The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-04-07

and invited him here; and he thought
that if Lawrence OR could 80 to Laurens
and come to this place for the purpose OF
speaking against the farmers. surely ne
could come here and speak for them.
Mr.. Benet said he was not candidate
for any office. He thought the State was
in more critical position now than ever
before. He warned the Tillmanites not
to be misled by their opponents. He
knew something of the infamous power
of the old crowd; had done some OF the
hardest work of his life in fighting it III
the Legislature, land the speaker made
quite hero of himself before dismissing
this subject). Mr.. Benet had good deal
to say of the recent March Convention.
He thought it shoald have been called
the "peace and unity and another oppor-
tunity" Convention. They were trying
to get back into office, etc.. etc.
The speaker here took occasion to crit
icise tho course of Wade Hampton, "the
General Hampton, the '7G Hampton, the
Governor Hampton, the Senator Hamp-
ton, the Carolinian Hampton" i'll daring
to raise his voice in advising the recent
March Convention in its efforts to restore
peace and unity to the State every honest
man knows he loves devotedly, and
seemed to think it little less than treason
for Hampton ITO come from his far away
plantation in Mississippi' to take part
in that Convention. I'VE ask attention to
tho following facts: Wade Hampton
was Carolinian before Christie Benet
was born. Wade Hampton's home is
South Carolina; Scotland is fairly en-
titled, and quite. Welcome, to whatever
credit there may be in having furnished
Christie Benet to the world. South Car
olina has persistently pressed unsought
and unasked honors and offices upon
Wade Hampton w. c. Benet has per-
sistently asked South Carolina to give
him an o@ce, and, except sending him
to the Legislature, she has never had
confidence enough in the man to do 80.
Everything that the patriotic citizen, the
brave soldier and the able and honest
statesman can do for his native home
Wade Hampton has done for South Car
olina. Everything w. c. Benet has
done for South Carolina was to move here
from Scotland and ask for Office at the
first Opportunity" Conclusion: South
Carolina loves and trusts her own Wade
Han .oton more than she would cargo
of imported Willie Christie Benets.]
Mr.. Benet said he had sat up a whole
night to write the Clemson College bill.
Now the Greenyille Nescs was trying to
give the credit to Col. Orr. He claimed
that honor. [And the hero act was-in-
dulged in again.
He ridiculed the March Convention for
not demanding primary. Said the Till
man crowd bad always favored the pri-
mary. He claimed the honor of having
introduced the first resolution ever offer
ed in the Legislature for the establish
ment of tho primary, and said "humble
Ben Tillman" had helped him fight for it,
but they were badly whipped. Hero
scene again.]
The speaker thought the ticket put for
ward by the March Convention would be
defeated. The Convention must have
thought so, too, or others whom he knows
to have ambitions towards certain offices
would have been on the ticket. He
thought "a ram" had been brought for.
ward for the sacrifice"
He claimed that the recent Convention
had ''stolen" the platform of the March,
100, Convention. He thought they would
use it as "platform to get in on"
He warned everybody that this was
good year for independentism. He was
afraid of it, saying there are three Exec
utive Committees in the State-the one
of which Irby is chairman, the one OF
which Lyles is chairman, and the one OF
which Dibble is chairman.
Mr.. Benet was cheered number OF
times--doubtless by those who voted
against him when he ran for Congress in
1890. AS he has "flopped" completely
since then, and for no other reason than
that he is earnestly on the hunt for San
other opportunity" his utterances OF
Tuesday would doubtless sound strange
ly inconsistent with those Of that cam
paign.
"An opportunity! An opportunity
My all for an opportunity % is the bur-
den of his little song, as any one with
half mind can see.
We have Mr.. Benet on record. When
he comes before our people again asking
for their votes, as he will surely do, we
will have something more to say about
him. Where will be "bob up" next?
Col. w. J. Talbert, State Alliance Lee
turer, and Superintendent of the State
Penitentiary, was the next speaker. He
said he had been invited here to say
something about the Farmers Alliance,
but felt embarrassed to follow the two
distinguished gentlemen who had prece-
ded him. He was in dilemma. he had
been so highly entertained by the gentle
men that he didn't know whether he was
standing on his head or feet. He told
several anecdotes, and said he could say
nothing about political matters If he
wanted to, as the two speakers preceding
him had not left him even bone to
mince upon. He said the farmers move
ment of 1890 was backed by the Alliance,
and that "grand organization had now
completely swallowed it, hoofs and ALL"
The speaker then announced that he
had no particular text. He was here to
talk business. He never wrote his
speeches, but said he had few notes OF
a speech he had recently made in Spar
tanburg, and he would occasio nally refer
to them. The speaker asked if the Rev
D. w. Hiott was in the crowd. 81 am q
Baptist myself" said he, "and want tc
get acquainted with him. l think, and
everybody else thinks, that that gentle
man should contine his efforts and work
to the pulpit. If he would do this he
would do the work the Lord wanted him
to do" He said lie was not ashamed tc
say he was battling fof Alliance princi'
pies. Every hour since he had Joined the
Alliance he had grown stronger In its
principles. He was on the Alliance plat