The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-02-27
REPLIES TO HIS CRITICS.

TnIman Defends His Speach In the Senate
Wan Apolooize When His Facts Are Dis
proved.
WASHINGTON, Fob. IA, 1896
TO tho Editor OF Tho World:
NV uniform rulo has been to trea
criticisms with silence. l break that
rule now for q purpose, and that is to
challenge those who have found so
much to condemn in my recent speech
in the Senate to q trial before the jury
of their readers, in which L can have
at least show of Justice. The New
York Times editorially terms mo "a
filthy baboon," the New York Evening
Post "a political anarchist" The World
itself has used the word bathor.
skite," the Philadelphia Record calls
me "the chieftain Of anarchists" and
the Globe of ST. Paul says: "This
fellow brings to the Senate tho unsavory
record he made in his State, char
acter tattooed with dishonesty"
These are few Of the parliamentary
and elegant phrases employed by the
polito and refined editors Of some of
the leading newspapers as applied to
myself. They have not read my speech,
they daro not publish it in full, and,
basing their criticisms upon q few
garbled extracts in which used strong
language to express indignation and
contempt, they asked the people Of the
country to render q verdict against me
as coarse, brutal, ignorant black
guard.
All the words and phrases which
occur in the speech to which they take
exception, do not exceed dozon. They
neither add nor take from the argu-
ments and facts as presented. Not q
oi Of 1,nn 10 ali
and frequently, in tho same Senate,
language as violent, as coarse and as
brutal has been uttered in the past by
9 dozen men whose names are written
| high in our cOuntry's history.
Ii my language was unparliamentary
and indecent, why did no Senator call
mo to order? II the charges we're
untrue, why has no Senator answered
them, and why do my newspaper critics
not evon attempt to answer them? Is
it unparliamentary anG indecent to
tell the truth ? Are we sunk to that
low estate that falsehood and treachery
and official dishonesty cannot be mon
TONED without calling down an avalan-
che of abuse and sJander? What other
Senators have whispered among them
selves have spoken aloud and in plain
words. What q ma jority Of the people
of the country have thought and folt
/ have uttered.
| This is the sum Of my Offending, and
, the hireling editors and reporters who
now degrade the so-callcd freedom Of
| the press to so despicnblo q lcvcl may
ilatter themselves that they create and
control public opinion, but tho thou
sands Of lettors that have poured in or
| me from every quarter of tho Union,
mostly from the North, and from mon
engaged in every pursuit in life, have
given mo assurances that the scales
are falling from the eyes Of the people
and that tho truth, bravely told, has a
sweet and wholesome sound. The
American people as whole, tho
great common people," love the
truth, and they love their country.
They despise traitors and thieves and
towards. 1t is IA large mass to move,
but the leaven is at work and the
issue is joined, and tho result will be
known on the day Of election.
So far rs am individually concern
ed, and so far as my speech in concern
ed, care nothing for the abuse heapcd
on me, and thank my critics for direct
ing attention to my utterantcs. When
my facts and arguments have been dis
proved | will apologize. Until then
decency demands that men who abuse
me for speaking the truth should let
their readers see it aud Judge for
themselves, or reserve the epithets for
men of their own kind who dread the
truth and love cowardice.
If there is no need of 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 abused by corporations and
banks and their hireling newspapers,
why did my State send me to tho Son
ate by vote Of l3I out of a total of l60
in the General Assembly? During
these four years the State advanced in |
material growth and increase Of tax
able values moro rapidly than in any
previous period in its history. | spent |
$500, 900 in the erection and equipment |
OF two of the largest colleges for the |
industrial, technical and normal train |
ing in the South-one for each sex.
And the constitutional convention,
with which | had a great deal to do, |
fixed constitutional taxes so as to double
the free school fund ; the saloons have
been banishcd from the State, while
threc-fourths Of the people, If not
more, are firm supporters Of tho new
method Of handling tho liquor traffic.
These facts, which arc history, cannot
he sneezed at nor obliterated. Anar
chists don't write such history.
| have never shrunk from the lash
ings Of newspaper scribbers in the
areana Of State politics and will not
begin to do so in the broader field to
which my commission from tho people
has transferred me. If it is to be the
fate of this great republic to sink to
the level of Rome when the Prgctorian
guards were wont to put the emperor
ship up to the highest bidder; If Con-
gress is to become or remain the COW
ardly tool and purchasable agent Of the
wealthy !; II the Federal judiciary arc
to undermine and destroy the constitu-
tion, as forotold by Jefferson if our
liberties are to be lost through supine
ignorance acd vcnality, I, as sentincl
on the watch tower, holding q sacred
trust, cannot be charged with having
assisted my country to it's degradation
by giving q note of warning.
B. Il. TILLMAN.
ADDRESS TO COTTON GROWERS.