The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1896-07-17
TlLLMAN'S
SPEECH.
BEFORE TIE NATIONAL DEiIO-
CRATIC CONVENTION.
He Was Received With Cheers,
Mingled With Hisscs-Hc Was
Allowed Fifty Minutes.

When Senator Ben Tillman OF South
Carolina mounted tho stago to open
the great debate in behalf OF free
coinage. A striking figure he was as
he fnced his audience. With no pre-
tensions in dress, shabby coated,
wearing n heavy silver chain across his
breast he instantly drew the eyes of
the 10000 people present. They
turned toward him as if he were an
antagonist. His thicll-set, command
ing form was full of defiance. His
head, thrown back, was round and
compact. The features. strong and
powerful, were cast in classical
mould. The nose was straight, the
lips thin aud compressed, the jnw
square and prgnacious, bnt the
sunkon cavity which marked his left
eye gave to bis face sinister express
sion. 1t was face seen never to lie
forgotten. On Que lapel of his coat he
wore Cuban hug, On the other q
pitcbfork. One moment the 10000
people held their breath as they gazed.
Then they broke fourth. Cheers,
mingled with Kisses, rent the nir. Mr..
Richardson, who was welding the
gravel, with the aid of the assistant
sergeant-at-arms, quickly suppressed
the demonstration. His first sentence
showed that he had good, we'll modu-
lated voice, but as he proceeded he
pitched it in a key SO shrill that it
grated like file. He was characteris-
tic from the beginning. He realized
that, so far rs the galleries we're con
cerned, he faced an audience which he
felt was largely hostile. He intoduced
himself to them by saying that he came
before them as he was not as "the
lying newspapers had represented him
to be-" A round of applause from the
pit greeted this announcement, but it
was Grounded in tho storm of misses
to q perfect whiriwind of sibilant
sounds as he said: "I come from a
State which was the home of secession. t"
Senator Tillman turned defantly and
fiercely surveyed the vast congregation
who were kissing him.
Then with contemptuous toss OF
his head he looked down at the silver
delegates before him, his eyes blazing,
and said with sncer: There are
only three things that hiss" said he
with curl of his thin lips, "a goose,
n serpent and man." Raising his
head aud addressing tho galleries he
Carolina, forgot the history of the
revolution when that State kept alive
the fires of liberty. This provoked q
wild demonstration from the silver
man. "Sonth Carolina in 1S6O," he
said, 'led the fight in the Democratic
party which disrupted it. Disruption, "
he continued, while the galleries
Missed, drought about the war and the
war emancipated the black slaves.
"Now," he added, sweeping his arm
through the air .aSove his head, eve
are leading the fight to emancipate the
white slavos." This time the silver
men had their innings but they did not
applaud very Justify when he declared
that with conditions reversed he was
willing to again see the Democratic
party disrupted.
Repeatedly, as he proceeded, the gal
leries Kissed and several times the SER
geant-at-arms threatened to clear the
galleries. The silver men hada chance
to shout their approval when he de-
clnrcd that they were adopting new
declaration OF independence, '1G to !,
or bust" The storm of Kisses issued
from them again when he repudiated
the denial that this was sectional
contest. 81 say it is n sectional issue, "
he cried, "and it will prevail"
After these pyrotechnical express
sions, SO characteristic of the man, he
driftca into statistics to show the bond
age of the South and West to the East,
and these dry figures gave the hostile
galleries another opportunity to cry
him down. "Time, time" they
shouted. This aroused the Senator
again to angry resentment. He paced
the platform like an enragcd lion. "I
know, | know" he cried with arms
aloft, "you are against u.s. There is
not paper in this city that is not in
the power of the money influences.
They will not give us IL fair show.
They characterize us as bowling der
wishes and silver lunatics." Many of
the delegates crowded up the aisles
and stood Mt the foot of the stage,
studying intently the features of the
remarkable man before them.
Continuing, Senator Tillman de-
clarcd that the only way to avert revo-
luton would be to select man whose
record would fit the platform. Soon
the kissing began again at some radi-
cal utterance, and the South Carolinian
took occasion to say that "Four years
ago the New York Senator was hissed
and am now. Where is New York's
leader" From the gallery came the
cry, 'In the SOUP" which brought
down wave of cheers for Hill topped
with foam of bisses.
Son,f,r fr;l1p,,n ciooI xro;tinc, for