The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-11-19

a try. l am sorry tread on the toe
3 of some of my friends In the geners
D assembly. | intended no persons
4 allusion. / think can claim thi
. much; that l believe as much in tn
capacity of the people for self-govern
/ ment as any other man. 1t is not m
, intention in the slightest to say tina
the people are not capable OF taking
, care of themselves. think / cal
, claim to be the apostle of that doctrin
, of late years. In the language OF JOhl
land, "Those who need 1t most, feel i
the less" | mean education. "Thost
who,need it most, feel it less" States
men should rise and grasp a duty ant
send these ignorant boys to school
and saw to them: "You will never
amount to any thing as you are.
will give you hand and help you to
put you on the first round of the lad
der. We have come here to take g
new departure. Are you going tC
move forward, upward, onward >"
Going back to that idea which L ad.
vanced moment ago that those who
need most, feel it less" another philoso-
pher-a poet-has said Where
ignorance is bliss tits folly to be wise. "
You know that is the rule almost in
variably among ignorant people who
cahnot read nor write. And who is it
that will kick about this? There are
three classes-the land owing, wealthy
men, the poor tenant and the middle
class-whOm you will not hurt much
eitherway and who are perhaps more
solicitous about educating their child
rem than the others. Why should the
rich man help to educate that poor
child? Because his property is being
protected by this government. Then
that child will be good citizen and
sufficiently educated to uphold the
right. The wealth of the country will
increase in proportion to the intelli-
gence thereof. No one can deny 1t.
Leave us alone in our besotted ignor-
ance leave us alone in our benighted
death leave us alone; let us plOd
along with our ignornmuses. Now
come down to the practical side OF it.
Now, gentlemen, you know how people
can raise q row in these schools. Every
fellow wants to be boss, wants to run
it, wants to have finger in the pie.
I believe in an increase in the poll
tax. There have been supplementary
reports, minority reports and sub
minority reports. 1 may have been a
fool, gentIemen, | may have been a
fool. I wanted to levy q poll tax Of
SO. I have been all around through
the country and | bamboozled the boys
somehow, because all OF them voted
for me, or nearly all OF them, and /
wanted to offer the $3 poll tax and
believe can justify it before the
people today. How about the negroes?
You would say to them: IF you
want your brats educated, quit spend
ing your money for tobacco and
whiskey."
After some further remarks, Sena-
tor Tillman said Then give us the
So poll tax and the three mill tax.
There had been much talk about the
$l96,000 spent for higher education.
Was not Clemson burnt? Didn't we
build the women's college-$65, 900 to
one and $35, 900 to the other, in clean
cash? Seventeen thousadd five hun
600 to the South Carolina college, and
$25, 900 to Winthrop. Clemson has
now the fertilizer tax and the fund
donated by the Federal government.
You can't add up more than $ll7,0 900 to
save your life, as Il tax which goes to
support these four colleges. We are
now little in debt and are going to
ask you to pay us out. We have gotten
behind. We could not calculate the
exact cost and you are not going to
refuse us, If you are demagogues and
whimsical, you gentlemen of the
general assembly. The Citadel has
South Carolina college has been in
existence nearly century. The
greatest names in the history of South
Carolina are those of men who were
educated there and to be just, must
say the city of Charleston pays nearly
one.eighth ofthe tax Of the Citadel.
am down on military dudes, though
have one at Clemson.
Suppose you took the $4,000 away
from the South Carolina college, how
long would that run your common
schools? About five or six days-not
more. Are you going to do this? 1
do not think 80. This is q school where
high classical education can be had.
Clemson college is teaching the boys
industrial and scientific subjects and
methods. Rock Hill is making teach
ers Of our young women, and teaching
them howIt to become self-supporting.
Now, gentlemen, suppose you take
the proceeds from these colleges? 1t
would not run your schools three
months and then whore are your going
to get your teachers
Gentlemen, | have nothing more to
say, except that ask this convention
to take these remarks for what they
are worth. Are you going to grasp
the opportunity to make perfect sys-
TEN? We will never have it again.
II you cannot rise up above the fear OF
being left at home by your constituents
because you vote this tax, you ought
to stay at home. We have now been
brought face to face with this question.
If they get after you tell them you did
it for the good of South Carolina.