The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-03-05
IRBY rs A KICKER.
HE REPUDIATEs AND REJECTS
ALL CONCILIATORY PLANS.

AE% HstNh AMI
ALL CONCILIATORY PLANS.
Favors q Straight Contest and Con
siders mselftBetrayed-A Savage
Attack on TiIlinan and Evans.
am receiving letters from all over
the State protesting against the con-
summation OF u scheme or agreement
between Senator-elect Tillman and
Governor Evans on one side and John
Calvin Hemphill and Joe Barnwell of
Charleston on the other.
My friends of the Reform movement
seem to be anxious TO know whether
am acting In collusion with Governor
Evans against what they conceive to
be sacrifice and surrender of princi-
pie and their rights in the election of
delegates to the State convention. 1
wish you would favor me with the
publication OF this letter, which must
necessarily be brief, to say that 1 was
not consulted by either side to this
agreement and without my subsequent
acquiescence cannot be bound in any
respect by what has been done.
In 1885, when Tillman commenced
his most remarkable career, I was
among the first who echoed for him in
Laurens County. Laurens and two or
three others endorsed his position In
the election of members of the Legis-
lature and we went to the Legislature
to be sneered' at and almost spit
upon by the ring or clan in the
ly by the Cal. Hemphill and Joe Barn
we'll class OF politicians. When we
had reached the climax, the crisis,
Tillman backed down and wrote let
ter withdrawing from politics or hav-
ing anything to do with 1t. Men who
were as much In sympathy with his
ideas and opinions as he was, even in
an apparently ignomlnious minority,
were unwilling to follow him and for
sake the people whom we had dared
TO lead, and they continued tho fight
in the Legislature. He was tied hand
and foot. He could not have gone be-
any Office after his letter Of retirement
but for the death of Mr.. Clemson, be-
queathing that property to the State
for the benefit OF the farmer boys.
This gave him a new opportunity and
at my suggestion he came back into
the political arena. We met ut Dan
TOmpkins house on the line of Edge
field and Abbeville Counties, in tte
spring of 1889, and agreed upon a fight
that would give the people Of the
State control and dethrone the party
led by Cal. Hemphill and Joe Barn
we'll. The condition and understand
ing was that Tillman was to lead AMI
be the nominee OF the farmers for Gov
ernor. This is where the March con-
vention scheme was agreed upon and
the work carried on by the prepara-
tion OF manifesto, which was publish
ed in January following that, calling
the March convention which nomi-
mated Tillman for Governor,
So far as l was concerned, results
were all that 1 wanted. did not ex-
pect any position and my promotion to
the Speakership' and to the United
States Senatorship was as great sur
prise to me as 1t was to my many
friends. Since my election to the Son
ate have tried in every respect to be
true to the people who elected me,
both in Washington and at home.
One OF the main principles that was
advocated at the March convention
and intended to be carried to success
was the calling of constitutional con-
ventton, and l may say here that it
was the hardest fight that we ever had
since 1890. We had CAL Hemphill,
Joe Barnwell, the editor Of The State
and OF the Greenville News, opposed to
that call. say it with proper respect
and friendship to our present Governor
that when the crisis came and it look
ed as IL defeat would follow the action
of the State convention overwhelming
ly he held the State and could not be
found by telegram or letter. Senator
Tillman stood true to me, as chairman
of the party, and did all he could. We
did our best to make this call and are
now being abused and vilitied all over
the United States on the charge OF
and fraud. 1 had at least
expected him to stand by the people
whom he had led since 1890 and not go
into any alliance or compromise (for
means surrender of
principle) with such men as Barnwell
and Cal. Hemphill. l know what it
Infes ns.ss nss-.affter- the most faithful loyalty
to Tillman since 1859 up &&PS"tt9 20 t&iss TIL time.
also know what it means after my |
myself into the breach just |
one year ago to save Evans from dis
graceful defeat, to dare to oppose any |
scheme that they may agree upon. If
the terms OF agreement between this |
crowd had been fair and honorable to |
the people and to the Reform move
ment, would not say word, but it |
means the defeat of the object Of the |
sooner the people of the State know 1t
the better for them.
speak as a individual Reformer and
not as State chairman, because have |
already acted and had hoped that the
primary scheme would have saved the
party from u wreck, l want it under
stood now and for all time that | will
not and do not agree to any equal di-
vision OF the delegates to the cOnven-
tion. AS for Laurens, we propose to
stand upon principle and to elect our
delegates from among mon who can be
trusted to take care of the rights OF
the poor men and genuine Democrats
of the country. Any agreement by
Tillman or Evans Is gratuitous and
can not bind us. An equal division
with lot of sworn Conservatives and
half OF the Tillmanites who will prove
treacherous when the crisis comes
means an utter failure of this conven-
tion to take care OF the rights and the
property of the people OF the State
and white supremacy.
Before the election was held in No
vember, I intimated in an interview
that division of delegates according
ITO the numerical strength OF each fac
ION would possibly be fair, but know
"a that we controlled three .fourths at
Il, would not have imposed the
s. an equal division upon any sane
81 hen was contending before
after having sustained him
~ s. Ajority of $4,000, Hemphill
s.. ell refused any position
~ IN equitable distribution OF