Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1896-04-15

Senator Tillman has given the follow
ing letter to New York paper for pub
lication:
Washington, d. c.: My uniform
rule has been TO treat criticism with
silence. / break that rule now for
purpose and that is to challenge those
who have found so much to condemn in
my recent speech in the senate to
trial before a jury of their readers in
which 1 can have at least show OF
justice. The New York Times editorial
ly terms me "a filthy baboon;" the New
York Post. "a political anarchist" the
World has used the word ''blather-
skite;" the Philadelphia Record calls
me ''the chief of anarchists" and the
st. Paul Globe says: This fellow
brings to the senate the unsavory rec
ord he made in his state, character
tattooed with dishonesty"
These are a few OF the elegant
phrases employed by the polite editors
of some of the leading newspapers as
applied to myself. They have not read
my speech, they dare not publish it in
full, and basing their criticisms upon
few garbled extracts in which l use
strong language to express indignation
and contempt. they ask the people to
render verdict against ME as coarse,
brutal, ignorant blackguard.
All the words and phrases which oc-
| cur in the speech to which they take
exception do not exceed a dozen. They
neither add to nor take from the argu-
ments and facts presented. Not sim
| gle one of them is unparliamentary and
frequently in the senate language as
violent coarse and brutal has been
| uttered in the past by dozen men
whose names are written high in our
country's history.
If my language was unparliamentary,
why did no senator call me to order?
If the charges were untrue, why has no
senator answered them, and why do my
newspaper critics not attempt to an
swer them? Is it supplementary and
indecent to tell the truth? Are We sunk
to that low estate that falsehood and
treachery and official dishonesty cam
not be mentioned without calling down
an avalanche of abuse and SANDER?
What other senators have whispered
among themselves L have spoken aloud
and in plain words. What majority
of the people have thought and felt
have uttered.
This is the sum of my offending and
the hireling editors and reporters who
now degrade the so-called freedom of
the press to so despicable a level may
f1atter themselves that they create and
control public opinion, but the thous-
ands of letters that have poured in on
me from every quarter of the Union and
mostly from the North and from men in
every pursuit of life have given me as
surance that the scales are falling from
the eyes of the people and that the truth
bravely told has a sweet and whole
some sound.
The American people as whole, the
great common people. love the truth
and love the country. They despise
traitors, thieves and towards. 1t is a
large mass to move, but the leaven Is
at work and the issue is joined and the
result will be known on election day
So far as l am individually concerned
and as far as my speech is concerned,
1 care nothing for the abuse heaped
upon me and thank my critics for d.
recting attention to my utterances.
When my facts and arguments have
been disproved l will apologize. Until
then decency demands that men who
abuse me for speaking the truth should
let their readers judge for themselves
| boir OF
their kind, who dread the truth and
owe cowardice.
If there is no need for reform, reform
will not come If / represent nothing
but ignorance and anarchy, why was
elected governor of South Carolina
twice by such overwhelming majori-
ties? For four years as executive
fought and was abused by corporations
and their hireling newspapers. Why
did my state send me to the senate by
vote of 131 out of 100 in the general
assembly? During these four years the
state advanced in material growth and
increase of taxable values more rapidly
than in any previous period in its his
tory. 1t spent half a million dollars in
the erection and equipment Of two OF
the largest colleges for industrial, tech
nical and normal training in the South,
one for each sex. And the constitu.
tional convention, with which I had a
great deal to do. fixed constitutional
taxes so as to double the free school
fund. The saloons have been banished
from the state, while three-fourths Of
the people, if not more. are firm sup
porters of the new method of handling
The liquor traffic.
These facts, which are history, can.
not be sneered at or obliterated. An
archists don't write such history. ]
have never shrunk from the lashings
of newspaper scribblers in the arena OF
state politics. and Will not begin to do
so now.
B. r. TILLMAN,