The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-09-24
BEN TILLMAN's PHILiPPIO.
FURIOUS ASSAULT ON BUTLER.

:. FURIOUS ASSAULT ON BUTLEL
, "A Superb Description of NotabI
Incidents in the Hampton Can
Raign Ra,g Eaa,s E,masterlE ter ao,% Trabn;e to til
Mr.. President: AS my colleague o
. my left has asked that q reason b
given as to why four members of tn
Edgefeld delegation desire to amen
the resolution L will cheerfully give /
to him and to this convention. 1t s
happens that on Saturday | was absen
when the speeches on this subject wer,
made aud the vote taken. [ have ,
daughter who went to Georgia on
visit to relatives about five weeks ago
Shortly after that she was taken sfcl
and was dangerously Ill. She had suf
ticiently recovered, 80 | was informed
to expect to be home on Saturda,
evening, and my only purpose In asking
leave of absence was the natural desire
of father to see his child. 1t Is per.
haps fortunate that 1 was not here be.
cause from reports in the papers as tC
what was said and what / have. been
told it may not have been possible for
me to discuss the question in cold
blood. hope, however, that | have
| self-possession enough to treat the
There are personal reasons Of two
fold nature why L would prefer and
could pray God that the necessity
should not be forced on me to discuss
this issue, but have never shirked a
duty or been driven from a stand,
which | have taken from principle.
Sentiment rules the world and while
material interests and selfshness
govern men, no passion can rise above
sentiment, and when the feelings are
aroused or wounded, men will do that
to which nothing else will drive them.
Therefore, rise TO do justice to the
living and also to do justice to the
dead.
The people of this proposed new
county want the name of Saluda. They
petitioned for it as Saluda; they drew
the ordinance as Saluda and they still
want it to be Saluda. Therefore justice
demands that they shall have it named
Saluda | wish to say here that in
discussing this question shall attempt
not to display prejudice. hope | am
capable Of rising above prejudice. The
question is necessarily personal in
large measure, because the man after
whom it is sought to name the county
has been considered somewhat as being
in the United States Senate
by me and some perhaps think Il
oppose it because of his name. 1t is
true, but not from prejudice. / am
not lighting an individual. am
simply attempting TO prevent this con-
vention from stuitifying itself and send
ing the news abroad that the Reform
convention of South
Carolina has robuked the Legislature
which retired Butler from the United
rot
name of Butler from Nj. G. You must
that he is the only living
oft his name of any pro-
minence. Butler of Revolutionary
fame, Pierce Butler, the hero of the
Mexican War, who was killed at
Cherubusco, and A. p. Butler, the
jurist, judge and statesman, who was
the uncle Of Gen. Nj. G. Butler, have
all passed out Of recollection and the
record Of their deeds is ancient history
with which the people OF outside States
are not familiar, and very few inside
the State remember them. That
action OF the convention would herald
it abroad thai the convention had re-
versed the action of the Legislature as
far as possible and named the county
for M. 9. Butler. He is the only one
of his name and some years ago he was
the highest representative of that
name. There are other names illus
trious in our history that we could
give to this territory. There is Cal
houn, McDuilie, Hayne, Hammond,
M Moultrie-scores OF them, who have
not yet thus been hOnored by the State.
| say here and measure my words,
that this last representative has dis
graced the name OF Butler and made
it stencil in the nostrils of every
white man in South Carolina who
loves his race and would preserve its
civilization. After he had made his
fight before the people of South Caro-
lima and been fairly beaten in the can
vass last summer he continued his
efforts to defeat the will Of the people.
We are told that it was the disgruntled
Office seekers who barked at his heels
like hounds and .whOretired him. You
know whether it is true or not. We
have also been told that lit is doubtful
II his equal will ever be seen in the
United States Senate from this State.
[ can meet the stab coming from
whence it does without word. l
don't set up myself as being his equal
or superior. | have never blOwed my
own horn. | have met all my op-
ponents fairly and bravely in the forum
Of debate and the people have passed
on my record as man and as an officer,
and when they have given me such
substantial recognition, | can afford
to pass this by. AS to my friend on
my right Urby) who seems to be in the
same boat as | am in the contemptuous
comparison made by the gentleman
who spoke on Saturday, that is his
concern and not mine, but IL he is
willing to acknowledge his inferiority
to Gen. Butler he can do 80. Perhaps
there are others here who will agree
with him.
| wish now to pass to another phase
Of the subject-to do justice to the
dead. The assertion was made that
Mart Gary dieG under cloud of pre-
judice. say it is not true. He died
under cloud of slander aud lies
heaped on him by tle man who de
| feated him by unfair methods in 1880,
who broke his heart, took snap judg-
ment or him and the people and nomi-
mated Hagood. happen to be wit
ness who can disprove this assertion
from personal knowledge. About two
weeks before the Edgefield conven-
tion, | happened in Augusta, and
there met man who was friend o
Gen. Butler and he let it out to me
that there was scheme on foot tC
beat Gary in his own county and tha
he was being charged with indepen
dentism. | wr tie to Gen. Gary ami in
formed him OF this scheme and asked
him by the memories of rs to put the
lie on the insinuation that he would
run as an Independent by declaring
that he would abide nv tho rneult N