Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-15
Correspondence Of The Evening Sts--

fAkIf IENDLNCIES-IH PRESENT SITUATION.
Correspondents Of The Evening Star
COLUMBIA, SC, August Is, 1892.
In my last letter 1 told Of the origin, pro-
gress and success Of the Tillman or farmers
movement. The administration OF Gov. Till
man, its relation to the Farmers Alliance and
the peoples party movement and the present
revolt Of the conservative democrats against
the governor and the third party tendencies OF
his faction must now be considered.
When the new administration came into
power, in December. 1890. its supremacy was
complete. AL of the state officers, two-thirds
Of the senate and house of representatives and
the officers Of thirty out Of thirty-fve counties
were all Tillrnanites. The machinery of the
democratic party in the thirty counties and
that Of the state organization was in the same
hands. The governor appoints trial
Justices and county auditors and
treasurers. and Gov. Tillman drew the
lines closely and appointed none but his own
supporters. His word was law with the legisla-
ture. This enormous power, if welded with
wisdom and moderation, IL Is claimed. would
have suficed to maintain the supremacy of the
Victorious faction for many years
SINE-TESTHs OF THEM FARMERS.
Nine-tenths Of Gov. Tllman's supporters
were farmers. A large majority Of them hon
esuy believed what they had been told-that
because, as a class they had the numerical
majority of the democratic voters they were
entitled to rule the state class They
made rush for the offices and
filed nearly all of them, having no
competitors save, as Gov. 1illman himself
admitted some forty Of the 700 law, ers of the
state. who had joined his forces. The mercan-
tile and professional classes were excluded from
any share in the government as well as the
minority of farmers, who still held to their
claim that the former democratic administra-
tons had not been evil and corrupt.
The first di covery made by the public
after the Inauguration of the Tiliman admins
tration was that the ''incipient rottehness"
charged BY Gov. Hllman against his predeces-
sors in Office did not really exist. One public
officer had an apparent shortage OF less than
enc, 900 in his accounts and this he promptly
made good That all. The fact is that.
compared with other states, even other south
ern states, the democratic administrations Of
South Carolina had been extraordinarily free
from jobbery or peculation.
LEGISLATIVE ACTS.
At the session OF the legislature in 1890 Gov.
Tliman's heutenants presented for him to that
body q set Of administration measures" some
of which were passed and the others postponed
until the session of 1891. The chief of these
acts. ratified in 1890. was one giving the entire
CONTROL OF lQc phosphate interests OI Iie
state to the governor and a board of his state
officers. Another abolished the department Of
agriculture and transferred its powers to the
trustees of the yet unbuilt Clemson College,
one Of whom was Gov. Tllman.
The tendency of all the administration meas
ures, 1t claimed BY its opponents, was to
concentrate power in the hands of the execu-
tive. The session, marked by the election Of
Irby over Hampton to the United States Senate.
passed of smoothly enough. There were NUT
terings, however, among the alliance leaders
because Gov. TiIlrnan had given his influence
to Irby, who, they claimed, was not a very
prominent or ardent alliance man, against Mr..
u. L. Donaldson. the candidate of the inner
circle of that order.
THE ALLIANCE DISSATISFIED.
The dissatisfaction Of the alliance " it'll Gov.
Tillman continued to grow. 1t was claimed
that the governor had never accepted the sub
treasury scheme Of the alliance, nor its Ocala
demand for government ownership of railways
and telegrsphs, but he had not Wanted these
opinions and they were overlooked during the
hot state campaign of 1880, in which
tax burdens were greater than national ones.
Early in 1891. however. the anti-Tiliman press
began to make prominent the governors oppo-
sition 10 the subtreasury scheme and quoted
his declaration that il was pa ternAlism run
mad" Thus challenged, Gov. Tillman reas-
. majority Of the alliance with him The issue
eliminated in August. 1891, at the an
nual meeting of the state alliance
In Spartanburg, where in q closed and
guarded hail. from which all non-alliance men
were rigldly excluded, Gov. Tillman had Joint
debate on the subtreasury scheme with Col.
Ben Terrell, the lecturer Of tine National Al
lance. The governor is one of the best stump
speakers in the country, and nearly every man
In that alliance gathering had worked and voted
for him and was his friend, bat whether he had
the best of the argument or not he was over
whelmingly defeated. Less than half q dozen
Of the alliance men in the hall lifted their
hands for him n vote taken after the speeches.
Gov. Tillman learned then that, strong as be
might be. the alliance was far stronger aud that
bound by oath To support the Ocala platform m
every detail. IL WIS a defeat which taught him
that the great masses of his followers must be
managed gently. He confessed himself de-
feG,ed and promised 70 ''abide the decision of
the majority" From that day to this he has
never raised his voice against any demand of
the order
GOV. 1ILLNAN's POLICY.
During 1881 the policy Of Gov. Tilman was
fully developed. Its leading features were.
more power for the executive. greater taxation
and ssverer regulation for corporations and
political ostracism for the Grissocracy." Under
the provisions OF the phosphate law he
seized the rich phosphate mining ter
ritory OF Coosaw river. 70 whose exclusive
working the Coosav Mining Company laid
claim under q contract with the state. and wa,
soon engaged in suit in the United States
courts with that powerful corporation. He
would not allow il to mine rock during the
tendency OF the suit and the state therefore
lost from s125. 900 TO Sl5O OO0 in roys ities on
rock which would otherwise have been mined.
The case went TO the United States SupremeCourt
and this year bis view was confirmed. The as
sessment of property in the state Il very low
tieularly on agricultural lands. without making
effort to have general raise Of assessment
the governor took short cuts to raise the as
sessments Of railroads and banks. The banks
appealed 10 the state courts and won The
railroads went to the United States courts and
their yet undecided. These policies
aroused much opposition in business and
financial circles. where it was freely
charged that the policy OF the state
government Was not only keeping CAPT
tai away from the state. but driving il out and
for q borrowing people this Was a serious thing
This charge was, TO q certain extent, sustained
by the failure Of the administration TO refund
the debt Of the state, due in 1898, at a low rate
OF interest. The bonds, now drawing ner cent
II was believed. could be refunded at per cent
but northern capitalists would have nothing &c
do with them. Beyond this the per cent bonds
declined in yalne during his administration from
los to 80. There Is no question that the policy
coupled with the fear Of radical legislation un-
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