Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-04-03
TILLMAN OBJECTS.
He Will Eight the World, the Flesh and
the Devil"

the Devil"
A representative of the Columbia
State interviewed Senator Tillman
last Friday on the subject of the Forty
agreement, and the interview appeared
in the daily papers of Saturday MORN
ing. The senator spoke as follows:
"It appears to me that the action of
the convention tends rather to aggra-
vate than sooth the situation. The
failureto adopt as part of fthe scheme
of pacifcation the conditions agreed
upon by the conference held on Feb
ruary 20, while accepting the idea of
giving half to each faction, opens the
whole question anew, and will, fear
destroy, in large measure, the chances
of having the convention elected with
out a struggle between the factions.
These conditions are vital and I, for
one, would never consent to any such
agreement, and in speaking thus, I de-
sire to recall the fact which some peo-
pie seem to have forgotten or purpose
ly misconstrued, that have never
in this business assumed to dictate to
the people or attempted to bind them
in any way. Many of my friends have
misunderstood my action, and others
have been quick to suggest treachery
to the people, in willingness to make
terms with the enemies of the Reform
movement which were unfair and un-
Democratic, inasmuch as l agreed to
advocate an equal division as far as
possible. Thereby surrendering the
right Of the majority to govern. l
have never and do not now assume to
do more than advise, and that advice
will be taken or not as the people see fit.
"I note that great stress was laid on
the fact of the governor and myself
agreeing to an equal division and the
proposal to substitute fair or 'equita-
ble' for equal was rejected, mainly on
that ground, and herein lies the very
danger of which I spoke in previous
interview of betrayal of the Reform
movement, under the guise of pac-
ification.' 1t is well-known that
there are men holding positions in
the Reform movement who have
been opposed to almost everything
we have accomplished or undertake
en-. In fact they are Reformers only
in name, and for us to agree to an
equal division without conditions, and
then have some Of these men elected
as Reformers, with the absolute GER
tainty that they would align themselves
in the convention with the Ants would
be to surrender the control of the con-
vention before it is elected. AS a trust
ed leader of the Reform movement,
could never consent to advocate any
scheme that would jeopardize the right
to vote of the poor and illiterate white
men who had so trusted me.
"These men were warned by the Con-
servatives who opposed the calling Of
the convention last November that if
the convention was called they would
have to vote their last time, and now it
is proposed to have convention elect
ed giving the Conservatives half of the
representation without conditions, thus
making it possible to have the predic-
tions fulfilled. The excuse is that we
must have constitution which will
insure white supremacy without resort
to fraud. 1 don't know that anyone
proposes to incorporate provision in
the new constitution which will give
US fraudulent white supremacy but
we can't lift ourselves over the fence
by our boot straps, and we must have
relief from the incubus of universal Ne
gro suffrage. 1t is all very we'll for the
Forty convention and the Conserva-
tives to subscribe unanimously to the
doctrine of white supremacy. A simple
educational and property qualification
would solve the whole vexed question.
We would have white supremacy, and
we would also have the supremacy Of
the old crowd who have been out in
the cold for four years along with it.
These men have been chastened by
defeat, and their restoration to power
might not produce any unpleasant
revolutions in existing conditions, but
will never consent to put it in their
power to disfranchise any white man
except for crime. lam ready to stand
by the agreement we have already
made and exert whatever influence I
may possess in electing non-partisan
convention on that basis. Thousands
of Reformers are dissatisfied with the
idea of equal representation although
they are willing to give proportionate
representation upon the basis of the
primary of 1892. 1t is perhaps as good
a time as any to state that as practical
men all the Reformers who attended
the conference of the Goth of Febru-
ary foresaw that this would be the
case, and we expressed the belief that