The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-05-13
GOV. TILLMAN'S VIEWS.
AS EXPLAINED TO A REPORTER OF
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL.

THE ATLANTA JOURNAL.
He Favors Cheap Money, Free Silver
and Tariff Reform, and Denounces the
Sub-Treasury Scheme and Third Party
Movement.
CoLuMBIA, S. c., April 3O-Goyernor
Ben Tillman was looking spruce, cool
and comfortable in new light alpaca
summer coat, when found him in his
office at the capitol this morning.
"Will South Carolina be represented
at the coming third party convention in
Cincinnati?" I asked.
"There may be some volunteer dele
gates from this State" answered the
governor, but it there are, they will so
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.
II 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
ference staring them in the face, the in
stinct of self preservation tells them to
stick together and to work out their sal
yation as Democrats and inside the
ranks of the Democratic party.
Eyes, sir" repeated the Governor,
earnestly, "you may put me down as alb
solutely and unequivocally opposed to
this Cincinnati third party scheme and
all similar schemes. l am and always
have been South Carolina, Edgeield,
dyed-in-the.wool Democrat, and I ex-
pect to do my fighting, as l have done
it in the past, strictly within the party
ranks"
Instead of running off after this third
party will-o'-the-wisp" said Governor
Tillman, what the farmers of South
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 VINO 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 in accord with the ideas of the
Alliance on the great issues of the day,
such as the free coinage Of silver and
the reform of the tariff"
I'm 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
sues, in my view, in the next presidential
campaign"
"But," continued he, "the free coinage
of silver is only one phase of the fnan-
cial question. We want not only more
silver, but more greenbacks, and I favor
the direct issue of greenbacks based on
the governments credit. If the govern
ment can float S350,OO0,00O OF green
backs, why not 81 ,O00,O00,00O? Or if it
is found impracticable to issue this
money on the country's credit alone, a
system of land banks might be estab-
lished by which the money could be is
sued to the people, based on land as a
security. 1t seems to me that the gov
ernment, with its powers of taxation and
its unlimited resources. could issue the
money on its credit, but if not, then
such system as suggest could be de-
vised which would give us a circulating
medium as good as gold, and relieve the
asphyxiation that has been produced IN
the agricultural States by the disastrous
fnahcial policy Of the past
"To sum up the matter" said Govern
or Tinman, I'VE want more money, we
want the tariff reform, and we are too
afraid of the negro to run off into any
third party i
(Which of these questions Go you con.
slider of the greatest Importance? l
asked.
The reply was prompt:
"The financial question, undoubtedly.
It is of more pressing import to us than
the tariff. We can stand the tariff a
while longer, but more money we must
have, and at once. 1t seems to me how
ever, that we can afford to neglect
neither the financial or the tariff issue.
They are both of overwhelming import
ance, and they will not down. Least of
all, could we afford to relegate the free
silver issue to the rear"
Speaking of the snb-treasury bill,
Governor Tillman said:
II am opposed to the measure. l
want something better, and that some
thing better I believe to be what have
already suggested-the free coinage OF
silver combined with the issuance OF
reenbacks either on the governments
own credit or on land. The sub-treasury
bill violates the Alliance doctrine OF
equal rights to all special privileges to
none l don't believe that two wrongs
can make right, and because farmers
f have been Systematically and outrage
ously imposed on in the past is no rea'
! son why they should demand class legis-
, lation ior their own benefit now.
: "NIy opinion is that the majority OF
the farmers of the State are not IN fayel
of the sub-treasury bill though IN that
opinion I differ from some OF the ALL
ance leaders. The reason no opposition
has been developed to it inside the ALI
) ance in this State is that it has never
been made square issue. In any con
test with an Alliance advocating the
snb-treasury and non-Allianceman op'
posing it, the Sub-treaSury would be
pretty sure to win, but as between two
Alliancemen, both loyal to the order
one opposing and the other supporting
the sub-treaSury, believe the antl-sub-
treasury man would get as maay votes
as the other. In other words, where ALI
men have the subject presented to them
clearly and are allowed to vote without
/ the interference of prejudice, believe
the majority of them would so against
: the measure.
(. However" continued the Governor;
"I don't believe the Alliance can afford
to split on the sub-treasury. They VII
| hunt something better rather than at
tempt to force it down the throats o.
the very large section of the order op'
posed to it. They must agree to dis,
). agree as to details in order to achieye
t the great reforms at which they are al
t aiming.'-r. Z. Horton in Atlanta
5 Journal.
"a Snap Shot Picture"
CINCINNATI, May Ga Wooster!