Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-01
An Aeftator; Not IL Statesman.

ed an agitator, not a statesman. He is
democrat, and at the head of his party at
hcme. 1t may not be extravagant to say
that he is the most powerful factor in
political affairs that South Carolina has
known since the days of MIR. Calhoun. Will
he be able long to retain mis- power? That
Is considered of less moment than what he
is likely to do with it while he does retain
it. And how will he exercise it in the set
tlement Of the great problems of this year?
VIII Hold His Delegation.
Mr.. Tillman will go to Chicago as chair
man of delegation W hich will obey him to
the letter. He will have designated every
one of his associates, and they will act in
the fullest agreement with him. He indi-
Gates in his speech what ne and his friends
will demand of the convention in the way
of a platform But suppose he is dSap-
| pointed. Suppose the convention writes a
platform unacceptable to him. Will he
bolt?. VIII he return home and put affairs
| in order for transfer of the electoral vote
of the state to new party, or TO the popu-
list party? And what would be the effect
Of such a step on extreme silver men in the
surrounding states?
Son.e Diplomatic Expressions.
For all that, his references TO Mr.. Cleve-
land and to Mr.. Carlisle are SC offensive
the South Carolina Senator, in his speech
shows the capacity of diplomatic express
sion. There some shrewd appeals to
the democrats Of the south and to the re-
| publicans Of the west. He soothes the one
by telling them that they are not to blame;
that they have simply been dragged down
to their present plight by artful treachery,
against which they can in future be on
guard And when he characterizes Mr.
Lincoln tie greatest American of the
nineteenth century, he gives his hand, with
out reservation, to the silver republicans
of the west. This, indeed. is the tone in
which ali of the serious talk about union
of the south and west for national suprem-
T acy is keyed. This is the purport of the
utterances: Let bygones be bygones. Let
each section, in rising TO the true concep-
ticn Of the duty of the present, rise also to
a juSter and franker appraiSement of the
past, and thus let both sections become
brothers to the fullest degree. When a
democratic Senator from South Carolina
puts Abraham Lincoln next after George
Washington on the list of American heroes
something is undoubtedly shown to have
been accomplished in II at direction.
His Place in a New Party.
If new party Should be the result of the
years agitation, it will not be difficult to
fix Mr.. Tillmans place in it. He will be-
come national quantity. Whether for
good or III, men of prominence express
themselves freely. They divide according
TO their views on the pending questions
Men of the sound money stamp deplore the
bare suggestion of the further rise of a
man of Mr.. Tillmans force and methods
But there are free silver democrats, in
capable themselves of employing in public
debate the coarse and savage characteriza-
| tions of Mr.. Tillman, VINO think very much
as he speaks, and who could not be in
duced to take the floor and rebuke his lam
guage for fear of appearing in the light Of
dissenting from his argument. He is an
agitator, ard they consider that as an agi-
tator he states his case with premeditated
and carefully prepared extravaganza. Agi-
tation ard discretion are not kin.