The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-07-21
Earle in the Campaign.
HE ENTERED THE RACE AT
SUMTER.

sNShCeA oh IbBheE I-lane-hu
Sentiments Openly Avowed anG
Strongly Put.
Judge Joseph H. Earle formally en-
tered the race for United States Sena
tor at his old home, Sumter, and hi.
speech there is reported as follows:
81 stand here today" he said
where have stood many times before
facing people l have known since
childhood. l see here men who knew
as boys over there in the academy.
SEQ here friends of the past; friends
who were with me in rs, in rs; friends
who stood at my back in 1890 / car
say that am standing among friends
Some OF you differ with me today
Here and there some political friends
OF the past pre perhaps now my enc
mics. But this | say: Friend or foe
you have always known where to find
me; you always knew where l stood
No man can say that / ever threw a
ever say he had to hit me in the back
he bad only to stand to the front.
Some years ago l had the honor to
| run for Governor of South Carolina, /
knew l could not be elected knew |
was doomed to defeat, but had been
| honored by the people who elected me
to a responsible Office. There were
whisperings, charges that there was
something wrong in the offices of the
administration Of which | formed a
part. l could not meet those charges
| except by being a candidate. I had q
right to stand as q candidate for
Governor and speak TO my peo-
pie. What 1 said on the stump
Won applause FROM my opponents.
| conducted the campaign on high
plane, and my opponent, who was
elected, so stated.
"On his election my position was
that the people had spoken; that the
Democrats had rendered their verdict;
that would accept it, and not oppose
him. When one Of the most prOmi-
nent newspapers in South Carolina
wrote to me as we'll as others, asking
what was going to do or advise doing
in the face OF the result, 1 answered,
stop abuse, cease vituperation, treat
all men with fairness and do what can
be done to bring the people together.
l have no apologies to make to anyone
for anything | said then. l said what
| felt, what believed in my heart.
We are one people; we are the Demo-
cratic party. The constitutional con-
vention hurled the hatchet, and now,
fellow citizens, bring message from
the Piedmont. Stop strife; stop dis
cord be united"
General Earle alluded to an auony-
nous card which had appeared in a
Sumter paper, asking why he withdrew
from q race for county Office in 1876.
You all know the author" he said,
but am ready to answer it. If any
man in the crowd will stand sponsor
for those questions let him appear and
| will answer. Let him stand up"
There was no sponsor. "You all know
where stand on State politics. an
Democrat; have not joined in vi
tuperation; have given credit for
what was done.
"There have been rumors and
charges Of dishonest transactions in
this State. Now, l say here to friends
and opponents that / do not believe b.
r. Tillman is a dishonest man. op-
posed him and have no apologies to
make for it. l have not agreed with
him in all things. do not agree with
him in all things: but | believe he is
honest and don't believe that Tiilman
ever stole dollar Of dispensary money
or bond deal money. If there has been
any stolen, let those who got it answer
for themselves"
st has been said that a Judge should
not go upon the stump. That was an
aristocratic idea which does not now
hold good. IL going upon the stump
inteferred with his duties he should not
do so, and for that reason | have been
prevented from appearing before the
people OF the State as soon as | wished.
But when it does not conflict with his
duty he should have the privilege of
doing 80 in these days when United
States Senators, Governors and other
men holding high Offices go on the
stump. No office is too high to allow
the man who fills it to meet the people
face to face"
Judge Earle then boldly sailed out
upon the glittering financial sea,
speaking in an interesting manner upon
a subject that is almost too threadbare
to be handled in public by any but
masters of it.
The people knew there was some
thing wrong, and they could expect
little or no relief from any State ad-
ministration. Candidates for Congress
who had spoken had declared for Is to
l, but had neglected to state why free
coinage at that ratio was right and
would be beneficial. The speaker pro-
ceeded to give historical sketch of
the use of silver and gold as money or
purchasing medium from the time
Abraham purchased u burying place
for Sarah with silver to the present
time. Silver was the metal until both
gold and silver were used by the
Romans 400 years before Christ.
For 500 years before 1873 he said,
the ratio of silver and gold had ranged
from ii to to l6 to /. The history of
the decentralization Of silver by the
Latin union was gone over step by step
and 1t had been done in each case at
the demand Of the wealthy, the money
| power.
Judge Earle declared that the de-
mOnetization of silver In 1873 was
| rightly termed the crime of '73, because
| silver was money of the constitution.
| MIR. Webster, the greatest constitu-
tional lawyer, had no power to demon
etize either silver or gold. But while
the people were working In the shops
or fields, their representatives in Con-
gress had, criminally or ignorantly, or
! both, demonetized silver.
In England the history Of demoneti-
zation of silver had been that after q
period of twenty years the land owners
had been reduced to only per cent. OF
the free holders in 1919.
| Silver bullion, said Judge Earle,
would buy as much now as 10 ever
would; 1t falls IN value as other com.
modities fall, and will continue to dc
so so long as it Is q commodity.
The speaker predicted that IL the
gold policy was successful In ten years
the farmers Of this section would not
own their lands, whose value had al
ready deteriorated one-half There
/ fopn ha .ho1 oaid onl ho eotd Ia