The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-07-23
The constitutional Convention Cam
yass.


and addressed by candidates for the pc
sition of delegates. On yesterday the
meeting for this township was held in
the Court House. ThecouRty meetings
were SHINY attended, numbering fifty
and less. The meeting opened yesterday
with about fifty, one half red hot Re.
formers, and tho balance Conservatives
there out of that low vice. curiosity.
When Senator Irby spoke probably the
attendance reached a hundred. Dr..
Williams Wright preeided. Col. Jno.
I'll. Wharton was tho the first speaker
and substantially said:
The emergency of selecting delegates
to a convention to make our organic Law
is q matter of great gravity. AS 1t now
stands it should be largely uprooted.
He WAS opposed to ali educational or
property qualification for the suffrage
this would knock ont ten negroes and
five white men; no white man should be
disfranchised; white mans taxes for
whites; negroes taxes for negroes;
every county officer to be elected for four
years; opposed . three dollar pom tax /;
fayors it as it is.
Senator Irby was thenintroduced, and
though out OF voice and not we'll. he
spoke for one hour, heartily received by
the reform element of the audience,
Here q large element OF Conservatives
cams in, and they too listened with in
terest. He alluded TO lio position as
State Democratic Chairman, and his
speech "a mainly directed to an expla.
nation Of his position in opposition to
the Tillman-H emphill arrangement for
an equal division of delegates. It was
in the teeth Of the democratic doctrine
OF majority rule: it was taking away the
rights Of tho people to name their dele
| gates in democratic primaries. He
rather sympathised with the Forty, but
he could not swallow the crowd thai had
fooled Tlllman, whereupon he"roasted"
Cal. Hemphill, the editor who repre-
sented Wall Street, 10 Barnwell, Of
Charleston, q fellow of infinite smart
ness, railroad attorney, and who he,
Ivy "S"'' ihNhS" SiSop pESSSi ia wv
interest of railroads against the State Of
South Coroliua; Mower, of Newberry,
a rich man; Dun Henderson, Of Aiken,
a lawyer, and Haynesworth, OF Green
vile, n lawyer, were all honored with
attention as personel OF tho gang of
Philistincs, who had inveigled the in
%nocent, unsuspeCting Tillman. Mower
a good fellow, Itch and director OF q
bank, good fellow emphasized; Hender-
son had said at White Sulphur that lie
hang his head in shame when his State
a mentionci-a fine illustration Of a
degenerate son OF q great old State.
Tho State was never democratic until
redeemed in '76 by farmers, although
Hamptan claimed negroes votedfor him;
it vas governed by en- "intelligont mi
nority?" who had also the wealth; in
80 it was put o. q democratic footing
by Reformers. Reformers were the IN
ly democrats. He would suffer his right
hand cut of before he would have II
toned q un1omocratic equal division.
Send all simon puCo Refomers TO the
Convention and no fence straddlcra.
Senator Irby denounced strongly and
~viciously las The friend Of the Dispen.
sary Law that feature by which circuit
Judges sent while men t0the Penitent-
larry In felons stripes for contempt Ct
Court. We regret We can't give his
speech moro fully, but The above is a
~flayoring Of the whole. He favored the
Homestead and wonld increase the cx-
emption to s 2 $500. He also said that Shy.
locks would have gotten all the property
in the State in 1865 but for this law, for
getting that the "nigger" constitution Of
1868 gave tho Homestead fist to the
people Of South Carolina. THE Senator
was mistaken, but nodoubt the carpet
baggers expected to bag the property
left in the State and hold it for tile ne
groes ndcr tho homestead rroviaion.)
The ,spensary should not be incor-
porated i'll the constitutions; ~dispensaIy
profits should 90 to the public shoots;
LIT the 2 mill tax stand; do away with
the South Carolina College and Citadel
(applause); leave Clemson and the Pri-
mary schools to have the public money
OF the State. Did not favor the Mis5is-
sippi plan; opposed to property or cdu-
c~ational qualifications; any thing that
would ~disqualify a single poor white
man couldn't say how the negro could
be disqualified without touching the
white man; but the eggs arc setting
which will hatch in due time and devel-
ope the plan which will secure white su,
premacy without DISTINGUISHING the cit
izenship Of n single white man. The
ablest minds in the State were at work
on the problem.
He was followed by Mr.. Henry. He
favored II homestead, 2 mill tax, quail,
fled to 60 as the taxpayer wanted it; no
white a should DO DISTINGUISHED by
educational or property qualifications
every white man must vote, all were
poor: not enough rich mes to hold the
Offices; tho poor nan ancestors had
fought, bled and died for the golden key
OF liberty.
Samuel McCravy, Refolmer asked
how no. could d~iafranchis) black and
not white, when he rctreatel to Senator
Irby's setting Of eggs.
Mr.. Alexander Smith took tho same