The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-10-17
GOVERNOR TILLMAN.
HE TALKS OF THAT SILVER CONTEN-
TON IN ST. LOUIS.
Governor Tillmsn's Ringing Speech to the
COnvention-He Defines the Position
of the People of the south.

The governor Of South Carolina was in At
lanta last Tuesday morning.
Tired, and anything hut comfortable
physically. Governor Tillman alighted from
day coach of the Western and Atlantic
vestibulcd train. which was over an hour
and half late, last evening. He is on
his way home from St. Louis, and the de-
lay kept him here all night, as it caused
him to miss the Seaboard train.
AT his room at the Markham he talked
of the convention of silver men which he
had just attended and of which he was
one of the prominent figures.
Il believe the outlook for n practical
union which will accomplish much for sill
Yer is very favorable" said he. Some
of the goldbug organs have been sneering
at the convention and declaring that it
was not success, but, although the at
tendance was not as large as expected, L
am not at all discouraged by the congen-
tion nor about its results. L find that not
many of our friends in the south under
stood about the convention and of the
southern states only South Carolina, Mis-
sissipp, Texas, Alabama and Arkansas
sent delegates. Yes i'll response to 4
question. there We're other governors
there-Governor Stone of Missouri Gov
ernor Leweling, of Kansas, and Governor
Waite, of Colorado. Then there were
number of distinguished men among the
delegates, who numbered about 10 iii ALL
What will be the result of it,?
The interests of the people of the south
and west are identical. | believe 1t the
senate passes the unconditional repeal bill
the people of the west will hold one con-
vention and the people of the south
another, and that these two will be welded
together by the appointment OF delegates
from one to tie other, drawing TO them all
the silver men of both sections: And that
would mean force that would sweep the
country. I'm glad | went up there; glad
l met them face To face. feel that | have
gotten on the inside of the situation up
there and have learned how deeply sincere
those people are. The cause is a righteous
one, and it is bound to triumph i'll the end.
Atlanta is to have the next convention.
The st. Louis convention left the matter
of location to the president and secretary.
and while definite action has been
taken, as nothing will be done until after
the senate acts, the sentiment of the con-
vention was clearly Expressed at a confer
ence held after adjournment. All of the
leaders were present and Atlanta was the
unanimous choice.
Governor Tillman was chairman of the
committee Oh resolutions and in presenting
his report made stirring and striking
speech to the convention. The speech Is
well worth reading and is given here as
reported in the St Louis papers:
Governor TilIman's speech.
Mr.. President. and Gentlemen of the Con-
vention: Ii is not my habit to make any ex-
cuses for my style Of speaking or my lack Of
what men call oratory. And 1 will simply
make brief explanation in order that You
may not believe, since | have told you that |
came here to make Il speech that l have any
specially prepared speech. that have elabor-
ated anything, that | have polished ANYTHING
1t has been five years since / wrote anything |
on paper that L expected to speak. When L !
hrst began my career as politician, which |
was in 1856 being unused to public discussion.
and naturally nervous L wrote down what l
wanted TO say in order TO keep from forget
ling il. Well, have had pretty rough-and-
umble time since then, and have learned to
lepend my head to furnish the words
whether they We're exactly grammatical or
polished or rhetorical, and if l have found the
acts and the ideas don't care snap for the
lannar in which they are dressed tAi,plause)
# what l shall SLY should really |
aSa w s Sa aSne Il more eo
ius9siy and aIiX than san Wow Of the no.
i1iiai oii Snaneiai and eommereani condition. of
eu sS,nS mar as Is sas saS and
plaiisa Therefore, | shall not worry you.
Two Political Questions.
In turning your eyes backward over the pag-
..s of past history You lind that prior 10
the war there werr two great preyailing ,p o-
war grew ont Of the desire of the south for
free trade rather than the preservation of
slavery. We wanted TO get off to ourselves,
IN order to sell our products i'll the best mar
ket and buy in the cheapest market There
were then only two great questions and last
year we We're told that there were still Two
great quesJions-the financial questOn-slav-
cry having happily passed away and the tar
if. We were led TO expect that when this
democratic congress met, with a majority in
both branches and the executive sent there by
the people for the first time in thirty years,
the tarin would he one of The main questions
10 which it would address itself. We lind,
however. that congress has been called i'll ex-
ira session to solve the other question, tho
financial question, which ] nave always CON
tended was the burning question. tApplause.l
And today ii is the most burning question in
American politics and has brought the west
and the south together and made men who
for twenty years have been mortal political
enemies act here as band OF brothers. CAP
1t is true that for short period before the
war. during the time of Andrew JackSOn-ciu
Iickory-the financial question and the ques-
tion TO whether money in the hands of
few, to he manipulated by them should run
the country or the people should run it, was
burning question. and the tariff and slavery
questions both dropped aside until that mat
ter was settled Ia the satisfaction of the pco-
pie Jackson Won his fight against the bank
in spite OF ,; !, subsidized press. such as we
the same issue c0nfrOnts us.
The white Slave.
said the financial question was burning
question While we mad hoped that the
question of slavery had forever been settled
and that il would never again be an issue be
fore the American people it c6nfronts us
now. But alas the color of the slave has
changed; the slaves longer black. but
are white men. lAppause.) What do L
1rean by slave? Tell me, gentlemen, what
more absolute condition of servitude can pos
sibly exist than that Of the farmer who, in
the language Of the eloquent gentleman from
Missouri this morning Mr Cochran) has for
twenty years, since 1873 been making his
crops q falling market and has grown old
hoping 10 nay off the mortgages on his prop.
erty. tApplause.) Who, in the language of
Cowper,
Has lowered his bucket into an empty well
And grown old in drawing nothing up.
(Applause.)
AT the same time he has seen men reap the
fruits Of his labor, aud grow rich beyond the
dream of ayarice, mllionaires multiplied un-
til they cannot count them. while paupers-
white slaves-have been multiplied ten thou
sand fold for every millionaire
And what are We confronting now? The
single gold standar6 face to face right F.
II isn't theory but reality that confrOnts
MS at is Il condition." in the language Of