The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-05-14
Grcenriilc NeUs. y


leadership. which Appears to be
Eo.S.Ship.
GrccnrWc NeUs.-
The meeting mt Anderson on Saturday was
intrrcs Ting and in several respects important
IL WAS the occasion OF Captain Tillinan'S hrSt
appcarance us q candidate in this Piedmont
country where he must ina Ills Slrengtn
when the contest becomes close and hot ana
the time for voting Is near. ImiS Scctlon Is
To represent. He brings no new doctrine mere
The farmers of Anderson. ADhevllle, Green
willie, Spartanburg and Laurens were lighting
for economy. lower taxes. fewer office holders,
no public Iuxurics and fair apportionment
and had found strong allies in the Pee Dee
country before Captain Tillman appeared as /.
poricniouS figure IN the political sly.
For four or tivc years they have been hard
rnnw their faith and concentrating Their
strength for reform with Tillman as an incl
dent. Om the answer TO the question whether
they will exchange that for llllman with III,
ci,lrntal rci"rm Captain TIllman's political
fortunes depend.
For these are the people who stlcli-quict
people, slow 10 think and act sometimes, can
iiul;S and Shrcwd, but once enlisted in cause
Sl!re tn he found i'm the last rally for II, to be
trusted to hold an unbrOke en- front Mt the GEN.
ire when the lines in advance or them nave
been broken down. :he Hanks are waverlng
and the enemy is coming on hcadlonS ana
apparently Irresistible.
If Captain Tillman can capture and hold
The Piedmont belt he will have force telling
i'm aggression and citadel for defence. The
Anderson meeting gave the first opportunity
Tor study from direct, immediate and collect
ed observation Of the question whether this
important advantage will be his.
always try TO be entirely frank In dealing
with tho public. l earnestly and strongly
hope to sec Captain 'liilnIan beaten and in
tend TO do all can do TO beat him.
Admiring him as do for some OF his quail
itics. respecting his rights and liking him per
sOnally, regard the methods used by his
friends and himself as unwise, unfair and un-
democratic. During the ten years have con-
has steadily and consistently favored and
fought for the ideas represented by what Is
called the Farmers Movement. l love those
ideas and believe in them with my whole
hcart and soul and value the Farmers Move.
mcnt as the means for giving them effect. !
believe if Captain Tillman and the horde, OF
csscr men clinging 10 his coat tails ana Gus
;rring on his shoulders to get into power
with him are allowed to ride this Movement
they will break it, down and destroy 1t. This
statement is made that those who read what
have to say of the meeting at Anderson
may allow for possible bias and understand
thu; the wish may be father to the thought.
made, however, 4 strong and earnest el'
fort to observe the proceedings with even
judgment and impartial eyes. My opinion Is
that the newspaper man In his professional
conduct ought to be without sentiments
emotions or prcjuhiccs-a machine for record
ing facts as they occur and Tor studying
and try to live up 10 II.
Alter study and observation made with this
"url 20 10. impartial, came from Anderson
y'IiI the distinct impression that captain
ritlmau h:ut lost ground there during the
10y. TDrrc appeared 10 me TO be cooling
III the ardor and Il l"sSening OF the confidence
II his friends in the crowd and more disposi-
tiou than there was at the first to accept the
act of there being two sides to his candidacy
.,nl occasion for some sober thought.
In the first place, there are 500 white voters
in Anderson comfy at rough estimate
AhOui $500 votes were cast there in the pri
macy OF two years ago. Taking out women
boys and the scattering visitors from other
counties, II is safe 10 say that there were not
more Than G0J Anderson voters at this meet
ng. This is not such an outpuurinG as An
dcrsnn would show in bright weather and
with the roads good If her people were rs in
tcnseiy interested In captain Til mans cause
as they are supposed Ivy some I" be.
