Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-03-17
FARMERS MEETING.
THE IRsT GUNS OF THE
CAMPAIGN OF 1892
COME From NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
SPEECH BY HON. W. C. BENET.

COME FHOMS ABBEplLLE-PAT
Speech BY HON. W. c. BENET.
spEESH OF W. c. BENET, ESQ.
Mr.. Chairman, and Farmers oi
AbbeSille county, and Fellow.
Democrats:
You have called me forward here
as I understand it, to give you my
views OH our present political sit.
uation. We'll, this is the day fol
expressing opinions. Our news
papers ares full of letters in re.
sponse fo circulars sent out by
editors asking prominent men in
all partsof the State to give thei,
views5and their advice at this juno.
ture. And I cannot refuse your
cordial Sinvitation, to give utter.
ance tony thoughts. Surely il
the request of an editor is to be
complied with, the kindly request
of the farmers of.Abbevjlle county
is MOTTO be dis1egarded.
Like all citizens who have the
the welfare of this Commonwealth
at heart, / have reflected seriously
OH our political condition, and on
the grave duties imposed ON us OF
the beginning of this campaign
Taken thus unprepared, I have nc
address to deliver, but l ask you
to be content on this occasion with
a plain, Straightforward talk. The
thoughtsI shall give utterance to.
I have not concealed in private.
and I have no hesitation in giving
expressionsto them iii public.
Speaking to you as fellow-Demo.
Gratis, I feel bound to say that the
Democratic party in South Caro-
lima was never brought face to face
with a more serious crisis than
now confronts us. Critical though
the situation was in 1890 the cam.
paign now opening bids fair tc
be more 80. Three sets. of men,
all claiming to be Democrats, have
issued addresses and callen upon
us to follow their leadership and
trust the fortunes of the party and
the State in their hands.
CHOOSE yE THIS Day.
Whies ri. the three shall. we
choose as our leaders? To which
of the three shall we give our ale.
glance?
There is, first, the Democratic
State Executive Committee, repre-.
senting the regular Democracy
They call upon us to elect dele.
gates to a May Convention-which
shall choose our State delegation
to the National Democratic Con.
vention-and to elect delegates to
an August Convention, at which
our Democratic State ticket shall
be nominated.
Then we have, second, the ad.
dress issued by Thirteen of ou,
fellow-citizens calling upon us tc
elect delegates to March Conven.
ton which is to be authorized tc
nominate or suggest a State ticket
in opposition to the present adj
ministration-an anti-Tillman
ticket.
And, third, there is the address
sent out by the Executive Com.
mittee of the so-called "Straight-
outs"-the committee that had
charge of the independent move,
ment lead by Judge Haskell in
1890. This last address calls fol
no convention as yet, but simply
requests US to sit still for q while
and await further developments
and further advice.
These are the three sets of men
who, some by authority. and some
Of their own motion, seek to guide
and direct the Democratic party
in this State during the coming
campaign. And it is for you and
for mo to choose this day whom
we will follow and whose orders
we will respect.
AS for me, I have no hesitation
in saying that I take my stand
with the State Democratic Com.
mittee. AS a Democrat l cannot
do otherwise. 1t seems to me the
manifest duty of every patriotic
Democrat in South Carolina to
ignore the address of the Straight
OUTS" to disregard, however, re-
gretfully, the call of the Thirteen
Observation-Disclosures; and to
fall in line, shoulder to shoulder,
in the ranks of the regular Demo.
cratic nartv oc ronroeon+otl Nv, tbo