The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-05-01
THE ASTI-TILLMAN CONFERENCE.
An Address to the Democratic Voters Of the
State Drafted by u Committee and
Unanimously Adopted by the
Conference.
[Columbia Register, April II.

City Of conventions and meetings as
Columbia is, the gathering here yester-
day of representative farmers Of the
State to hold a conference on the polit-
ical situation was in many respects an
extraordinary event.
Though comprising but twenty-one
persons, from that number of the coun-
ties of the State, and though they came
not by election by any meeting of vot-
ers, but by selection an unofficial COM
mittee of private citizens, the gather
ing included so many gentlemen who
have been prominently identified with
South Carolina affairs, and entitled to
be considered as representative Of the
best and most conservative elements Of
their respective sections, that the views
expressed and the action taken at this
conference must necessarily have
weight and distinct effect with the
people of South Carolina.
THE INITIAL PROCEEDINGS
of the conference, which assembled in
the old Senate Chamber of the agricul-
tural building, were not marked by any
special feature beyond the defeat, or
abandonment, of the idea first sug-
gested of holding the meeting with
closed doors.
Besides the members of the confer
ence and half-dozen newspaper men,
there were present small number Of
Columbia's citizens, who were in at
tendance as spectators.
On motion of Senator Woodward,
Capt. Iredell Jones Of York was called
to the chair, and Col. J. J. Dargau Of
Sr:.lter was elected as secretary.
Senator Woodward stated that from
the views he had heard expressed at
the preliminary caucus he judged it
was the sense of the most Of those pres
ent that the meeting be held with
closed doors; he would therefore make
motion to that effect.
An interruption here occurred and
Mr.. Woodward's motion was not put.
Later, Mr.. Smile Gregg, of Florence,
stating that the conference had nothing
to conceal from the public, moved that
the meeting be held with open doors.
Senator Woodward promptly seconded
this motion and it prevailed.
a CALL OF THE ROLL
from list of those invited to attend,
showed the following present, twenty
one in all:
Anderson, L. E. Campbell.
Barnwell, L. w. Youmans.
Beaufort, T. r. Hayward.
Charleston, W. G. Hinson.
Chesterfield, a. Mcqueen.
Clarendon, {. S. Land.
Colleton, D. L. Redish.
Darlington, E W. Cannon.
Fairfield, r. w. Woodward.
Florence, Smile A. Gregg.
Laurens, S P. Darlington.
Lexington, T. +. Holtzhauser.
Marion, D. w. Bethea.
Newberry, J. r. Davidson.
Orangeburg, J. 4. Peterkin.
Richland, J. C. +. Sims.
Sumter, J. J. Dargan.
Williamsburg, Edwin Harper.
York, Iredell Jones.
REPRESENTED By LETTER.
All the other counties but two, Able
Vile and Marlboro, were reported as
represented by letter, in that those In
vited from those counties had written
approving the object of the conference
and expressing regret at Inability to
attend, which in some cases, Chairman
Jones stated, was due to sickness or
imperative business engagements.
4 COMMITTEE on ADDRESS,
On motion eff Col. l.. w. Youmans Of
Barnweil, committee of five was pro-
vided for to draft suitable address to
the Democratic voters of the State. eX-
pressing the views Of the conference.
Messrs. J. J. Dargan, L. w. Ioumans,
Iredell Jones, T. W. Woodward and c.
S. Land were nominated from the floor
and appointed on the committee.
On motion of Senator Woodward it
was voted that the conference take a
recess until 5 o'clock p. M, when it
was expected that the report of the
committee on the address would be
ready.
Colonel Dargan invited all the men,
bers to come before the committee and
submit their views to assist in the draft
ing of the address.
So, after barely twenty minutes in
session, the conference temporarily ad-
journed. It will thus be seen that the
opening of the doors did not let the
general public very deeply into the in
ner workings OF the conference.
AFTER THE RECESS.
When the hour for reaSsembling ar
rived, the Senate Chamber was we'll
filled with an audience Of spectators
several times as large as the conference
itself, and the members Of which, in
deed, were little slow in putting in
an appearance, by reason of the COM
mittee still having to put the last fin
ishing touches on the address pre-
pared.
At 5:2l Chairman Jones again called
the conference to order, and Colonel
Eoumans read the report Of the COM
mittee, which comprised the follow
Ing
ADDRESS TO DEMOCRATIC VOTERS.