The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-06-07

been delivered in both Houses of Com
gress. But this only deepened the mys-
terry. Perhaps 1'illman had delivered
a coarse speech and afterwards re-
vised it for publication. Consequently
when Mr.. TilIman was announced to
make speech in the tabernacle, / re-
solved to make one of the audience
and see and hear for myself.
What | saw was a trim, vigorous
man, full Of energy and fire, standing
before a vast assemblage of men APP
parently as much in earnest as he was,
Behind him on the platform there was
the fiutter of fans in feminine hands.
Before him stretched a sea of faces,
many of them, perhaps the majority,
belonging to middle-aged men. In the
seats to the right of the platform were
gathered an audience of younger men
as if the cohesion of youth had
| brought them together. A more
thoughtful audience l have never seen
| What | heard was a speech as purely
and AZ truly Democratic as has ever
| been delivered in Atlanta, or anywhere
else, for that matter. lie carries his
jefferson with him." said man at my
side. and this was the fact. Tillman
went to the fountain head of Democ-
tJefferson's first inaugural. He quoted
| from Jackson's message vetoing the
renewal of the United States bank
charter. In no part Of his peech did he
depart in the slightest particular from
| Democratic principles as Democrats
understand them. He spoke bluntly
when dealing with the conditions We
| see around us-when dealing with the
results of what he pithily called Re
publican legislation and Democratic
administration. But the truth is ever
blunt. 1t sometimes hurts, and ought
| to hurt. When you begin to soften the
/ natural asperity of truth, you must
| in the nature of things, adulterate it's
essence But political truth is never
unpalatable to those who are pledged
to the peoples interests.
! ! listened in vain TO hear some hint
| of the ''coarseness' and ''vulgarity"
which the newspapers led me toeXpect.
| listened in vain to hear some intima-
ton of ''buffoonery." But these We're
entirely lacking. What / did hear was
! an earnest and patriotic appeal TO
Democratic voters to arouse them
Iselves to the crisis that now endangers
the country. In a certain picturesque
| EMPLOYMENT of homely metaphors he
reminded me of Joe Brown, who was a
South Carolinian In his fuency and
lvigor of expression he reminded me of
Colonel Tom Howard, who was the
greatest of ur Gergia rators. In
force and fire and directness, he re-
minded me Of Toombs. In gesture and
I courage he was not unlike Henry
,Grady.
And although these reminiscent
comparisons were thrust upon my
mind, they took nothing from the
vital and glaring individuality OF Till
man himself.
i As the speech progressed, it was
easy TO see that Tillman was disap-
lpointed There were moments when
ne would pause after making IN argu-
ment or asking a question, and | soon
discovered the cause. He had come
to Atlanta expecting to be put TO the
foueSti0n," as il were--to be laid out
on the rack of interruption and in
| quiry He had expected to find at
Ileast one-half of his audience composed
Iof gold standard men. At one point
/ he paused and turned to the crowd
on the platform behApd him, saying:
Il know there must be some gold
bugs among you. Where are they?
| see long lists of names III newspaper
5 here"
| There was a wild shout of derision
at this, and Tillfnan threw up his
: hands in mock despair. but his face
wore as keen an expression of disap
: Ipointment as | have ever seen on Z
& ispeaker's face. Up to that moment