The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-10-26
TILLMAN AT FAYETTEVILLE.

Fayetteville Observer.
Senator Tillman spoke for an hour ana
half. There has been no speaker mere
since Vance who so moved the muItltude'
Several times he was about to conclude,
but the crowd insisted that ne go on
They would have heard him as long as
he could speak. He has very remark
able manner. He is altogether out of the
common. His thoughts come clear ana
logical; he has a ringing voice and lmper-
ious gesture; his sentences are well con
structed; his Illustrations striking and
picturesque and bearing the flavor Of
wholesome country life: his delivery de-
liberate in the main, but running into
GREAT rapidity of utterance at the
climaXes.
He said he had never before heard
of a State in such condition of political
chaos as North Carolina at this time.
In his own State of South Carolina the
blacks outnumbered the whites as three
to two: whereas in North Carolina there
were but half as many blacks rs there
were whites. In the face Of these facts
he could not conceive of anything short
of idocy on the part of the whites why
they did not use their large majority to
prevent negro domination ut the very out
set. If it were not idiocy, and he knew
the people of North Carolina were far
removed from that, then the conclusion
was inevitable that the trusted servants
of the two wings of what was once
Vance's Democracy, namely the Demo
Gratis and the Populists, must have been
faithless to their duty. They should
have found a way to unite at all hazards,
in the face of the dreadful reality of
negro domination. and in order to pre-
vent the exposure to the world of their
noble commonwealth in the pitiable way
which the eXigencies of the present mo-
ment have forced. He blamed both Dem
ocrats and Populsts for their continued
division. but made telling appeal to the
Populists to waive all question of who
was to blame for the failure to co-0pe-
rate. and to re-unite with the majority
part Of the anti-Republicans. When
they had restored white rule, they would
have amply time to settle their fractional
differences. BY taking his advice the
Populists would reinforce the silver
wing of the Democracy and help keep
the gold-bugs from influencing the Demo
cratic party policy.
The speaker apologized for having to
say such plain things about his hospit-
able entertainers, but he was invited, to
come as an expert to diagnoze the dis
ease of the North Carolina patient and
his task would be useless if he failed to
use the surgeons knife unflinchingly.
But the multitude assured him that that
was precisely what they wanted him to
do, and they yelled with delight at
every cut into the sore of machine poll
tics. 1t was evidently an audience of
sound-minded and sound-hearted citi-
zens, bent on hearing advice from the
lending political doctor of our day and
section. If there were any present whose
toes were trod on, they have discreetly
kept quiet.
1t is conceded on all hands that the
great South Carolinian's speech pro-
drced a profound impression upon the
Democrats and Populists, and that it
will cause many of the latter to return
to the white mans party. 1t is a pity
that it could not be spoken in every
precinct in the State. If so, the issue
would not be i'll doubt for u moment
longer.