The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-11-13
Tillman Defeated.


CotuMBIA, &. G., Nov. S.-The Con.
stitutional Convention was engaged all OF
to. day in lively dispensary debate, the
issue being Mr.. Patton's proposition TO
prevent the issuing of injunctions Dy
Judges to prevent the commission OF
crime. The; dispensary law permits.
Judge upon affidavit to put man under
a perpetual Injunction not to sell liquor.
TIN, matter was most exhaustiyely ar
Mr.. George Tillman recounted the
deeds done under this provision OF the
dispensary law. Senator TiJman de-
Tended the dispensary law In his most
pronounced style. The advocates OF Mr..
Patton's measure argued for the preser-
walton of the established principle OF t, the
right of trial by jury for crime. The
measure was finally killed.
at the night session the suffrage article
was called up for third reading, and the
most remarkable session since the Con-
yention convened ensued. After several
insignificant amendments had been made
Senator Tillman offered this amendment
to section L:
"Each of the two political parties cast
inc, the highest numb OF votes at the
preceding election shall have representa-
tfola on the board of managers of elections
at each polling precinct and on the board
of county canvassers in each county"
AIS soon as he put this in he called the
previous question on the whole artlcle.
This was the measure that had been
stricken out before, after big hight.
TNlman made the most remarkable
speech he ever made in his life. lie said:
"Mr. President, do notdesire to make
- " xriah make a atat6-
ment, The Convention will remember
that the article as reported by the COM
mittee had this identical provision In
different place. The other evening, on
the motion, I believe, of the gentleman
from Marlboro, and with only one speech
from the committee, the section was
stricken out. The committee met yes
terday afternoon, and after careful con-
si6eration of the entire subject-not In
connection only with South Carolina, but
in connection with the matter from q
national standpoint-that this Conven-
ton cannot afford to put itself on record
the article having been brought In here
with this provision in it-that 1t Will not
keep it there, and the com mittee is unanl-
NOUS in this, that it should be an inte-
gral part of the Constitutions. But 1t ls
not only in Difference to public opinion,
but from our own self-respect and pro-
lection, that we desire to put it back
there. Such provision is In almost
every State Constitution Of the United
states north of Mason and Dixon's line.
Every man who has been reading the
Northern papers must realize that we
ara being watched from one end Of this
country to another. We are already
twitted with proposing to perpetuate
| trickery and fraud and to strike down
free American voters by our machina-
tions and machinery. We have openly
ayowed our purpose to do certain things,
brit we cannot openly avow this purpose.
We ask you not to stultify this body by
putting It on record that we propose to
perpetuate the conditions that have ex-
| listed in the past, and we think you ought
| to give US some consideration.
hYou invite attack from Congress. from
the Supreme Court Of the United States
and from all the enemies Of South Caro-
| lina and all enemies of the South and the
| friends Of the negroes. But there Is
another consideration. We have been
laboring so long under the dread of negro
domination that in our efforts here to
rectify our Constitution and throw q
safeguard around our suffrage and the
elections of this country, we have been
otliyious to the fact that we are making
a Constitution that is unalterable and we
| would leave It to the hands Of every
party In this State that might in the fu-
ture get possession Of the machinery to
cheat white men-our equals and our
fellow citizens.
HI believe that it Is almost enevitable,
seeing that men are born different. that
they look at things through different
spectacles, that we will have division
among the whites in this State as there is
even here. Elsewhere there is indepen-
deptism, and in the future we viii have
.it-.White man against white man-and
the question Is are we going to put it in
the powor of one set of white men to see
that their votes are put in the proper
boxes and that they are honestly counted.
sWe are here to-day with $1,000 odd on
one side and St, 900 on the other and moth
ing but the patriotism of the one side has
kept it from appealing to those corrupt
votes to overthrow Us. God forbid that
we should so far divide as to bring in
this vote as balance Of power, but II we
should divide, we should not put it In
the power Of the party in Office. We
have all the commissioners and mana
gers you may put the votes In there,
but we will count them. Don't let us,
who are now in power, forget that the
wheels of fortune are always turning !;
that politics are the most uncertain
grounds that man can walk On. See
the changes in the North. Only three
years ago the Democratic party swept the
country with an overwhelming majority
and now they are covered with defeat and
disgrace. We Reformers should put this
clause here for our own protection, for
the day may come when our own vote
may be jeopardized if we do not provide
representation on the board Of Supervi-
sors and managers"
Then the whole article was finally
adopted and sent beyond the Conventions
reach by vote CT II to Al. Thus it is
seen that it was by no means the unani-
nous vote of the Convention that adopted
the scheme.