The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-07-25
A VOTE GETTER
That Is What The Dsmccratic
Platform Is.
HOW TILlMAN READ IT.
The impressions Made on a
Writer in the Kansas City
Times Who Heard Him
Read Il.

This has been the greatest convention
ever held oo American soil. The whole
convention at Chicago in 1892, which
framed the celebrated tariff platform
and nominated successful candidate
for the presidency, including speech
making, payades, nominations, applause,
cheering, enthusiasm, did not equal
the two hours from to O'Clock yes
terday. No one can call to mind any
two hours in any other convention COM
parable to these two.
The spirit moved nightly among the
people. 1t grew out of the reading of
the greatest platform ever framed by a
national convention, its most powerful
reading By Senator Tillman, and its
unanimous Endorsement by united
party that four years ago was torn as
under by the adoption Of another noted
platform, and by the appeara nee on the
stage Immediately thereafter Of Webs
ter Davis, ''she orator of the admins
tration" Of President Mckinley, until
few months ago his assistant secre-
tary Of the interior, TO announce that
II stand on your platform and will sup
port William Jennings Bryan" There
was an hour in the convention Of 1896,
when Mr.. Bryan made his great speech
for the Chicago platform, when the
genuine enthusiasm equaled this, but
there were two hours here yesterday of
the most intense convention spirit and
enthusiasm instead Of the one there.
In these tIo hours I have not in
cluded the demonstration which fol-
lowed the presentation Of Mr..
Bryan's name by Mr.. Oldham,
Immediately after Davis had closed,
nor that cordial enthusiasm which at
tended Senator Hills utterances in
seconding 'Bryan's nomination-eisher
Of which easily equaled the enthusiasm
attending Clevaland's nomination in
1892. I have not done SO for the rea
son that mere or less demonstration al
ways follows the nomination OF presl-
dent, and it may not indicate anything
of especial importance. But it is a
rare thing that the reading of plat
form carries convention off Of its feet
for two hours. No great cheering at
tended and interrupted the reading Of
the Chicago platform Of 1895, although
mighty shout went up when it was
adopted, nor that CT the famous tariff
platform of 1892. Ii was the reading
of this platform yesterday which meas
ured the high mark OF enthusiastic
Americanism.
Senator Fairbanks read the repuoli-
can platform at Philadelphia in excel
lent voice. But no one listened to
him. The inattention and Indifference
was SO marked that when he had read
about one-third of it the chairman,
Senator Lodge, arose, stopped the
reading and begged and urged the dele
gates to listen to it, stating that it was
the important function Of the conveR-
ton. Fairbanks read on and when he
had finished about another third Lodge
again arose, stepped to the frolt Of the
great platform and pleaded and begged,
urged aud almost ordered the delegates
to liste,, to the platform, but it did no
good. No one cared anything about it.
l. fell perfectly dead upon the conycn-
ton and after it was adopted the
mouth piece of the administration,
| Grosvenol IF Ohio, publicly, over bis
own name. prom ounced it forgery and
fraud oa the convention. How
marked was the contrast here yesterday
as different as the principles Of the
two parties, as different as the Amerl-
canism of this, and the English tody-
:sm and trust can't Of that. The Phila-
delphia platform has already been for
gotten because 1t aroused no manly SEN
timent in any honest American heart.
The Kansas City platform has not only
already been dubbed another Declara-
ton Of independence, but it has al
ready aroused SO much enthusiasm that
the purblind trust-ridden newspapers
will today show that they have been
scared into conniption fits by it. They
will say it surrerders l6 to !, and in
that they will lie. But they must lie
about it or meet defeat.
Every one listened as TillmaI read.
At the strong utterarces and apt ex-
pressions the convention jumped to its
feet and shouted. But in minute his
voice could be heard to the furthest
end of the hall. He is a remark kable
man. 1t is doubtful if there is another
like him in America. He is the Robe
spierre of America, who looks like the
husband Of Madame de Fargo, the
keeper Of the wine store, in Dickens
Tales of Two Cities" He is mau
Of great power, physical, mental and
moral, though some Of his enemies
have no hesitancy in saying he is lack
ing in morality He is big raw boned
slugger, equal to any political contest
with the worlds greatest political glad
iator. He loves liberty, he loves indi-
Vidual manhood: he loves the plain peo.
pie, but he more strongly hates tyran-
ny, frauds, hypocrisy, cant, plutocracy.
Perhaps he never took more genuine
pleasure in any work of his whole pub
lie career than in reading this platform,
which he seemed to know almost by
heart.
When he reached the end of the plank
on imperialism, the first one Of the
platform, and which is about a third OF
the whole document, and read that
"the Importance of other questions now
pending before the American people IS
in no wise diminished, and the Demo
cratic party takes no backward step
from its position on them, but the
burning issue Of imperialism We regard
as the paramount issue of the cam
paign," the audience cheered and cheer,
ed and cheered. As he proceeded and
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