The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1898-07-13
Senator Tillmau Makes His
First Speech Of the Summer.
Special Cor. to the State

Special Cor. to the State
NIoffettsville. July 4-Over in Alb
beville county in qniet, secluded
spot known as Sunny Slope, there
gathered on last Saturday large
crowd Of people to hear the speeches
of the politicians. Senator Tlllman' 5
was to be the speech Of the day, and
consequently the entire afternoon
was given him. However, he did
not bold undisputed sway. Citizen
Josh Ashley of Anderson felt that
the senator was misrepresenting him,
and asked that he be given an op-
portunity to vindicate himself, which
was done.
In the course of his speech Senator
T.llman said that if he had grown fat
and was now "nutfled jawed" it was
not on stolen money. He was in an
atmosphere of corruption, he said,
but he was trying to destroy the
germs and brush off the baceili. He
fired broadsides into the national
politicians ranks. but arrogated to
himself sincerity and honesty OF in
tentions and said that he would re-
turn to the people their commission
unsullied.
State politics were Of greater mo,
ment to the people just now than
national politics, and he thought it
his duty to give them precedence.
He spoke of the letbargy and indif
ference of the people to the State
campaign. He had removed all
clioues when he went into the gov
ernor's office, but be feared others
were taking their place.
FoRGETs THE WAR Is on.
He attached very little Importance
to the newspaper reports OF the cam
paign meetings. The senator mercl-
lessly attacked The News and Courier,
The State and The Register for
forming a combination to furnish the
news on the campaign, and said that
"all those papers are against us-the
people," They are represented by a
man wbe has been against the Reform
party since it's inception. He then
bluntly said, don't let few jack
asses rule"
WHY TAXES ARE NOT LOWER.
Taxation was taken up, and he said
that he would give some facts which
render it impossible to reduce taxes.
when I went into the governors
office we were receiving, 100000
phosphate royalty; but that has been
materially decreased by the storm Of
1898. We had constitutional con-
vention which gave us freedom from
negro domination. 1t cost US S5O,-
900. Then it took money to build
Clemson and Winthrop. Hence when
one says taxes can be reduced you
see it cannot be done. The legisla-
ture cannot do it and it is idle pratt
tling to preach reduction of taxes"
THE CLEMSON INCOME.
Senator Tlllman said that he had
founded Clemson college, laying
great stress on the pronoup, that he
was going to defend himself. "Great
God," vehemently said the irate sen.
ator, "what is that which you hear
today-that Clemson gets 100000
when it ought to get S2So,OO0? We
have collected all we honestly could"
He then quoted statistics which he
thought sufficiently strong to show
why the board could collect no more
than it had done. He said that be-
fore he appeared on the political
scene that the fertilizers of the State
were of such inferior grades that
"they stunk to heaven and would not
sprout COW peas" Then it was the
privilege tax was put on. But he
regretted to know that "Josh Ashley,
whose skull is like wash pot, wants
to put this tax in the general fund
for common school purposes"
"JosH" ASHLEY IN ACTION.
4 colloquy ensued between Mr..
Ashley and Senator Tillman, and it
digressed to Josh's candidacy for the
legislature in Anderson county. The
senator hoped that Josh would be
continued in the house, as he wanted
Josh to support him again for the
senate. But Josh was painfully re-
ticent and did not commit himself.
Just at this juncture some one in