There is ~ doubt that the crowd WAS large
~ in favor OF Tiliman. The only means we
on the stage had OF Judging WAS hy the cheer
in. and The volume of that for Tilnan was
from twice to three times ms loud us that for
Colonel Earle. Yet it must be remembered
that il was 4 Tiliman meeting. called hy Cap
tain rillman'S fiirn Is to hear him.
The 81. nilicanl factor Of the meeting, to my
mind, was the large number of men who sail!
nothing. They sat in row after row-solid,
ruddy, sturdy, comfortable looking farmers;
tn" Kind OF men whose influence in local
rlcc,ionSiS is eagerly sought hy politicians
sentiment in their neighburhood. They were
interested listeners; they heard all that was
said, caught every nO!nt that was made,
laughed at everything funny-and gave NJ
token, 10y word or aci, so far as could be seen,
Of how they thought or who thcy favored.
Five or SIX men in crowd c.'l make good
deal of noise. one or two hund"rd can do
power o. cheering ana emit y great volume OF
sound. The imprv>Siun made on me was that
Capt in TiIiman had in the crowd from ono
10 twu hundred determined, active ana eager
parliSans who will supper, lis claims on er.
cry occasion aan ilaee II great show ol
strength and force; that there were thirty or
forty or may be fifty IS determined and active
against hini--mOSt of them probably young
ni:'n Gru:n the townS-nHd that the bulk OF the
solid farming vote while favorIbly disposed
toward him Is in Il condition 10 lie controlled
one way o: the other hy events between this
time anal election time and consideration OF
past events and present reasons.
Colonel Earle spoke under many diSndvnn-
iagcS lie began with the knowledge that the
crowd was against him and he WAS ~lnhar.
raised hy the open hostility of some OF Cap
tain li!i!nam'S more enthusiastic partiSanS
who appeared to BE- willing to shout him
down a.to .rthcr but for the conservative in.
lucnrc OF thnS" around them and the de
mandS oi tarian Ill;inan ana Chairman
l"tner for free speech ana lalr play. re,
there was IN appearance of being impressed
by him in the crUwd-nOt detnable Ing words
or figures but nevertheless distinct. The
ShOutcrS seemed to me To be somewhat sub.
dtru toward tne close ana therc was Il nOtlcc
able absence OF anything like the cXultution
or satisfaction that comes TO body OF men
along with the moral consciousness Of 6ucocsE
or triumph.
left Anderson impressed with the belief
iha; Captain Til!mans first effort in the up
country was Il failure; that he had certainly
gain, d no glOund and probably lost some
stronger than ever in the hope that his boom
i now near It's strength and that as The pco-
nlc have time and opportunity to analyze his
methods and position and reason out the ten.
d"nc'cS and Consequences OF both they Will
reject his lcaderShip (Which to me appears
bu>S-Ship.
have written this in tEc first person and
used instead of the editorial eve" li:e individ-
uat "l'-witH Il distinct iei.I!Sinn 10 the letter
and AN effort 10 get rounI Il every time IL has
hcrn written hrrr-Ic:.IU"r wanted The ma [.
ter 10 appear simply IL; ilc iini'r,'- ions made
on one nI:tn who tries to la i'n' s., impartial
and OuiSpok"n hy an event which has inlpor.
tame" am: Significance ia our political his
tory.
The Strtng' 81 impr' sSinn of all was the dam
ger there iS In PARTS oi the cuuntry where peO-
pie n re less orderly and lawcslbiding and more
cXciiah!r than our peni lr of serious trouble
resulting from hot words Oh the stand during
these meetings. Tic most important lesson
10 he taught JUST now lis the need OF peace,
furbcdraicc and good humur in nll circum.
stances ana efficient policing ut such gather.
men or fOClS on rilhLr side might start 4 riot
which would bring uncndimg disaster TO the
Strtc. Nothing worse could come to us than
Il blood icud between classes.
a. B. WILLIAMS.
THEY DO HONOR TO THEMSELVES.