The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-09-16

|
of the relief Of Lucknow, the application
being the sub.treasury as 4 means Of relief tc
| |beleaguered farmers.
Senator Buffers Speech.
Gen. Butler Spoke rs follows:
| MIR. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen ana
| Fellow -citizens am almost in that condi
| tion in which my distinguished friend said he
was in upon one occasion, when he took q
bite Of that old white meat imported from
Tennessee, from Kentucky or some place
else ] believe could eat some of that meat
| now, and am afraid that there are good
many in the audience who have their minds
turned to the dinner table rather than To the
speaker, but will occupy short portion OF
the time before we adjourn to respond, as
| we'll as ! may, to the observation OF the dis
tinguished gentleman who has Just taken
his seat.
| preached before, with discussing what Is
known as the subtreasury bill at Prosperity.
| | was invited there to discus the ub.treas.
ury plan on It's merits, and the only plan
have ever seen or heard of being In the bill |
ventured 10 discuss it. have been berated.
DETAINED and derided because, forsooth, en-
ercised the right OF an American citizen TO
discuss in public question of interest TO the
people. That bill was presented TO Congress
| by the friends Of my distinguished friend.
| It was paraded before the world as the con-
sum nation OF all the wisdom, OF all the
craftsmanship OF America. In the National
| Congress-, by the orators upon the stump and
off the stump, IN the press and everywhere,
! we were told that it was consummation OF
the sub. treasury plan. But 1t seems to me
| after all the sounding of gongs and blowing
| of trumpets. which Is a matter of public re-
cord in the department at Washington. that
| I committed some great crime. and that !
will commit great crime to day II I venture
! to discuss it without the consent of the bosses
| who are trying to domineer over and domi.
nate every man who chances to differ with
them. [Cheering and applause.1 Fellow-cit-
liens. / never expected to live to see the day
in this State when any citizen OF the Com.
monwealth OF the State of South Carolina
should have TO go 10 the bosses OF the sub
treasury TO get authority TO discuss any pub
lie measure of interest to the people
THE BOSSES AND THEIR BASTLING.
| From what can observe the bosses them.
selves have become ashamed of their bant
ling; they have become ashamed Of the
| bill; and because l ventured to discuss II
have accused me OF bad faith, when, as God
Is my witness, had no more intention OF
being guilty OF bad faith than I have this
day. will do my friend the Justice TO say
one thing to him, that he has the manhood
and the courage to say to my face, tc state
the misrepresen tation Of what I have said
| while Others waited until my back was
turned before they piled the tongue OF Sian:
der and defamation. My friend says that
said at Prosperity that the man who would
| borrow money at per cent. did not intend
to pay 1t back. say to you, fel!ow-citizens
upon my honor as man, that was base
falsehood, a base Misrepresentation. The
gentleman says that said that no other
| man who borrowed money would pay IL
back except the man who borrowed 1t at
per cent. lsay that
THAT IS NOT TRUE.
| SO that my friend had good deal of fun
| he told n good many anecdotes he created a
good deal Of laughter upon premises which
i ,uhnl 1u n ND a 30 40 In
| OF foundation. No, gentlemen, have stood
by the side Of too many OF the good people OF
this State when their souls and courage were
| tried to say here or at Prosperity. or any.
| where, that there were forty thousand farm.
| ers In South Carolina who were thieves and
scoundrels, and brand the author OF it as a
liar. [Grent cheering and applause.l ! have
lived too long, have seen too much OF this
| life at this day OF my existence TO pander To
demagogues and charlatans for the highest
office In tho gift OF the people Of this State OF
any other.
| And now one word, purely of a personal
character. l believe my fellow-country
will do me the justice to say that when South
| Carolina called upon me for my services
have contributed them I'm war and peace
and have done SO without stopping TO count
the cost Of that contribution. They have
| honored me perhaps thousand-fold more
| Than deserved, but they haze never yet put
me in office upon conduct on my part which
would create the belief or impression that
have ever stated one fact TO the people of this
State that did not meet the appreciation o
my, Judgment and conscience. tapplause
and they never will put me In office if have
to pay as It's price the advocating. the sus-
tanning oi maintaining OF any proposition
which my Judgment or my conscience Will
| not approve.
TOO STUPID FOR AMENDMENT
My friend rather rcbuked me because had
not amended the sub-trcasury bill Why
felow-citizens, have those two bills here
and will submit them to the candid judg
ment OF any intelligent and impartial man
in this State, and let him say whether or not
in that form they were susceptible of amend
ment. / might us well have tried to amend
or TO build Il bridge to the moon. daughter
and applause. The bills were introduced by
Governor Vance, and they were through the
usual course, being referred TO the committee
tomb of the Capuets had no opportunity Of
amending them If they were susceptible o
amendment. so, then, | have been re-
pr3aGned Deeaased , dsH aia not ian nmend the Dill
plan. If my friend W II pardon me 1 would
be under the profoundest obligations to him
If he will only tell me what that plan is.
have not heard it. and he spoke for an hour
and a half by the watch. lie talked about
the battle OF Lucknow, about the Encyco
paedia Britannica. He talked about the re-
lington and the Duke of Newcastle, about
the abject poverty we were all In, and lead.
Ing up 10 that particular flight of his elo
quence, from which we would have thought
that every man, woman and child in this
audience was crawling on his knees in ubject
poverty with not even the white meat ol
which he talks to satisfy his hunger.
EnGEFIELD NOT STARVING.
Well, see before me about as healthy and
well-dreSscd an audience as ] have seen in Il
long while. The ladies seem TO be reasonably
well attired. If they will pardon me for re-
ferring to that, and the men are not entirely
ragged. expect If they would 90 ONE they
| would find Il sweet potato or bit OF bacon
| although not SO white as he talks about; a
little dust OF meal, home made, TO the man.
ner born and not imported from Tennessee ol
Georgia. Laughter and applause.l But my
friend studiouSly, cOnSpicuously avoided IL
discuss the very plan which he says did not
discuss, and when he had finished was in
cined to jump up, clap my hands and say
that the political Millennium had come
, Laughter and applause.l And say It with
out irrevcrence that the political Messiah
had come. daughter and applause. and hur-
rah for Butler was about to eXcaim, with
! folded hands, that this generation and day OF
our Lord had brought in the electric tcle-
graph the Trans \ tlantic cable, the flying
machine, the electric light, the telephone,
the phonograph,
THE GRApIIApHONE AND TOM WATSON.