The Topeka state journal., 1897-08-09
IF 1t Is Necessary to the Main
tenanoe of Dispensary Law
He Will Resign the SenatOrship
and Run For Governor.
TALKS TO FARMERS.
Thanks God He's No Politician
as Allison Is.
Makes an Eloquent Defense of
Dispensary System.

Abbeville, S. c., Aug. e.-"It is said
that Gonzales did not sleep a night for
fear the Latimer bill would pass and
that he threate to make a cam
paign against it next year. say now
to N. G., blow your horn L will re-
sign the senatorship and run for the
g7overnorship myself if necessary to
maintain the dispensary law
This bold and defiant threat. spoken
with all the emphasis of which Sena-
tor TilIman is capable, fell ike bomb
among the audience gathered to hear
him at Klugh's park, just outside this
city 1t will for the time displace the
attention which has been given to the
senatorial contest, and bring Senator
Tillnlan forward once more as the
stormy petrol of South Carolina poll
tics, the one around whom must gather
all the contending elements, satisfied to
take a second place in the presence OF
this impetuOuS leader.
The occasion was gathering of the
farmers of Abbeville county, sum
.moned to listen to the farmers inst-
tute, which was held by the faculty of
Clemson college.
When it was announced that Senator
Tillman, who is one of the trustees OF
Clemson college, would be the orator
of the day and that this speech was
but the beginning of series to be de-
livered throughout the state, it became
evident that more than usual import
ance attached to the proceeding. 1t
was well known to the followers of the
redoubtable leader that he did not rel
ish the idea which grew out of the
senatorial primary OF several months
ago that his control was anywise weak
ening They knew the man well
enough to know that he would seek his
own time to reaSsert his supremacy,
and that time was indicated by the pO-
sition of the present candidates for the
United Sta teS senate, who are trying to
evade responsibility for the diSpensary
law Now if thing is nearer
to Ti1man's heart than the dispensary
1T is not known, and ii did not take MIN
long to announce that he would stump
the state in behalf OF a continuance OF
the law, no matter whom it helped or
hurt. That occasion was presented
when nearly 1000 farmers assembled in
Klugh's park and listened to the eona-
manding eloquence of the farmer who
prides himself upon the fact that he is
the only one of his class holding seat
in the United States senate.
AS gentlemen of prominence were
gathering upon the platform, Sheriff
Nance walked up to Senator Tillman
us both fat" Yes" replied the SEN
ator grimly when it is mixed with
abuse" ]. r. Blake, the chairman of
the institute, introduced the speaker of
the day as the great commOner,''
when Senator Tillman said depreciat-
ingly: "Oh, that belongs to Mr.. Ste
phenS of Georgia
The senator took his stand before the
audience, one leg thrown to the front
of the other, and his hands resting on
his hips under the folds of his alpaca
coat. The senator recalled the fact
that eleven years ago he started his
campaign in this county and that many
times since he had spoken in it, and
though he had adveFsaries within its
limits he had never received a single
sign of discourtesy. He traced the
campaign through which he reached
the goVernOrShip and finally the Sena-
torship, and recalled the fact that the
beginning of the campaign was q de
mand in favor of the establishment of
an agricultural college, where men
and the eye as well as the speaking of
Greek and Latin.
1T took US farmers a long time to
move, said he, but when we got ready
we took in everything from governor to
coroner" This declaration evoked en-
thusiastic cheers, from which it was
evident that the tide formed eleven
years go had not been broken.
"A great question" said he, was the
maintenance of Clemson college. There
were difficulties in the way, the great
est of which was the effort to compel
the faculty to keep in view the char
acter of the college as an agricultural
institution. But the trustees had made
up their mind that they would keep on
changing their faculty until they found
men who had some respect for labor.
Those who have said that knew moth
ing about farming" said he, have lied
about me in this matter as they have
F. lied in others. We haven't had the
men we wanted. DuL We Will Keep on
trying. I will have teachers who will
teach a boy to dig his living out of the
ground. The continued effort of fac
ulties to drift into a literary school will
be resisted. The effect of the inStruc-
tion given in Clemson has already been
a revolution in the character of our
farmers. 1t is the object of this coll
1ege to send educated men to the farm
and not to recruit the so-called learned
professions"
Senator Tillman went on to speak of
the dignity of the calling of agriculture,
and of the high character of the man of
acres, who could look about on his pos
sessions with pride, and whose ability
to extract fortune from nature made
him the grandest of men. Yet the
anomaly has been shown of a senate of
the United States from which the farm
: ing class is almost excluded In fact"
he said, I am the only farmer there,
representing thirty million people.
If were politician" said the SEN
ator, Il would be holding my tongue
just now. But, thank God, 1 was never
made to be politician. I will speak
my mind at all times and under all con-
ditions. 1 was out in Iowa a few weeks
ago, and there learned something of
one of my senatorial colleagues, Mr..
Allison. He has been in the senate 2S
years. During the last dozen years
Iowa has been revolutionized a half
dozen times in her politics. and yet dur
ing all that time and all these changes
IL was never once known how Mr.. Alli-
son stood upon single question before
the public. If 1 were a politician like
him I would be away from here today,
but in 1886 fought it out in the open,
and when 1 get too cowardly to lead
you, want you to turn me out and get
some man with more courage to take
my place. have nothing to do with the
sena torial election soon to take place.
If you have not become capa bic, through
your education of the last ten years,
10 settle upon the right man for sena-
tor, then must say that our work is
lost" Senator Tillnlan spoke upon this
subject, not with the air of a man who
has nothing to do with the race, but
with the evident conviction that he was