The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-05-12
Words of fWisdom-oRead and Think.
MARION, s. c., April %, 1892.
JULIUS E. Boaas, ESQ.,,
pioEono

JULIUS E. Boaas, ESQ.,,
Pickens, S. c..
Dear Sr: In reply to your letter of the
10th, will say l have been anxious to an
swcr your valued favor of above date, but
business demands have pressed it aside un-
til now.
You ask my views upon the present no.
litical situation in the State for publication.
AS am not in public life and have not
been since | served with you in the Lcgis-
!aturc in 1928, doubt if my views would
interest the public, yet as you, whose
friendship and esteem / apprcciatc, have
asked them, will write you briefly, leaving
1t entirely with you whether or not YOU
publish same.
lmay be pardoned for prefacing what I
may write by saying that ever since Mr..
l1llman commenced his agitation at Ben
ncttsvllle, six years ago, have watched
Win interest its developments and have
lricu 10 act with conservatism in all matters
relating thereto, 80 much so that two wears
ago III the exciting contest in our county
between the Tillmanitcs and straightouts, !
was sharply criticised by the latter because,
believing as did then and as do now ,tbnt
INC preservation of the Democratic party
IN tact IN South Carolina is necessary To
our civilization, hence of more Importance
| than the success of either faction, | could
| not 60 TO he extremes advocated by some
Oh the leaders OF the straightout faction.
was then opposed to Governor Till
! mans election because of the methods he
used 10 secure II, because many (not AID Of
the measures he advocated and the imprac-
tlcability of their accomplishment. | was
also satisfied that as a man, because knew
nm personally, he was too extreme and
bitter partisan TO ever govern the State
wisclcy and well. hoped, however, that
my estimate was wrong and that power. as
1t usually docs, would make him more con-
scrvativc. Such has not been the case,
and in my candid Judgment, looking at ii
not us Il partisan, but in the dry light of
business, OF its effects upon the material
Interests of the State, his administration
has been most lamcntablc failure. And
lhis failure was predicted from the begin
| nlnB Dy many who were convcrSnnt with
State politics, because Governor Iillmans
| whole agitation has been based upon the
assumption that the government aif airs of
South Carolina were badly managed, were
| In the wrong hands, that Inc was the one
man who could reform all this and lead the
people out of the political wilderness into
u goodly land Of prosperity and low taxes
In this assumption was the reason Of his
failure; 1t was untrue, and his own admin
istration has proved it. When he assumed
charge of the government tho State bonds
were quoted in the markets of the world nj
1903, today believe they arc quoted at 93,
while the bonds of our sister States arc
either holding their own or have appreciat
ed IN value His broken promises and I'M
sustained charges arc tracking him like so
many slcuth hounds over the State today
ana While he may cludc their pursuit for
the present and "bamhoozlc" the people
into elccting him again, sooner or later they
will hunt him down and make him realize
That Great is truth, and mighty above all
things"
Notwithstanding this false assumption
upon winch his agitation was based, the
good, honest farmers of the State, many of
them heavily i'll debt and depressed by the
stagnant condition Of agriculture, ready
ior any change which promised better
mcnt OF their condition, forgetting the
wise saying of John Randolph, of Roam
okc, that ':all change is not REFORM" and
inspired by the fiery demonstrations of
GoVcrnor 1IlllGan and his caustc letters TO
the newspapers, accepted his charges as
true and believed he would perform his
promises. Under this conviction, with a
unanmity unparalleled since 1876, and an
enthusiasm which made them deaf to rca-
son, the great body of the farmers of the
state, with the dissatisfied and disafrcctcd
elements IN other avocations, rallied to his
cry. OF "Rcform," to his cry of down
with the King, down with the oligarchy,
down with lncipicnt corruption in public
office, down with high salaries and high
taxes, and down with free passes! Like a
tidnl wave his canvass swept the State, and
l1llman and his followers were intuclcd
INTO Office. For nearly two years thay have
had absolute control of the State govern
lncht anu almost entire control Of the coun-
W governments. Another election is an
proaching and one would naturally expect
that Governor Tillman and his followers
would go before the people and ask rc-clcc
tion on tho record they had made as public
officers, upon the truth of the charges they
mad made against former administrations,
and upon the promises they had made to
the people. But such is not the case. In
this, at least, Governor Tilman is cousis. |
tent. Certainly he could not have for his
railylng cry, down with ring rule, for him
self, lrby, Shell e Co. have formed ring
winch dominates the political machinery of |
south Carolina rs absolutely as Richard |
Croker and the other Tammany leaders do
the political machinery Of New York City;
not down with extravaganza and incpicnt
corruption in office, for it does not lie in
lh"'r mouths TO say they have cut down
thr lormrr or found the latter; not down
WV" "'Sh ltNcS ana high salaries, FOR, with
absolute control eff the government, they
have reduced ncilhcr not down with free
passes, Che objectionable sin of former ad-
mlTstraiions) for hardly had they gotten
well settled in their official seats before the
"Grcat Rcformcr' had one in his pocket
with an express frank OH top of it, No,
sir, that old raalyins cry would not do. TO
use the language of the day, it is "chcst-
nut" Hence new rallying cry was ne
cessity, and it has gone forth from one end |
OF the State to the other viz: "Corpomtons !
against the people," which being intcrprc-
ted is intended to mean that Governor Till |
man and his faction desire to continue in
power, and they use this cry to arouse the |
farmers principally against all other classes
and thereby secure their election. They |
DO not disguise the fact that this campaign |
is to be class fight. Herein it seems to
me is the gravity of the situation, and it |
becomes the patriotic duty of every good
citizen of the State with tongue and pen TO
combat to the last ditch such teaching and |
the injecting such an issuc into our State
politics. Such doctrine might be expected
from Dennis Kcarncy Oh the sand lots of |