The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-06-25
BARNwsLL,s PLAIN TALK.
HIS STATEMENT OF THE CON.
FERENCE AGREEMENT.
He Reviews the Situation in the STATE
and Gives His Views ofthe Famous
Pence Con larnnnR

Inc CnafleStOn News and Courier
has interviewed Mr.. Joseph w. Barn
Wen, as member OF the conference
between Senator Tillman and othei
Reformers and members of the Con
servative party, who consented to give
his views of the situation US affected
by the late declaration of Senator
Tillman.
Mr.. Barnwell." asked the reporter,
do you consider your agreement at
an end owing TO the withdrawal of the
Reformers who signed it?"
! In the first place, do not know
that all the Reformers have with
drawn from it," replied Mr.. Barnwell
Governor Evans, | see, II ma:ntains
that he is still in favor of it, and it
would not be fair to treat him or the
other members as having repudiated
either its letter or spirit until they
have said So"
Then what will the Conservatives
do upon Governor Tillman's withdraw
al 7" asked the reporter.
l have no authority to speak for
any member except myself" said Mr..
| Barnwell. but am perfectly willing
to say what 1 think should be done.
You must remember that Messrs.
Homphill, Moses, Sloan, MCGOWAN and
Mower, who, with me, met Senator
Tillman and his friends, acted under
the terms of II resolution which insist
ed upon only one condition-that there
should be an even division in the
whole convention between the Conser-
vatves and Roformers. All other
matters were considered subsidiary,
and 1T Is violating 40 confidence to say
that The terms requiring an equal di-
vision were more strongly insisted
upon among the gentlemen whom the
conservative committee represented,
by the laymen than by the lawyers. SO
that SO far as those gentlemen are
concerned Senator Tillman is entirely
IN error III saying that the interests Of
corporations directed the demand for
equal representation. The argument
used Tor an equal representation was
very Slmple and obvious; that it
rendered the convention a body which
was the. representative of neither fac
tion )f the Demo cratic party one, but
of both that when it met it should do
so as the result OF Il compromise and
not rs the creature OF one faction or
the other which had been victorious
alter II contest ut the polls. II thus
elected it would not be necessary to
submit its work back TO the people. as
1T represented them all, and in all
probability it would be II body bent
upon doing all that was possible to
regulate the difficult question of the
suffrage in such manner as to secure
the State from the dangers of ignorant
universal suffrage.
The terms finally agreed upon
were the only ones, after long and
earnest discussion, which it seemed
possible TO obtain. The Reformcrs
distinctly said that they could not
speak for their whole party. The
Conservatives equally discaimed any
power. to speak for the Conservatives
"The view taken by the Conserva-
tives was that already there was Il
well-developcd sentiment in the State
in favor Of having no contest over the
convention, and that if Senator Till
man, Governor Evans and their friends
would pronounce also in favor Of such
u movement IL would certainly be cur
ricu out.
when the other side asked what
guarantee we had that the Conserva-
tivcs would consent to an cqaul divis-
ion our reply was that We could not
conceive Of any large number of them
refusing such an oifer, although of
course it was impossible to say what
all would do. | still think was per-
fectly accurate in my judgment, for il
the ReiormerS on the committee had
all earnestly undertaken IL canvas on
behalf OF these terms and even now, if
the matter were pushed, an agreement
could be reached.
"Of course no enc asked at the
meeting, nor has any Conservative
suggested since, that the constitution
should regulate the suffrage in such
way as to be in violation of the Consti-
tuition OF the United States or sanction
the exclusion of voters through fraud
but | have always maintained and do
maintain today that the terms agreed
upon, though not all Of them, what
would be in favor of under ordinary
circumstances, nor except as a comprO-
upon which both Reformers and Con
servatives might agree certainly
there was nothing dishonorable or sub.
vcrsive Of any principle whatever, for
wicked as 1T may seem, do not be-
licve in the divine right of an igno
rant and barbarOus majority to control
civilized and intelligent minority.
IL was expected that the agreement
would be tierccly attacked from the
very two quarters from which it has
been assaulted, but the curious sight
was presented Of the Conservatives
being denounced on the one hand by
mellDefS Oi Ineif party as anytnlnS
from weak and silly dupcs to 'unprin-
cipled schemcrs and wire-pullcrs and
at the same time that Senator Tilman
and Governor Evans shO,lld be assailed
by their party as weakly giving away
to the influence and Establishments OF
the Conservative members, but in the
State at large the ma j0rity of both
ReformerS ana Conservatives felt that
a long step had been taken towards
settling very difficult question upon
some basis, and in u number OF cOun-
ties the feeling was so strong that
they had already determined on the
terms of division.
"Then came Judge COTS decision.
No constitutional lawyer for II mrmcnt
thought that it could be upheld, and
it's effect, if acquiesced in, would
really have prevented any regulation
whatever of the suffrage i'm the future.
For a time the Reformcrs seemed to
realize the danger Of al angry con
test over the control of the convention,
and great impetus was given TO the
growing belief in some compromise.
1t was, in my opinion, IL great OPP
pOrtunity for all Conservatives To ~
once agree that they would come to-
gcther and overthrow Judge Goif's
decision and join hands with the Re
formers even if circumstances seemed
to show that for the time ben, the
advantage was with the Conservatives.
Undoubtedly IL number Of the Conser-
yatiyps were olate1 nv tbr frol inr fin at