Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-09-18
lIa|0lllL. B B. !. R. TilInans Speech.

$hLiS3 EBtuS Iltu lIlbGaIlC, DeIOrG tD(
State Democratic Convention al,
ourned, the candidates nominated
for State Offices were escorted into
that body by a committee and pre-,
sentedt TO tho members of tho Con.
5Gyention, On this interesting occa,
sion Mr.. Tillman said
y Mr.. President and Gentlemen 0!
the Convention: After your arduous
labors, lasting as they have during
the whole day and far into the
night, it is natural to suppose that
you are fatigued. l have had
some sleep, and do not myself fee
any fatigue, but thore has been SO
much speaking, and + have done SO
much Of it, that l am tired Of that
sort of work. 1 will, therefore, be
brief.
There arc some fow points that !
deem it necessary to discuss on this
occasion. You, or the people Of
South Carolina through you, have
conferred upon me the highest honor
within your gift. The sense of
qualification, if I have any, is swal-
lowed up by tho feeling of RESPONSE
bility which rests upon my head to-
night. [Cheers. .
| have just passed through ono of
the most momentous and exciting
campaigns that this State has over
witnessed, in some respects. l doubt
if any State in the Union has over
been so stirred from centre to cir
conference as South Carolina has
been during tho past four months.
Now, gentlemen, there was cause
for this, and it is perfectly idle to
pretend that this fccblc entity has
becn the mover. I was merely tho
engineer upon tho engine which had
received it's steam from other sources.
Most of you have heard nc ut some
point in the campaign discuss the
issues which have been presented to
tho people, and whatever have been
the heart burnings and tho labor
and they have been great say to-
night that what has been accom-
plished in South Carolina-not in
my elevation to the Governorship,
for that is nothing-but the princi-
pies involved in the victory achieved
by thu people, asserting tho right to
govern themselves and select their
own officers in their own way, is
worth it ALL. CChcers.7
VIZ tonight have formed a new
epoch in the history of tho State,
and trust that when it shall come to
be written the new departure which
we all sec and feel will be looked
back to by II postcrlty as marking
every man can refer to with graft
tude and qualification. [Checrs.
OF course it is difficult for me to
separate myself from the fight, or
from discussing it from the present
condition of it. Somehow or other
it has seemed a centre to swing
around mo MS q pivot, so much so
that the whole State has been divided
into Tillman and anti Tillman. For
q while there was an effort made to
divide into Democrats and Tillman-
ties, but, thank God, those who
started it have surrendered it, and
We arc tonight, l trust, all Demo-
erats rs We have been all along,
and tho bitterness that has been
injected into it, the passion and par
tisan feeling, is largely due to the
assumption of certain men and cor
tain organs who have thus presumed
to divide the people because they
dared to discuss questions of public
policy and assert their freedom.
[Chcers.
1t has been the custom for all
Democratic nominees gor Governor,
or rather it. would be considered the
proper thing to do, to thank the con
vention for tho honor conferred.
10 mark tho Specification of your act
tonight, to ensure tho change that
has been accomplished, you came
here, and | came here not to receive
this honor at your hands, because the
people had told you before you left
home; you knew and they knew for
whom they were voting for Gov
ernor, and you have come here merely
to ratify their will. l thank those
vi you my personal and political
adherents for your support, Tor your
help, and it has been given with
unanimity which should command
any mans gratitude, and I think
your masters arc the rank and file
of the Democracy of South Carolina,
%henccforth and forever, the true and
only masters in this State.
l know and feel that with my
b%luntncss, my frankncss--my brutal
b%Iuntness you may call it, perhaps
! am hated worse than any man in
South Carolina, simply because l
have told the truth, 50 help me God,
as l thought it was true, and there
fore | have cngcndcred cnmitics and
faced opposition such as never met
any mar in this State before. IA
voice: "Wc love you, though.
Cheers.
Fcllow-citizcns, I have no feeling
of gratificd ambition. l have tie
qualification Of knowing, though,
that the people of South Carolina
have indicated my motive, and by
their endorsement have put to flight
and stamped in the earth the lies and
ISLANDERS that have been hoapcd upon
me. [Chccrs.]
T. lCapt. Tillman became very much
affected at this stage Of his speech,