The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-05-15
JOINT DEBATES EXPECTED.
The Proposed Personal Campaign of
Senator Butler and Governor Till
man in South Carolina.

Tho Proposed Personal Campaign of
Senator Butler and Governor Till
man in South Carolina.
Special to The News and Courier.
WASHINGTON, May 8.-About the
middle of next month one of the hot
test campaigns ever waged in South
Carolina will be opened between Soma
tor Butler and Governor Tillman for
Senatorial honors. Senator Irby, the
junior Senator from the Palmetto
State, is chairman of the State Demo-
cratic committee, and it Is incumbent
upon him to start the ball rolling. He
says he proposes to call the State exc
cutive committee together on the 7th
OF June, and in about q week or ten
days following Senator Butler and
Governor Tillman will commence their
joint canvass. 1t will probably be a
bitter personal struggle between them,
for Senator Butler is anxious to retain
his scat in the Senate, and Governor
Tillman has been bending all of his
political and personal energies to be
elected as Senator Buffers successor.
Both OF them are good stump speakers
and they are to speak together from
the same platform ali over the State
Senator Butler is an aggressive cam
paigner, and he and the Governor have
been shying political bricks at each
other ut long range for several months
past. When they come together on
the same stump there will probably be
some stirring appeals to their respec-
tive followers, and those who are fami-
liar with the characteristics of the two
predict an exciting contest from start
to finish. Both men arc past masters
in the art of working upon the passions
of their respective followers, and the
combat will take on national as we'll
as local flavor in view of Senator But
lers prominence in the Senate and also
because of the notoriety Governor Till
man has acquired by reason of his ia
nous dispensary liquor law.
South Carolinians here are anxiously
awaiting for the battle royal to COM
mence, and at the present writing both
sides appear to be about equally con-
tident of victory. A well-known South
Carolina Congressman, who is supposed
to have slight leaning towards Sena-
tor Butler, for personal reasons, but
who has heretofore affiliated with the
Tillman movement in the State, was
asked o'day for his opinion as to the
probable outcome. He replied that he
looked for desperate struggle between
Senator Butler and Governor Tillman
on the stump, and that ut the present
time it was difficult to pick q winner.
Senator Butler is supposed to represent
the Conservative or National Admins
tration wing of the South Carolina
Democracy, while Governor Tillman is
the leader Of the ti-National- Admin
istration- Farmers Alliance Populist
forces in the State. The Governor has
the advantage of being surrounded by
the State organization and the politi-
cal machinery absolutely at his control.
Senator Butler has made advances to
some of the Governors men by assist
ing them and their friends in scouting
Federal patronage, but in doing so it is
claimed that he has driven some of the
Conservatives from his camp, and there
fore it Is question whether his re-
cruits from the Tillman camp have ex-
ceeded the desertions from his stand
ard among the Conservatives.