The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-09-25


bravely in the forum of debate and
the people have passed on my record
as man and as as an officer and when
they have given me such substantial
recognition, I can afford to pass this
by. AS to my friend on my right
Grby) who seems to be in the same
boat as / am in the contemptuous com
parison made by the gentleman who
spoke on Saturday, that is his concern
and not mine, but if he is willing to
acknowledge his inferiority to General
Butler he can do so. Perhaps there
are others here who will agree with
him.
I wish now to pass to another phase
of the subject-to do justice to the
dead. The assertion was made that
Mart Gary died under a cloud of pref.
udice. say it is not true. He died
under a cloud of SANDER and lies
heaped on him by the man who de-
feated him by unfair methods in 1880,
who broke his heart, took snap judg-
ment on him and the people and NOM
mated Hagood. happen to be a wit
ness who can dispro7e this assertion
from personal knowledge. About two
weeks before the Edgefeld convention
happened in Augusta and there met
a man who was a friend of Gen. But
Ter and he let it out to me that there
was a scheme on foot to beat Gary in
his own county and that he was being
charged with independentism. l wrote
to Gen. Gary and informed him of this
scheme and asked him by the mem
cries of '76 to put the lie on the insin-
uation that he would run as an lnde.
pendent by declaring that he would
abide by the result of the State con-
vention. On the morning of the
meeting of the Edgefeld convention
went 10 Gary and he showed me his
speech in manuscript, saying that is
what I shall print. I don't know
what shall say. There was a phrase
in it which might have given his enc
mics chance to make unjust charges
against him and at my request he al
lowed me to change it to a decided ex.
preston of his determination to stand
by the result of the State convention,
He thereby pledged himself and went
to the convention the true choice OF
the people of the State. As soon as
his enemies had gotten hold of the
rope which I had placed around his
neck, although the convention had
been called to nominate delegates to
tn the national convention, they
tricked him and nominated Hagood
and We all had to submit. Nobody
can say truuthfully that he was &C
cused of Independentism except his
enemies.
THE CASH LETTER.
Mr.. G.. D. Tillman: Did you ever
hear of the letter he wrote to Gen.
Cash2
Senator Tillman: Yes, I have heard
of the Cash letter, and it had reference
to Gen. Buffers cowardly and un-
grateful attack on Col. Cash about the
duel with Shannon. 1t had no refer
ence whatever TO independentism-
and was not published until after
Gary's death. When the mass meet
ing was called at Edge6eld at which
nv distinguished colleague paid his
tribute to his dead friend, the mass
meeting to consider the question of
raising monument to the bald eagle
of Edgefeld, it was Senator Buffers
influence and that ofhis friends which
prevented action being taken. They
pursued the dead hero even into his
grave and paralyzed the efforts to hon.
or his memory. This it was and not
independentism, which his enemies
had whispered and circulated.
If Mart Gary had run as an Inde.
pendent it would have been nothing
more than he ought to have done after
being swindled and cheated by Hamp-
ton, Butler, Hsgood and that crowd.
lam not pursuing Gen. Butler. Al
ter he was defeated last summer did he
submit No. There are men on this
floor who, if they would speak, could
tell you, because they have told me,
that he organized the movement, of
which Pope was the leader, and travel
ed from county to county to put indie
pendent tickets in the fie2 that he
abused all Refor1neRs, the Newspapers
charged that there was a ring and did
everything that was disgraceful and
tried to use the negro. He is pursu-
ing me in the Senate to keep me from
being seated as your representative in
that body. Does this convention want
to aid him to strangle me too by Civ
ing his name to this new countya No
Butler but he is known outside of the
State except to those who have studied
its history. You cannot divorce him
from his ancestry.
We are asked to name a county af-
ter this traitor. Will you disgrace
yourselves by giving his name to this
country To name this county Butler
will be regarded by the outside world
as a vindication Of his recent action.
Allusions have been made to Butler
and Gary linking their names together
as the heroes of '76. I acknowledge
that Butler did his duty, but he was
not the peerless leader that the other
man was and I assert here from per-
sonal knowledge that it was Gary's
bravery and audacity which won the
fight for Anglo-Sax civilization in
that trying period and redeemed the
State from the thraldom and degrada-
ton into which it had sunk. Memory
brings to mind two incidents of that
memorable campaign and I cannot re-
frain from relating them as they will
feelingly illustrate the temper and
character and service of the two men.
AN INCIDENT OF rs.
Those of you who are old enough
will remember that after the famous