Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-05-27
#iseellamepns 8eaaing.
THE TRUTH ABOUT TILLMAN.
TO BE CONTINUED.

and Reviews It.
From the Atlanta Constitution.
What is the truth about Tillman?
have asked myself the question hun
dreds of times, and I presume that a
great many other people who care
more for ideas and principles than
they do for politicians, have asked
themselves the same question. Why
Because, on the one hand, we have
heard a lot of Newspaper editors, cor.
respondents and, reporters denouncing
the South Carolinian as a Populist
and an anarchist, and describing him
as blackguard and a buffoon; while
on the other hand, we have seen the
Democratic voters of South Caroline
standing almost as unit in his sup.
port.
Naturally, therefore, the question
arose in my mind, what is the truth
about Tillman If he IL not what va.
rious newspapers describe him to be
what profit do they find in mon
strous perversion of the truth? But
if the newspapers are correct, what II
the secret Of the mans hold on the
people of South Carolina
Here was a mystery, indeed. 1 re-
membered fact that a great many
people seem to have forgotten-that
from the foundation of the republic
down to the present hour, there has
never arisen a genuine Democrat-s
man of the people-of any degree Of
prominence who has not been denoun'
ced by the so.called conservatives
as communist, and an anarchist. Ir
his day and time, Jefferson was ar
"anarchist" and a "communist," and
his doctrines were denounced as "dan'
geous." Andrew Jackson was "a
dirty blackguard." Toombs was ar
"anarchist." Stephens was a "dema
gogue." And even poor Mr.. Tilder
was said to be in favor of "promotine
dangerous doctrines"
remembered these things, but they
failed to solve the Tillman mystery
for the very newspapers that denoun'
ced him as a "blackguard and a buf
foon" were loud in their pretentions
of Democracy. Then came Tillman'E
promotion to the United States senate
and, at the first opportunity, he made
a speech before that body. Practical
ly, the speech was suppressed by
many of the newspapers both North
and South, East and West. But the
Washington correspondent described
| it as "unparliamentary," "coarse" and
"undignified." I made haste to gel
hold Of copy of the speech, and read
| it through in The Record from begin
ming to end. To my utter bewilder
ment I found not paragraph, nor
sentence, nor phrase, nor a word, mol
an allusion to public matters that the
condition of affairs did not call for and
the occasion demand. 1 found marks
of indignation in it, but from the first
word to the last the sentiments ex
pressed on public matters were those
| of Democrat.
Hundreds of speeches fuller of in
yectiye and more "undignified" have
been delivered in both houses of con
gress. But this only deepened the
mystery. Perhaps Tillman had deliv
cred "coarse" speech and afterwaro
revised it for publication. Consequent
lly, when Mr.. Tillman was announced
to make speech in the tabernacle,
resolved to make one of the audience
and see and hear for myself.
What saw was trim, vigorous
man, full of energy and fire, standing
before a vast assemblage of men ap
parently as much in earnest as he was
Behind him on the platform there Wa'
the flutter of fans in feminine hands
Before him stretched a sea of faces
many of them, perhaps the majority
belonging to middle-aged men. Ir
the seats to the right of the platform
we're gathered an audience Of young
men-as if though the cohesion o
youth had brought them together. A
more thoughtful audience I have never
seen.
What heard was speech as pure
lily and as truly Democratic as has eVel
been delivered in Atlanta, or any
where else for that matter. "He car
ries his Jefferson with him." said
man at my side, and this was the fact
Tillman went to the fountain-head o
Democracy for his doctrine. He quo,
ted from Jefferson's first inaugural
He quoted from Jackson's message
yetoing the renewal of the United
aha.Aa. In no naff a