The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-11-13

of Mr.. Johnston. 1t Was nay Intention
to 20, bu: something occurred al
home. either sickness or something
ike t!;at. that prevantc;! ice from 80
ing. would like t. ;lsl: him one
question Ei,i not come mere. stay
and light as hard Is any 1aan possibly s
could to carry this c0nvention!"
M.. Tillman: You did, but ycu al
terwa.ds charged that when the battle
was on Evans ran out Of the State.
whereas Evans was at bis postand You
at home sick, 50 you say. sarcastical
ly)
Mr.. Irby: Il did not say I was sick
It comes with il! grace from him, after
all that has happened in the past, that
he should charge me for one moment
with shirklng responsibility Or run
ming from anything. l did say that
when the fight was fiercest Governor
Evans fled the State and could not be
found by telegram or letter. and I as
serted it for the reason that asked by
telegram, or probably in person, Of
the brother Of the Governor why it
was that he did not come and help me
in his own election and in the desper-
ate struggle in calling the convention.
He could not tell me where the IN
tended Governor was, and on the
night Of the election, at 2 o'clock, af-
ter the tight had been won, before the
smoke Of the battle had cleared away,
our young Governor came into my
room, and I reproached him and asked
him why it was that he had left me IN
such an extremity and had not come to
my assistance. He said: Well, have
been off to see my girl, daughter } and
| was afraid that you would commit
me to some pledge that I could not car
rv out. Now, sir, | say that when l was
here facing all the dangers of defeat
and the odium of defeat, that he had
little to do, and he might have spared
the time to come here aud help carry
on his own election as well rs carry
the convention"
Mr.. Tillman: with that I have
nothing to do I only mention this
incidentally, as I myself, have been
accused of certain things, and the gen
tleman should remember that those
who live in glass houses should not
throw stones, and inasmuch as he has
seen proper to twit me, to say that If
comes with i'll grace from ne to even
insinuate such things against him, l
take this occasion to let you and the
State of South Carolina know that the
apparent quarrel between me and the
gentleman is all of his own make, and
that am in no wise responsible. F"
TILLMAN's STORY OF THE CONFERENCE.
When the Barnwell-Hemphill. Ev-
ans-Tillman conference was held |
went into it reluctantly because it
brought me in contact with man, the
Editor of the News and Courier, who
has been most implacable and infa-
nous in his abuse of me in the news
paper, and with Barnwe1l, the recalci-
trant leader. hot Haskellite, who
said on this floor, ben Tillman shall
never be Governor Of South Caro-
lima" But as | saw at that time the
tension between the factions was such
that every prospect was that we would
have the Conservatives mobilizing the
| negroes in an effort to control this
| convention to keep US, as they claimed,
from doing wrong to their property,
their rights and their liberties, l sunk
my personal feeling and went to that
conference. We had it in the Cover
por's office. 1t began at S o'clock.
| We talked, we jawed and wrangled
until 3, and l leave it to the members
of that conference On this floor if. af-
ter having talked over the question as
10 how we could come together and
come to an agreement, did not say,
Gentlemen. unless you rise above
petty, personal, contemplate purposes
you cannot do anything, and we had
Just as well retire"
There are men on this floor who
were present and they will bear me
out. If not let them rise now and de-
ny it. l dictated the terms on which
we agreed, and the basic principle was
that no white man should be disfran-
chised except by crime, because that
was the guiding star which actuated
my entire purpose and action. l
would suffer the loss of both my arms
before would do anything knowing
ly to jeopardize those rights and not
redeem my pledge to those men. Sup
pose we had not had any conference.
No one knows what might have hap
pened. The Conservative faction war
ring one side, saying that's right,
come and let's do it, and the other
side saying: mo, trust Ben Tillman,
Irby and Evans? Not bit of it. If
they get so many majority IN that
convention they may as we'll have 1t
all" That was the war cry Of these
people as against the News and Cou-
rier.
God works in mysterious way.
His wonders to perform, and they
may have been made an instrument
without their knowledge. The dan
ger existed, that the Conservatives
would unite and go to the negro
passed. 1 told those gentlemen that
night, and they would bear me out,
that I did not believe they could get
anybody to 60 that would amount tc
anything, that the white instinct was
too patriotic, that they would talk and
blow, but that they could not get
nough white men to follow these
Radicals in their efforts in that direc-
ton. I conceal nothing. I deceived
nobody. said the mistake you have
made. gentlemen. is in believing that
I am ali powerful and can lead these
people anywhere and make them do
anything l please.
You have misconceived the purport
and handspring Of the Reform Move
ment. SIMPLY lead the people the way
they want to 60 and | am their leader.
Because of that l promised them moth
ing except my Own personal support
and I was ready to give it. Did the
Conservatives accept it: No. The News
and Courier alone, of all the daily pa
pers of the State, said it was the wisest
course and urged its compliance. The