The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-10-20
:TILLMAN IN NEW YORK.
WHAT he SAYS ABOUT SOUTH CARO-
u LIMA POLITICS.

tory-yyhat p Now York Paper Thlurs OF
Our Gonerncr. Thero is No Third Pnrty 2
IN this state.
New YORK, Oct. Ex-Governor Ben
jamin Ryan Til]man, Of South Caro-
lima, and w. II. &. Bates, State Treas
urer, are in town to stay until after the
Columbian celebration, and in the mean.
time to fund their State debt. Cover
nor Tillman is the man who overthrow
the old aristocracy of South Carolina
and defeated the old, big slave-holdiDg
families. He was supported by the
Farmers Alliance, and with their help
he captured the regular democratic or
ganiZatiOn and is now the regular demo.
cratic nominee for reelection. Under
his leadership the farmers of South
Carolina stayed in the Democratic par
ty, and there is no third party vote in
his State of any consequence.
lie Is not the kind of man the ordl-
nary opinion has conceived him to be.
Though he went from plantation to
the executive mansion, witt no previ-
ous ohee other than capita u of a militia
company, he is good classical schola~,
and his conversation abouuds in the
old.style illusions to Roman senators
shaYen, with jet back hair worn lCnr,
and the 1rOcI coat, black trousers.
ahoestring tie and hlacl; sjouch hat OF
the politician from the south lie was
Only II years old when tie civil war
ended, and he is one OF the first prOnin-
ent politicians OF the post beilum davs
from the South.
The South Carolina State acht
amounts to about S6,OOO,WJ, and ,Uo
State wants 10 tunG most Of 1t al ! per
cent. Governor ViIlman was lnvji ed
10 attend the Columbian celebration IN
New ork, and ut the same time h, ~
ranged to meet some New York bank.
ers IN regard to the debt.
lie is an interesting talkor. with n
resonant voice, Il strong Southern nc
cent, and the habit Of prolonping and
sottening the yowels, which ADDS so
much TO the charm and jndistinCtuts SIS
or southern speech. In tho course Of a
long conversation he said:
Ieople outside Of South Carolina
never seem to understand correctly our
political situation. All the daily papers
III the State and three-quarters of the
weekly papers have been opposed TO
me, and the view of our politics which
people outside the State may get from
them was not without bias.
Our struggle was to get rid of the
rule OF an Oligarcy which grew up af-
Ter the white people got possession of
the government in 1876. This o)igarchy
engineere and controlled affairs by i
system of conventions for nominal inc
candidates. by perpetuating them,
selves in the conventions they controlled
the State government.
we nave an enormous negro majori-
ty In South Carolina. South Carolina
suffered more than any other southern
state from negroes and negro rule from
1868 down to 1876, and the struggle
which brought about relief from that
W..s so terrible and so costly that there
Is now no State in the South and nc
people In the South who will do more
ana bear more to preserve the unity OF
the whites, and prevent the recurrence
OIL this danger. What has kept the
people OF the State together is the
knowledge that when chere Is a division
OF the white vote, as i'll Georgia, Alaba
ma and other southern States, both
sides appeal to the negro, and thev try
TO divide the negroes and to take OF the
negroes with them. You can't touch
pltch without being delled, and you
can't take up with the negro without
encouraging negroes, and a return to
power and dOmi' alton. In South Caro-.
llna the white people settle their differ
enceS among themselves. They believe
That an appeal to the negroes to settle
ing. Wy INV . 60 i"
Two years ago this oligarchv [
spoke OF was defeated, and the conven-
Iior system, which was then in vogue,
was discontinued. The pre- sent system
IS TO prevent division OF the white IA .d
frnn t..r ,,l
lions which might encourage negro
power. The old political bosses have
run themselves out. They were fossil
lZed. Their struggle was to rehAUji,
tate and re.estabIish themselves on TIE
ola ante-bellum basis. When came
on 0eck and began to throw ROCKS
soon had four.iiths Of The people be-
hlnd me. When | whipped Them il
1870 and Judge IIaShcl called on L
pliDliCanS and negroes TO help the ~,
people as they called themselves, and
save the State, he got only 1900 votes.
ana OF them lOUO were cast 10y npHro,s s
ana on y 4,OOo by white men.
onder our system We have two
electlons, one for nominations and i%e
olher the regular election IN the iaN 40
conilrm the action OF the first election
aC the Democratic primaries. Every
A'i"h NolSo at IllS IilSI C.cCtlOn.
ana their decision is ratified at th,,
regular statutory election in Noyen,.
Der, when the machinery Of the gov
eminent ratiiies and makes law on; Of
What the people have done in their prj. |
maries.
"ln this years campaign the Old OIL
garchy tried to recapture the govern.
Inent. The Old ring met and But out
a ticket against the present officers,
Ihere were some disturbances ana n
pretty big time at some of the meet
ings, but no bloodshed. l carried thir
W OF the thirty-iive counties, and | had
majority of nearly $4,000
forty per cent. more votes are cast
aC tne primaries than at the regular
erection. The primaries are regulated
Dy law, and any cheating IS punished
as at other elections. They are also
controlled by the party machinery. II
IS a white mans fight. No negroes are
allowed to vote unless they are Demo.
Gratis. Republicans and negroes who |
are not Democrats are, of course not
allowed to vote at Democratic prima.
ries. - 'h'"'