The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1898-11-02
Tillman's Great Speech.
He shelled the Woods in North Car
olina.

Nothing Like It Since Vance Was
In His Prime Is the Verdict OF
the Press and People.
The following extracts from the
Fayetteville, n c., Observer will
show the impression made by our
senior Senator when he spoke in that
city last week:
Yesterday was great day for
Fayetteville and all the Cape Fear
country. 1t was the occasion OF the
speaking in behalf of the restoration
of white rule in North Carolina by
Senator B. R. Tillman, the liberator
of South Carolina.
Instead of the beautiful October
weather which we have been having,
the weather changed on Thursday
night. It began to rain about a.
m. Friday morning opened with a
down pour and there were showers
during most of the day.
The number has been variously
estimated at from seven to ten thous-
and. Many Ct the multitude who
lined the streets and filled the win
dows en- route were unable to attend
| the speaking.
+ The great outpouring Of the peo
ple under such adverse circumstances
is suggestive. It should cause those
who persue the business of politics
to stop and think. What is the Sc
cret of the magic in Tillman's name?
Simply that the great body OF the
plain people-tbose who constitute
nineteenth of our voters-believe IN
his honesty and truthfulness.
As advertised the speaking was at
the fair grounds. The judges stand
on the race track was used for the
speakers stand, and the grand stand
and may rows of benches constituted
the auditorium.
The procession started from the
Lafayette hotel at little before II
o'clock. Three hundred horsemen in
red shirts took the lead. After them
came the float drawn by four fine
horses and occupied by twenty-five
beautiful young ladies in white, rep
resenting the twenty-five precincts
of Cumberland. Then followed a
carriage containing Mayor Cook,
| County Chairman Husk, Major E. j.
Hale and Senator Tillman. The next
clrriage contained Messrs. H. Med.
Robinson and J. W. Atkinson and
Hons. Thomas W. M,son and W. Il.
Kitchen. A long line of carriages
and other vehicles followed. Oo
either side marched the White Gov.
ernment Unions of Cumberland, es-
corting their guests and the visiting
delegations from Wilmington, Ben
nettsville and other points in South
| Carolina, Lumber Bridge, Red
Springs Maxton, Lumberton and
others.
Senator Tillman spoke for an hour
| and a half. There has been no
speaker here since Vance who so
moved the multitude. Several times
he was about to conclude, but the
crowd insisted that he 60 on. They
would have heard him as long as he
could speak. He has very remark
able mapner. He is altogether out
of the common. His thoughts come
clear and logical; he has a ringing
voice and imperious gesture; his SEN
tences are we'll constructed; his illus
trations striking and picturesque
and bearing the favor OF whole
some country life: his delivery de-
liberate in the main, but running into
great rapidity of utterance at the
climaxes.
I The speaker apologized for having
to say such plain things about his
hospitable enter tainers, but be was
invited to come as an expert to dag
nose the disease of the North Caro-
lima patient and his task would b:
useless if he failed TO use the
surgeons knife unfinchingly. Bat
the multitude assured him that thai
/ was precisely what they wanted hin
, to do, and they yelled with deligh
at every cut into the sore of machine
politics. It was evidently an audi
ence of sound minded and soun(