The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-05-02

tention to that, that he knew the per-
sonal and political relation between my
self and Tillman, and did not expect me
to do anything else, but that it need not
disturb OUT personal and official rela-
tons for me to support my friend.
Now, Applet, 1 appreciate your kind
letter, and the motive which prompted
it. The past four years have been to
me full Of experiences, and l tell you
candidly that | have about reached the
conclusion that at present there is no
place in public life for a man With any
delicacy Of feeling, conscience or pa
triotism.
When l think of the dream l had,
when we all started ont in 1888 to
smash the rings and to have free
speech. free thoughs and a truly popular
government, ! do not want to see estab-
lished as absolute a despotism as there
is outside of darkest Russia y the AL.
lance and all those great financial and
governmental issues freighted with the
life or death of a nation, dwarfed into
the single question Of how whiskey shall
be disbed out to thirsty souls.
Take the situation when I went to
Spartanburg. After villifylng aud SIAN
dering me for months, kilograms from
Washington, ordered Can't to ask me
certain questions. said that | would
support Tillman provided he stood for
the demands Of the Alliance, and actual
" one of their little creatures, q peri
patetic school teacher, who wants to
be Superintendent of Education, de-
nouuced me. / think Tillman is will
Jog to stand upon his own merit, but
this crowd of ~sycopbants fatter his
vanity aud call everybody else 'traitor,"
when if the test came, like the
miserable. vultures that they are. they
would be the first to turn and rend his
vitals. I will follow no man blind
folded, but if / had been even willing to
do this, | would have died. a thousand
deaths before 1 would let one Of the
political .'hell-hounds," that can be
bought like a piece Of dog-meat in the
market, pop his whip over my back
aud drive me crying to- his masters
feet.
1t is not love for Tillnan or their
country that Influences these blatant
bawlers. l know some of the loudest
mouthed. who hate him most. They
want. an Office. This tells the tale.
Governor Tillman does not need help
now. he is in the very zenith Of success
and power. Let the tide turn, let dan
ger, defeat or disaster threaten aud
then he will see who his friends arc.
men who stood shoulder to shoulder
when the battle was thick, men who
have the courage to differ with him, or
the miserable parasites and barnacles
that can only exist amid %uncleauness,
and who, unless scraped of at regular
intervals, eat through the hull and sink
the stoutest ship to the bottom Of the
sea.
1t ia Notifying, humiliatiDg, for poll
tics to be upon the low plane where
such explanations are demanded.
Now, as to the other question, which
you asked me about the d~ispensary, l
am more than ever convinced that some
modification along the line suggested
BY me at S%partanburg is a necessity.
The establishment at Columbia, with
its host of officers, is too cumbersome,
and the profit feature is morally wrong.
It is better to undersell and starve the
''blind tiger" than to shoot it; especially
when the beast shoots back. Besides,
any Law that necessitates a standing
army for it's enforcement will fail of its
own weight. I am glad that you
heartily support me in these views.
We have had enough turmoil aud strife
in South Carolina. There were old.
deep-seated abuses and traditions that
had to be destroyed aud rooted out.
Tillman was the man to do it. His
genius is essentially destructive. and as
he has about accomplished his work in
South Carolina. send him to the Senate
where he will find enough abuses to
employ his genius for the balance Of his
life. 10 South Carolina We want some
thing now on the constructive order.
We cannot live there in two armed
camps, and if We undertake it the
Federal government will put us through
another course Of reconstruction. We
do not need an ''apist" to prance
around over the State, squirt one eye.
%''cuss'' aud try to play s'Ben Tillman,"
I think that the soil was exhausted
when it produced Ben No. l..
The squeak of the ''%squedunk" try
ing to masquerade as the blast of a
trumpet will make Us ridiculous and
contemplate. What the State needs
- l.. .ti1