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

81 a 81 cement of tho Reasons sor the Farm
A ora Movement In tho Present ShSpo--
81 where tho Legislature Has Done Wrong
81 How to Correct Existing Evils.
n The following is the report made
d by the Columbia Register of the
81 speech of Capt. b. II. Tillman ut the
y public meeting held in Ridgeway:
X Mr.. Chairman and Follow Citizens
y of Fairfield County: Before 1 begin
Il to say what l have to say, L must
8 specially request the men behind me
to come around in front and be where
thcy can look me III the eye. (Ap-
plausc.) | will make u further re
quest, and that is that you give lhe
your undivided attention. (Noice:
We'll do it.D If there is any one
here who loses his interest, if he
wants to talk, he should walk one
4 side where he won't disturb those
who want to listen.
[ am pleased to meet my fellow
citizens of Fairtcl>; county. 1t al
way affords nc pleasure to meet my
follow citizens of any county thnt they
may look mo 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
lievo that you would sec man with
holuA, hOOfS and tail, who would
bclch forth fire anu birthstone. But
You will see only Il 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
liDciully advertising me. | think the
newspapers should furnish me IL
purse for giving them SO much ma
tcrial to put in their papers gratis.
CHILDREN OF ONE FAMILY.
We are here us the children Of one
fnmilv, SONS Of old South Carolina,
and feel that I can appeal to all of
You to. do nothing to cause heart
bmninys or cause any to regret this
meeting.
We have Il family quarrel in this
State. When it is over We must come
together rs one man and see to it
tunt the aScpndtncy of the Demo
cratic party i'll this State il muin-
tanned.
AT THE NEWSPAPERS AGAIN.
l have no bad feelings against the
newspaper men. l cannot feel other
wise than grateful to them for draw
ing to me friends, such friends rs
always come from Just men to any
one mjuHtly treated 1t is sweeping
through the State, from county to
county. This intolerance, this abuse
0. ;ln honest white man and II Demo-
crat, is having the natural effect of
making nc friends. And in some
places they nrc taking most ctfcc-
tive way Of bringing the newspapers
to taw by refusing to subscribe to
them.
l don't want to be understood as
saying anything against the freedom
of the press. A free press is the pal
lad;um of our liberties. A Aliccntious,
Il one sided prrss--cvery 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 in time. You need more pa
pers; you need good newspapers. You
4 read too little. Wo are too ignorant,
That is one reason of the trouble in
tho Democratic party of this State
to-day. This has driven us to n can
vnss to meet the people face TO face,
and explain whnt the newspapers
suppress and garble, and tell them
the truth.
ALL SMOKE AND POWDER.
While the newspapers have thum-
dered to tho right and to tho left of
me, it has been all smoke and powder.
They have shot no bullets.
A gentleman is here (turning to
full of them (refelring to the Colo
Gncls valise on the platform) and I
h hope and beg you to give him II re
q spoctful hearing. CFrom the crowd
n "Wel' listen at him, but they didn't
u listen to you.")
y Captain Tillman: II had IL good
q deal Of cheering the last time / was
in Barnwell.' "
4 Resuming the direct line of his re-
marks, the Captain continucd What
IS the charge against me! Slftcd
down it is that T have dared to allow
the Farmers Convention to put me
. before the people Us suitable man
for Governor.
Abiding to what he was pleased to
term the suppression of his speech
before the March convention: | am
here Us the
b.. EXPONENT OF A PRINCIPLE.
and advocate of policy. I an tho
champion of the principle IbeGeve to
/ be for the best interest of this people,
and that is self-government. The
policy / refer to is fair play among
Democrats, md such reform rs will
give US an economical and good gov.
elnment. This is Tillmanism.
If you have self-govornment, and
have bad government, You are tc
blame, and you can remedy it whcl
s the shoe pinches Now you don't
y have self-government, and when the
shoe pinchos you can't remedy it.