The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-05-14
GOV. TILLMAN'S VIEWS.
AS EXPLAINED TO A REPORTER OF
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL.

IIo Favors Cheap Money, Free Silver
and Tarin Reform, and Denounces the
Sub-Treasury Scheme and Third Party
Movement.
COLUMBIA, G., April 3O.-Governor
Ben Tillman was looking spruce, cool
and comfortable in a new light alpaca
summer coat, when found him in his
office at the capitol this morning
"Will South Carolina be represen ted
at the coming third party con vention in
| Cincinnati?" | asked.
"Ihere may be some volunteer dele
gates from this State" answered the
governor, but il there are, they will 20
there as individuals, and they will rep
resent nobody but themselves They
certainly will not represent either the
Alliance or the Alliance sentiment in The
State,
81 am convinced that the farmers of
this state are unalterably opposed to any
and all third party scheme. SO long as
they have negro rule and Federal inter
terence staring them in the face, the in
Stinct OF self preservation tells them to
SUCK together and to work out their sal
Vation rs Democrats and inside the
: ranks of the Democratic party.
"1eS, sir, repeated the Governor,
earnestly, 'you may put me down as alb
So!utciy ana unequiVocally opposed to
snlS CINCINNATI third party scheme and
All similar schemes. | am and always
nave been South Carolina, EdgcGeid,
dyed-in-the-wOol Democrat, and ex-
pcct to do my fighting, as | have done
1t IN the past, strictly within the party
ranks.
"lnstead of running off after this third
party Wlll-o -thc-wisp" said Governor
IN. Iu-1 hn ,r
Carolina expect to do is to try to get a
democratic candidate for the next Pres
Sdential campaign who will represent
the reforms they advocate and who will
be pledged to their support. In other
words, while they don't want an ALI
ance candidate for President, they want
the Democratic candidate to be a man
who is III accord with the ideas Of the
Alliance on the great issues of the day,
such rs the free coinage OF silver and
tn" reform of the tariff"
In the South we are practically united
on the three issues of tariff reform, free
silver and the retaining of state control
= of all elections, and those will be the is
t sues, in my view, in the next presidential
!; campaiGN."
e "But,' continued he, ''the free coinage
of silver is only one phase Of the linan-
e clal question. We want not only more
: silver, but more greenbacks, and favor
II the direct issue of greenbaCkS based on
h. the governments credit. If the govern
IS ment can llOat S3JO, 100000 of green
Il backs, why not 81 ,OOO,OOOUOO? Or if it
,l Is found impracticablc to issue this
l. money on the collntry's credit alone, a
n system Of land banks might be estab-
r lishcd by which the money could be is
l. sued to the people, based on land as a
security. 1t seems to me that the gov
It crnment, with its powers OftaXatiOn and
Il us unlimited resources. could issue the
| money on its crrdit, but if not, then
y such Il system rs ! suggest could be de-
vised which would give us a circulating
n medium us good as gold, and relieve the
$ aSphyXlatlOn that has been produced in
$ the agricultural States by the disastrous
: linahcial policy Of the past"
S 10 sum up the matter" said Govern
o or llllmal, I'VE want more money, we
$ want the tariff reform, and we are too
y afraid of the negro to run Off into any
/ third party IL
(which Of these questions do you con.
Slder OF the greatest Importance?
asked.
: The reply was prompt:
c "The financial question, undoubtedly.
= IL IS OF more pressing import to us than
d the tariff. We can stand the tariff A
l. While longer, but more money we must
J. have, and at once. 1t seems to me how
q ever, that we can afford to neglect
~ neither the financial or the tariff issue.
y They are both Of overwhelming import
- ancc, and they will not down. Least Of
= all, could we afford to relegate the free
q silver issue to the rear"
c Speaking of the sub-treaSury bill,
n Governor Tillman said:
9 81 am opposed to the measure. |
t want something BETTER and that some
), thing better | believe to be what have
II already suggestcd-th free coinage of
;, silver combined with the issuance of
a grcenDackS either on the governments
own credit or on land. The sub treasury
Il bill violates the Alliance doctrine Of
- '"qua; rights to all special privileges to
v none don't believe that two wrongs
can make right, and because farmers
have been Systematically and outrage
ouSly imposed on in the past is no rea. .
son why they should demand class legis-
r lation tor their own benefit now.
- "My opinion is that the majority of
u, the farmers OF the State are not in favor
q Of the Sub-treasury bill though in that
Il OPINION differ from some of the ALI
=" anre leaders. The reason no opposition
. has been developed to it inside the Ali.
lhce IN this State is that it has never
"a Decn madc square issue. In any con-
p test with an Alliance advocating the
4 SnD. treasury and Il on-Allianceman op-
: poSi,iS IL, tllc SlD-treaSury would Eo
- trGtty sure TO win, but as between two
s Allianccmen, both loyal to the order,
, one opposing and the other supporting
+ the SuD-treaSury, | believe the anti-sub-
f. treasury man would get as maay votes
= us thG other. In other words, where ALI
= men nave the subject presu.ty 70 them
l. clearly and are allowed to vote without
inc interference of prejudice | believe
a tle majority of them would 60 against
- the measure.
"llowever," continued the Governor,
VI don't believe the Alliance can afford
a. TO split on the suD-treasury. They will
r. hunt something better rather than at
d tempt to force it down the throats of
j. the very largo section of the order OPP
" posed to it. They must agree to dis
n agree as to details in order to achieve
q. the great reforms at which they are all
"a aiming."-r. +. Horton in Atlanta
~ Journal