The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-04-03
AN IDOL SHATTERED.
An Esteemed COtem porary'S Rphrctiohs
nm the Farmers MOyenent-"Soid
Again." Ready for a Dish of
Grow.
1From the Greenvilie News. ]

H..
Grow.
1From the Greenvilie News.l
Confession and penitence promote
tranquility of mind, and, therefore, we
desire to own up frankly and freely on
the Tillman question.
We hoped against hope until the last
minute that our first opinion OF Cap'.
Tillman was right. We thought him
a somewhat extreme and violent man,
but believed that he was entirely con-
scientious, and was induced to make
rash statements and take positions he
could not hold by honest zeal tor the
GOOD of his State and the righting OF
wrongs. When he declared at the be-
ginning of his career that he was can
didate for no Office, but trustee OF an
agricultural college and desired no
other. we swallowed it whole and he.
lieved it implicitly. We have resented
and repelled the charges of opposition
newspapers that Tillman was workln"
chiefly for Tillman's advancemel t
We telieved that we had at last found
q 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 shat
tered. Capt Tillman stands forth as a
candidate for Governor at the head OF
the movement he has done so much
during the last five wears to give shape
to, The Farmers Movement, for the
farmers, of the farmers and by the far
mers. has been twisted into a aTlllman
movement for Tillman, of Tillman and
by Tillman. What we thought was
natriotism we find to be politics. We
can only ask the Columbia Register
and other esteemed contemporaries
who have all along treated Capt ILL
man as a candidate in training for
race for the Governorshipto pass along
our dish of crow as gently as possible
in the circumstances, and VIII then
unite with Il vast number OF honest
and confiding people in the doletul
chorus, "sold again" :,
We are sorry to lose the dlslnterested
and sturdy patriot in whom we have
believed all these years, but we are not
sorry for our part in it. We would
rather think too we'll of ninety-nlne
men than to fail to give one credit that
he deserves. We prefer to err on the
side of charity and confidence in human
nature. We are glad that to the very
last we demanded fair play for Capt
Tillman, and that he should not be
iudqed 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 on
him.
Nor do we charge him with any
crime. If he wanted to be Governor
he had the right to work for that end,
and to secure all the backing he could.
It is now for the Democrats of the
State to say whether they approve bis
methods and his candidacy. He has
nat himself before them for judgment.
The outlook for him is not very
good. He has resigned his claim to be
a disinterested patriot, working solely
for the GOOD of his fellow-farmers, and
be has not established a standing as a
brilliant or successful politician. He
was practically beaten in hisown game
with all the cards in his hand.
The Convention Of the 9th was
called by Capt Shell, who is Capt Till
mans warm friend and devoted advo-
cate. It was called as Convention of
all who were in sympathy with the
Farmers Movement to make nomlna-
tions. 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 defeat for the NOM
ination plan. There was a majority of
one against nominations, including the
vote Of Mr.. Farley, of Laurens, as part
of the Spartanburg delegation, which
was withdrawn when protest was
made against it. Excluding that vote,
the motions for nominations was de-
feated by majority of two.
Among the votes for nominations
were those of the four delegates from
Pickens, who were elected by farm
ers' mass meeting, which adopted res
olutions against nominations. The
four men who went to Columbia voted
for nominations, but their votes did
not rub out the fact that the farmers
of their county opposed such action.
To make the majority Of one there
was also included nine votes from the
city OF Charleston. Those votes were
cast by delegates elected two nights be-
fore the Convention by a meeting called
at days notice.
How the farmers Of Spartanburg
County feel cannot be known because
all who opposed nominations were
ruled out Of the county meeting by |
Senator R. NJ. Smith, ruling which |
was reversed by the Convention when
it admitted the Barnwell and Sumter |
delegations intructed against nomina-
tions.
ANY fair-minded man considering |
these facts must conclude that the |
farmers and their sympathlzers vlr-
tuallv declared against nominations IN |
March.
If the Convention had been the reg
llar Democratic State Convention and
he result had been secured by the votes
IF delegates in opposition to the en-
pressed wishes of those who sent them
and of other delegates hastily chosen in
Charleston at short notice there would
nave been howl and kick from one
md of the State to the other 1fwhen
he farmers come to consider the mat
er and investigate the facts they do
lot kick energetically against the az
ion of this convention and the at
empt to commit them with or with
,ut their consent to Capt. Tillman,s
,andidacy we will be much surprised.