The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-04-09
CONDEMNED BY TII.I.MAN.
The Forty" Conference Does Not
Meet His ApprOval-He Prefers His
Own Agrccment.

The Forty" Conference Does Not
Meet His ApprOval-He Prefers His
Own Agreement.
Senator Tillman was interviewed by
q newspaper correspondent last week,
and gave his Vows upon the action Of
the recent convention and questions
relating thereto, as follows:
1t appears to me that the action OF
the convention tendsjrather TO aggra-
vate than to soptiIG tno situation. The
failure to[sdopt us II part of the scheme
OF p~ac:iicatiOn the conditions agreed
upon by the conference held, on Febru-
airy. 20, while accepting the idea of
giving half to each faction. opens the
n question, and will, [ foar, de-
stroy In . large measure the chances
OF having the convention elected with
out a struggle between the factions.
Those conditions are vital and | for
one, would never consent to any such
agreement, and in speaking thus |
desire to recall the fact, which some
people seem to have forgotten or pur-
posoly misconstrued, that [ have never
IN this business assumed to dictate to
n people or attempted to bind them in
any way. Many Of my friends have
misunderstood my actions, and others
have been quick to suggest treachery
to the people, and in Il willingness to
make terms with the enemies of the
Reform movement, which we're unfair
and undemOcratic, inasmuch us
agreed to advocate an equal division
as FAR as possible, thereby surrender
ing The right ofthe majority to govern.
nave mover and do not o TO
do more than advise and that advice
VIII DC taken ornot as the people see fit.
= note that great stress was laid on
the TACT OF the Governor and myself
agreeing to an equal division, and the
proposal to substitute fair or 'eouit-
able for equal was rejected mainly
on That ground, and herein lies the
very danger of which I spoke in a pre-
ylous interview of betrayal of the Re-
form movement under the guise of pa
cification. 1t is well known that there
are men holding positions in the Re
form movement who have been opposed
to almost everything we have accom-
plished or undertaken. In fact, thcy are
Eteformers only in name, and for us to
agree to an equal division without con-
dltlons, and then have some of these
men elected as RefOrmers with
tho most absolute certainty that
they would align themselves in
ohc NthSchUtOu WIFI inc anus would
be to surrender the control OF that
convention before it is elected. AS a
trusted leader Of the Reform move
ment could never consent to advo-
cate any scheme that would jeopardizc
the right to vote of the poor and IL
nterate white men who have so
trusted me. These men were warned
by. the Conservatives who opposed the
calling OF the, convention last Novem-
Der that If the convention was called
they would have voted their last time,
n now 1T is proposed to have q con-
v.ention elected giving the Conserve
tiyes hall OF tho representation without
conditions, thus making 1t possible to
have the prediction fulfilled. The
excuse Is that we must have q con-
which will ensure white
supremacy without resort TO fraud. III
don't know that any one proposes to
Incorporate q provision i'm tho new
Constitution which will give MS a
fraudulent white supremacy, but we
can't lift ourselves over the fence by J
our boot strsps, and We must have