested and sturdy patriot in whom
we have believed all these years,
but wc are not sorry for our part in
it. We would rather think too well
of ninety-ninc men than to fail to
give one credit he deserves. We
prefer to err on the side of charity
and confidence in hun,on nature.
We are glad that to the very last VIC
demanded fair play for Captain Till
man, and that he should not be judged
in advance of his acts. Now that
he has by his own act confirmed the
charges his enemies have made
against him the responsibility is his
own.
Nor do we charge him with any
crime. If he wanted to be Governor
he had right to work for that end,
and to secure all the backing he
could. 1t is now for the Democrats
of the State to say whether they APP
prove his methods and his candidacy.
He has put himself before them for
judgment.
The outlook for him is not very
good. lie has resigned his claim to
be disinterested patriot, working
solely for the good of his fellow
farmers, and ne has not established
standing as brilliant or successful
politician. He has been practically
beaten in his own game with all the
cards in his hand.
The Convention OF the 9th was
called by Capt. Shell, who is Capt.
Tillman's warm friend and devoted
advocate. 1t was called as a Con-
vention of all who were in sympathy
with the Farmers Movement to
make nominations. The farmers and
those who were in sympathy with
them met at their county seats, and
by their actions proved that they
opposed the making Of nominations.
The first vote on the question in
the Convention was a defeat for the
nomination plan. There was q ma
jority against nominations, including
the vote of Mr.. Farley of Laurens,
as part of the Spartanburg dclcga-
ton, which was withdrawn when a
protest was made against it. Ex-
Guiding that vote, the motions for
nominations was defeated by ma
jority of two.
Among the votes for nominations
were those Of the four delegates
from Pickens, who were elected by
a farmers mass-meeting, which
adopted resolutions against nomina-
tions. The four men who went to
Columbia voted for nominations,