The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1893-04-27

who are members Of The "Reform'
Democracy. They see that the leaders
have made promises to do things
which they have not fulfilled. We are
to lay down the principles of the old
time Democracy. .[Cheers. 1t seems
mat In doing this the supremacy of the
white race must be considered. If the
old.time Democracy is to be maintain
ed all lsms must be put aSide-espec-
lai!y 1ndividuaisms. The Democracy
OF the State must be maintained intact
IN It's simplest and purest form; any
other course Is a suicidal course. Now
why are we here? 1t is because certain
laws were passed by the last Legisla
ture, and approved by the Governor,
which are regarded by many as direct
ed against the inalienable rights of
class or classes of citizens. a large
proportion of them are very injurious.
There is such thing as a right, to
which all men are entitled. 4 man
cannot he Democrat and fail to re-
cogniZe these rights. There has been
majority composing the Reform
movement. No one will question that
that they have right to govern the
State, but they have passed laws 1Dju-
rlous to the rights of the minority. A
man cannst be true Democrat and
deny the underlying principle of equal
rights to all. Nothing is further from
the intention Of this organic alton than
to become class. we would be alb
surb to fight the agricultural element
as some have charged us with. 1t Is in
the majority. Therefore we believe
that the farmers will listen to us if we
reason with them. Agriculture was
the basis of everything. He had
enough confidence in the "plain peo-
ple' to believe that they would accord
due consideration to reason. We have
70 candidate to present for anything
We believe that all men are equal ana
that the farmers should not be given
any more privileges than any other
class of men. The farmer has not said
that he Is entitled to anything more. IT
we reason with the farmers they, by
our aid. will send men to the Legisla-
ture who will make laws consistent to
the whole people Of South Carolina,
and not for any one class. Cheers
lie said the whole trouble now was
that the Farmers had been led by mer
OF unscrupulous character. prolonged
applause We must now come to
gether and Danish personal prejudice.
We do not desire to take the hand of
any unprincipled partisan, no matter
from what element he comes. We
want reasonable and conscientious
men. The laws passed did not seem to
embody these ideas. There were no
men so bad as those who had caused
The people to array themselves against
each other, when all their interests
were the same. But how are we to ac-
complish anything? We have under
taken TO follow the example of the
New York Tariff League. We must
undertake this kind of missionary
work. They worked up their cause
h1lr do
great mass of plain people. They got
up their information and sent 1t out
all over the country, and AS a result of
this information we have sent back to
the Presidential chair that man who de-
llVered that message which fell like
lead upon the uncomprehending ears
OF the mass of the people. For four
years this State has been in the hands
or The reform movement. They have
not accomplished many Of the things
that they promised. The taxes have
not been reduced. Sometimes people
can be excused for breaking promises.
There Is nothing more fallacious than
the belief that the cities are arrayed
against the country. We can lay down
broad principles and live up to them
lie had noticed that the majority of
men in the last Legislature had not
foen successful in the ordinary walks
OF life. If any person can point out
one single thing In our declaration Of
principles that is undemocratic, then
we will obliterate it. Our purposes are
good, and all we have to do is to live
up to them. We can only do this
through reason-the slow and sure
way; not by slandering and villifying
men. There has been too much of this
| In this State already. Passion and
prejudice are OverlloWing; now it is
time to take a little dose of reason.
we want bureau Of information
through which we can reason with the
people. The plain people must be rea.
soned with and shown that they must
not undertake to rob from one person
what another person is entitled to.
lie read the plan of organization and
explained its methods. He said that
such a bureau of information as thev
proposed could be operated for $4,000
year, and told the convention not to
get frightened at the figures. 1t was
not a crime to spend money in that
way. Any one could send a check,
could do IT openly. He quoted figures
to show how the amount could be
easily raised without becoming bur
den upon any one member. They did
not propose to have great series of
meetings, with shouts that lasted only
SO'lOnS as tne peer lasted. Ih3y should
have their doors open to all. They
should support ticket of good men,
even if they were all farmers. Ap-
plause. Let us, if practicable, elect a
Simon pure farmer of integrity and
ability, and one whose Democracy is
without question. 1t had been SAid a.
ready thaC this league is but Haskell
ism in another form. lie wished to
| say that such was not the case: that
| there was no classiSm whatever in the
| league, and there would not be any.
IL defy any man to show that the pur
pose of this organization is other than
Democratic" We have no closed doors
no disregard to the Alliance. This
position l will maintain till we can
prove our Democracy at the polls. This
Is political organization, m ark you, it
IS no other kind OF an organization. |
don't reflect on the Secrecy of the
Alliance. | do not know that any