The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-06-25
LAURENs, s. C., June 20, 1896.
A Sober Review.

as q rule; because we regard 1T more
healthful than day in and day out to
dwell in the purlieus Of clouds and
darkness. The tenor OF what we have
written we have endeayored to Tighten
and brighten as much as possible and
In the past we have set down naught In
malice and striven to keep in good
humor with all the world In this mood
we have labored to encourage all read
ers Of this paper. We now desire very
briefly to note the situation in this
State.
Six years ago Tillman, a man of tai
ents, literary requirements more than
usual, OF speaking powers more than
considerable, a man of broad acres and
fortune, o large planter and employer
OF negro labor, of boosted ancient lin
cage, inaugurated a crusade against
the conditions in the State. 1t was at
q time OF great depression in agricul-
ture and consequent unrest and his in
dictment was addressed to the farmers
o that class who are followers OF
the pillow, do most of their work, and
upon which the depression in agricul-
tural products fell peculiarly hard
The indictment preached by Tillman
was substantially that an exclusive
class ruled and ruined the prosperity
of the working men, oppressed them
and while Expressing them, pulled with
esAhe. corporate wealth of the country
and enriched itself at the expense of
oppressed people. Now, it must be kept
" In mind all the while for q fair under
standing OF the situation that Tillman
himself, and his class were the rulers
in-chief Of the State and had con-
trolled its >destinies and formed its
political and>soctal fabric for the Last
century. Tillman and his associates
will not deny that they took part, body
and soul in inaugurating the war; they
will not deny that they rode with
Hampton and Butler and Hagood in
~redeeming the State from the carpet
bag refine. Since Hampton, when it
became practicable to replace the car
pet-baggars, Tillman and his clansmen
were the head and front in governing
the State and electing Butler to TIE
Senate, then Hampton, George Till
man and all the rest. In the mean
while, land we can only speak for our
immediate environment)- the office
leaders, leaders Of public sentiment,
and politicians controlling the State
and keeping these Hamptons and But
,lers in power were these identical Till
.l Att. o.oo,;,&o. kc ooil Ivo
can only speak for IL immediate sur
roundings. To wit: Y. j. Pope, Samp-
son Pope, John L. M. Irby, G. w.
She'll, Hugh l.. Farley, M. l.. Donald
son, Thomas Austin and all the promi-
nent reformers in this section of the
State were partners, offlce-holders and
coconspirators with the Hamptons and
: Buffers in receiving the stolen goods Of
the people, If there were any con-
spiracy, rottenness and oppression of
the people. We venture to assert that
q like condition prevails throughout
the State and that the leading Re-
formers from the mountains TO the sea
were In the Hampton and Butler
phalanx. These men who are the
triers and indicters Of their fellow citi-
zens were joint receivers of the stolen
goods. But the indictment vas pre-
ferred and the partners called to their
backing a large majority of the people
and seized upon the offices and the
honors. The white people as resulting
mon this powerful preaching of rotten
Tess, were divided, q large minority of
the white people were driven into OBJ
security and denied practically any
voice in the government of tho State.
AS a matter of fact this minore was
as completely disfranchised as the ne
groes are in South Carolina. AS further
and naturally resulting, a bitterness
ensued with these factions, as bitter or
more SO than ever existed between an
%tagonistic parties in the history of this
or any other State. Pending this condi-
ton and the impending convention for
modifying the State Constitution, con
stituting a crisis in our history, and
recognizing that there is no real or
vital issue in this State, a patriotic
movement was instituted to bring all
factions together. The leaders of the
dominant faction seeing it their APP
parent interest agreed upon terms of
compromise, by which strife would be
ended, the white people reunited and
a solid front presented against and OPP
posed to every possible ssobstacle to our
prosperous destiny. Then comes by the
overruling of COTS decision an appar-
emit removal of all danger from the
minority element and the leaders OF
the Reformers promptly denounce
peace, and court the strife, which upon
false allegations, they instigated, or
conditions which they we're particers
criminis In creating.
AT the beginning Of this article, wc
proposed q sober, calm view of the past
and the record will show that it is fair
and truthful, and might be stated ten
times as strongly as we have here set
down. We are all in the same boat as
. social and political crew. The Con-
servatives only desire the prosperity OF
the State. They believe that an equal
division among factions Of the dele.
oates to the Constitutional Convention