Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1892-09-22
IT has THE RIGHT RING.
The Democratic Candidate for Vice
President Makes Great Speech to a
at assnevlne-He Talks
Like Southerner.

President Makes Great Speecn 10 q
R'e ut asnevlne-He Talks
Like Southerner.
AsHEv1LLE, NC, September 15.-
At least $500 people assembled in
the farmers tobacco warehouse at
noon to-day TO hear Hon. A. E.
Stevenson's speech. He was escorted
from his hotel by distinguished citi-
zens of North Carolina in carriages
and a large procession of mounted
men from the country adjacent to
Asheville..
Gen. Stevenson was introduced by
Hon. c. T. Rowes as "a distinguished
grandson of North Carolina" and
when he arose to speak there was
loud applause, continuing several
minutes.
Gen. Stevenson began by paying
tribute to North Carolina, saying
that her history and traditions were
as dear to him as any one present.
1t would be impossible to over
state the Importance of the pending
political contest, especially to the
people of the Southern States. With
them it is not,ss.srely question as
to who shall bt elected President Of
the United States or what shall be
his policy on taxation and expendi-
lures.
The question is of deeper import
ance and far more reaching in its
consequences. Shall they have the
peace and protection of life and pro-
perty which result from stable gov
ernment of States by their own peo-
rehall they be alenaced by a
of the evns OF f.flss-recon-
struction period?
The present contest is between the
Republican and Democratic parties.
Which shall it be? To you the prac-
oical question is: VIII you have your
State governments remain in the
hands of your own people, or will
you have return of carpet-bag deal
ing and misrule? Have you so soon
forgotten the sad lessons of the past !?
I address myself to men whose for
mer affiliations have been with the
Democratic party, but who incline
now to cast in their political fortunes
with the Third Party, a party abso-
lutely without hope OF success in the
pending contest.
Either Harrison or Cleveland will
be the next President, p it is
equally certain that either ,ae Demo
cratic or Republican party will con-
troll the next Congress. Your sup
port now of the Third Party candi-
date or the Third Party is simply a
declaration upon your part that in
this great struggle, involving self
government-it may be the protec-
ton of property and of the hearth
stone-you are content to remain idle
spectators. Let the issue be plainly
1t is well to recall some of the evils
from which the Southern people
escaped by the overthrow of carpet
BAG domination. Fully to recount
the injustice, wrongs and outrages
suffered by some of the Southern
States during the era of carpet-bag
mlsruie would fill volumes. AS you
we'll know the Republican party had
control of Alabama from
'6S to ~. The best citizens of the
State were disfranchised. They were
utterly powerless to protect them
selves against those who, dnder forms
of law, sought to rob them. All
departments of the State govern
ment were in the hands of those who
prostituted legislation and courts Of
justice to their own selfish purposes.
During this saturnalia Of misgovern-
ment the plunderers of the people
were men who, in many instances,
held high place among them from
'6S to ~, when the State debt of
Alabama was, by a Republican Leg
islature, increased from sS,000,000 to
more than s25,0O0,000. A large
part of this Indebtedness was created
by issuing bonds to build railroads
that were never built. In addition
to this, municipal Indebtedness and
county Indebtedness were enormous.
BY earnest effort the State was
redeemed by the Democracy in "a
and the era of carpet;bag misrule
and plunder came TO an end. What
has been the result? Alabama four
teen years later under the govern
ment of her own people has reduced
her enormous debt more than one
half and the taxable property in. the
State has increased nearly one hum
dred million dollars.
In North Carolina under the recon-
struction policy the Republican
party-carpet-bag rule was in '6S
substituted for the government Of
the State by its own people. From
mountain tosea the State was in the