The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-07-01

Reform cry mas o@2i tuae am h"h'
aoder ae'r re!su. rou!.i aspi'e. . 8
Wait vecisluly /. i craus u"
the education plaok, but there
are bigger fools than he in the house
ard senate to-day, Uho are en-
trusted by Reform with the greas res
possibility of -oakiug our laws They
may nos have been relieved of ministerial
duty 10 the pulpit, bat then they we're
never elevated to that position
:. Safe officer nearly tainted when |
said it would rot surprise me il Whit
uau vas elected; lie does not seem uear
so Impossible now as Tillmaa did in
1886 apd their style of reaching the
people is not diSsiailar.
OF course the pntiic has beeD nos;
interested 10 the debates between Gov
ernor Evans and Mr. Duncan, caodi-
dates for the Uui;ed STATES senate. At
every meeliag except Georgetown,
Goyern,r Evans has seemed to have
the crowd with him. but Mr.. Dncau
has been given courteous hearings at
every poiot visited and | know that he
has caused some men 20 think.
1t is very difficult, if not imposs-
BILE. for countryman Of intelligence
even above the average, to under
stand fully the points in this bond
matter. But there is an important
point overlooked by the governor it
is that the people of South Carolina
do not care at this particular juncturc
one epicayune whether Mr.. Duncan is
gorilla, a gyascutus, jackleg law
yer, failed farmer or an insignlti-
caut elerk n the State house. They
are not even particularly interested
Just now as to whether or not MIR
Duncan is a liar. For whatever
Governor Evans may say to the con
trary, it is not lying to ask for ex-.
plantations of matters about which
there is suspicion, but no proof; and
if the explanation given appears un-
convincing, to reiserate the calls for
more poof If, however, Governor
Evans contention at Marion is true,
then Ben Tillman won the governor
ship of this State on slanderous lies,
and the record will bear me out
Ti!lman did not make "charges' in
'S8 and go; they were insinustions,
and insinuations not so direct as Mr..
Duncan's, and not particularizing any
man, but like foul blanket thrown
over the whole administration 81
make the charges and leave it to you
10 disprove them y Does Governor
Evans remember that oft repeated
speech of Capt Tiilman, and did he
not approve it and applaud it !?
Oh, these chickens, when they
come home to roost. are the devil in.
carnate
Mr.. Duncan does need more facts
and more direct evidence. As de.
batter, Governor Evans has him at a
disadvantage, and in one on two
places his cause has appeared to be
weakly sustained. Again, in South
Carolina, a man is expected to re-
sent all insult, and when he does
not do so the crowd is very apt to
cheer the other man. 1t. however,
may require more fortitude and self
command to refrain from doing so
when an indulgence would spoil
carefully laid plans. than otherwise,
so there may be exceptions to that
good rule that 'sdam lie means knock
down F" The end may show in this
case.
1t does not seem to me now to De
question of "Who got the commits
sions ?" That part Of the commits
sions already disposed of seems to
be accounted for But what Duncan
has beer hammering at is to get
statement from Governor Evans as to
whether he has, from the first, had
an agreement with Rhind to divide
in any proportion the commissions
that Rhind would get. and if so
when such agreement was made
There are S48,000 yet to come to
Rhind Out of that Governor Evans
says he is to get fee, the amount of
which has never been named. One
point is, whether such fee contem
plates reward for Governor Evans
recommending Mr.. Rhind to Cover
nor Tillman as good man to refundf
the bonds another is whether therf'
was an agreement between them IA
divide commissions, and if so whetlf "a
er Governor Evans share will be- Zee,
or would have been if this row VI l"f
not raised about tout of proporti led ft'
to nis services in the case. If tn fer,
points have been settled, or atten5. \
ed to be, it has escaped my at port I,
ton. fhe d.
1t is, unquestionably, distas1 nmi':
oo.o.,o1.ot;,or ,;1;Dr Sopipce ERE Ke