Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-04-04


these soldiers turned politicians. aud
Influenced by political rancor and frenzy.
have been by their actlon--and the men
IN different places In this State who have
sent word 10 Darlington Offering assist
ance--haVe convicted themselves in the
estimation Of the world, and " cannot
be dlsproved that they are lynchers at
heart The information sent forth was
that these men were 10 be hunted down
and lynched. and not one be left alive.
and when | ordered troops TO go there
90 stop the insurrectlon, TO stop this mob
violence restore law, protect life and
property. and let the law resume its way,
they would not obey. The Mayor said
he had the right to arrest. OF course he
had. but he had no right TO send out
mob-army, under no officer. without the
Sheriff or some regularly constituted con-
stable IN charge OF It.
RIDICULOUS SIDE OF 1T.
LET MS look al the ridiculous side OF II.
In some respects. 1t has the appearance
of a biz April fool. except that II occurred
on the 30th Of March. I say these men
were advertising themselves to the world
as lynchers and that they intended 70
lynch these constables who were in the
woods. none of them guilty OF having
started the row: they were galloping aud
huFrahng over the country, sending FOR
rcinf0rcemeuts, and all bearing arms.
Iut they have never fired a shot at g
s!ae'c constable, They waylaid the con-
80. les nj the depot. but have never seen
one since the first fire 0aughter), and 1t
ssenis they did not want 20 find ;.ie ton-
STABLES II they were lynchers. rs ,,sy
adycr' cd themselves TO be- wav d'n
not tncy lynch the man who they claim
originated the trouble. and whom they
had in their power? They have con-
Victed themselves by proclaiming that
they would lynch the constables. but
would not lynch the man who they said
started the trouble.
Now. gentlemen. II is proper for me to
recall scene that | witnessed here I'm
1876. When South Carolina learned that
troops had seized this State House, within
two days time this whole escarpment,
back 10 the monument, was black with
indignant citizens. ii was among them.)
They were all of one mind. We were
all brothers we were all friends, Caro-
linans and patriots. To-day we find the
state divided into two hostile camps.
Why? Simply because the minority are
not willing TO let the majority govern. The
body polite is diseased; II Is In fever.
Why? Because IN this city. and in
Charleston. the people have taken TO their
bosoms a viper I'm the shape of n news
paper which distils day by day poison
into their system and will not let the
fever subside. They give me credit for
nothing. In their vocabulary Governor
Tillmans side Of the ledger is all debt
and no credit. They try TO sting me per-
sonally by abuse. SANDER and misrepre-
sontatiOn. j wear Il coat OF mail which
they have never pieTced-that is. an honest
heart. desrous of bettering the interests
OF this State. and looking to the welfare
Of the whole people.
But fellow citizens. this strained rela-
tionshlp between the factions in South
Carolina must stop. must cease. II cannot
go on without precipitating civil war We
Of the majority faction are not TO blame.
/ deny that we have done anything except
I'm accordance with law and the Constitu-
ton. These men who have opposed us and
are still opposing us. must come to their
senses and realize that if Democracy is
10 govern in this country they have got
70 submit to the rule OF the majority.
THOSE NEWSPAPERS.
These two newspapers are like thorn
in the flesh, which continues to tester.
They will not let the wound which was
caused in 1880 by the displacement OF
the old order OF things and the establish
ment of the rule Of the people heal. They
keep open the sore, they pour poison into
IT. and they are encouraged to do IL, aided
and abetted in doing II by those who
are forever and eternally blaming me
with it, Wei, this patient is delirious;
he is like a maniac; there is powder
magazine not far off, he has lighted
match. and is straining all his nerve to
reach II. The collision in Darlington pro-
duced a flash. but II was gas. and not
powder, mostly newspaper lies. 1t flashed
abroad-nashed light that illuminated
the State and the United States. based
on falsehood. The people listened with
batNd breath for n reverberaton of the
report for the explosion they expected to
follow the civil war. which was predicted.
1t did not come. and it will not come. il
cannot come. because the people are in
the saddle and will continue 10 remain
there. (CheersD These men would de-
stroy the State In their bitterness and
anger II thereby they could destroy me
and through me the rule Of the majority.
Ie has been sent abroad all over this
State and the United States that my lfe
is daily threatened that such-and-such
men are Offering TO XIII me. one promi-
nent citizen has had the temerity, or
rather the folly. TO tell Mr.. Yeldell, Of
my own county. that he came TO Column
bla with a shotgun Friday TO kill Gov
ernOr Tllman.
II will not give his name. because i
do not care TO advertise him, but l can
do it when necessary. Threatened men
live the longest: II barking dog does not
always bite. There never has been one
moment when | have felt the least un-
casiness for my personal safety. My life
is not worth much TO me, but 1t is worth
as much as any other mans and rather
than desert my post to my enemies by
leaving the executive mansion, where
You have placed me, | would have gone
out of ii a corpse. (Cheers)
THE BLAZING ELEMENT"
"Who is doing all this? The blazing
element, the match which Is trying h
reach the powder Is the bar-room men,
the whlskey men, and those who are
cgging them on. encouraging them, are
the rulers of the oligarchy which we
overthrew In 1890 at the ballOt-box. This
row which has broken forth is polit-
cal frenzy; the blood that has been split
Is an Offering to the moloch of whiskey.
They claim and declare that the State
shall not control the whiskey traffic: that
they will resume their iniquitous trade.
dehauch our hou seholds, destroy lives. fur
nish poison to the people and make them
kin one another. and will repeal the dis
pensary law by saying they can sell
whiskey from their residences. Shall this
demon. who has already had four or
five victims. have any more? one negro
at Spartanburg. a white man at Well
ford. and three men at Darlington. | do
not intend for him to have any more II
| can help It: he has had enough. In
Gods name, as statesman, and as a
leader OF enlightened public opinion,
shall not bulge one inch from the posi-
tion | take that this is the peoples gov
ernment. and the people shall rule.
Oheers)
Now, gentlemen. you may imagine that
in asserting this l am going to aggra-
yate the trouble; that in claiming the
right TO search private residences | will
cause an outbreak. | will tell YOU what
| am going TO do. j am going to tell
the State tomorrow in proclamation
the revised statutes of the state are
mine Of strength. wealth. and wisdom for
a Governor who will search them and
enforce them. What would j have been
able 10 do If had not been able 10 con-
troll the railroads and the telegraph, pre-
venting them from reinforcing the in-
surgents and sending abroad more in
cendiary lies 10 inflame the people?
There Is another sword of Damocles
which tn, law places in my hands to sus-
ins