The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-09-11
CANDIDATES SPEAK At WAL7 L7ERDORO
Campaign in the Seventh District
Nearing its End.

of the congressional Speech-makIng
opened here yesterday. There will be
three other meetings in the county, the
last being at Smoaks on Friday.
The crowd today was representative
one and numbered about 400. This
being Mai. Howell's home, he, Of
course, had the crowd. They cheered
him from start to finish, and if the
enthusiasm OF the people here today
means anything, he will carry Colleton
With an overwhelming majority. He
made a strong speech on national Is
sues and was frequently Interrupted
by enthusiastic applause. But 1t was
when, in conclusion, he briefly re-
viewed his record as a public servant
and recalled the scenes and trials OF
the reconstruction period that the
audience, remembering the heroic ser
vice he rendered his people, fairly
went wild with enthusiasm.
Thus far this campaign has been
conducted on q high plane. The can
didates have all refrained from in
dulging in acrimonious personalities,
devoting themselves rather to discus
sion of the important questions Of the
day. While this is true and all enter
tain practically the same views on
these questions, the campaign has not
been devoid of that spice which ordl-
nari]v favors political campaigns IN
South Carolina. The only difference
has been in the quality OF the spice.
Enough has been put into 1t TO en-
Even the meetings and enforce the at
tention and interest Of the crowds tnaG
have assembled, to hear the speakers.
The result has been that the people
have really been enlightened and edu--
Gated, for the candidates today showed
themselves capable of intelligently dis
cussing all the great questions which
now agitate the American people.
The meeting opened here yesterday
at II o'clock and was presided over
by Senator W. B. Gruber, who De
spoke for all the candidates respect
full and attentive hearing.
The first speaker was the Hon. Thos.
F. Brantley, who after expressing his
qualification at meeting the people OF
Colleton, took occasion to oenounce as
false a report which has gained circu-
lation to the effect that he had acted
unfairly in settling, as attorney, an
estate in the adjoining county OF Dor
chester. It had been reported, he
said, for the purpose of injuring him
in this campaign that he had received
an extravagant fee in the case IN cues
ton; that he had promised the WIDOW
a part of this fee and had refused
upon the termination Of the case to
carry out this promise. He said ne
regretted having to mention the mat
ter. but it was an attack upon his
character and when his character was
assailed he was ready to shed his
blood in its defense. All the lawyers
in the case and the court itself had
concurred in saying that the fee was
a reasonable one, and so far as his
alleged promise to divide it with the
widow was concerned, such report was
a damnable lie. An affidavit support
ing his alleged promise to the widow
was handed him by gentleman IN
the audience with the request that he
read it. This he did and thereupon
denounced it as false. Mr.. Brantley
then took up and discussed the tariff
question, expansion and the Nicaragua
canal. He stood, he said, for the
Kansas City platform, the greatest
declaration by man, because in it was
enwrapped the happiness Of the State
and the greatness of the nation. The
policy of the Republican party leads to
Imperialism, a form of government
loved by kings and tryants, which is
to be enforced by a large standing
army. he favored the Nicaraguan
canal under the control of our govern
ment because it will reduce by half
the distance between the south and
China, Japan and the isles Of the sea
and thus be of great commercial ad-
vantage, making our southern ports
the greatest in the world. He de-
nounced the ship subsidy scheme and
favored for the better development of
our shipping interest the abolition of
the navigation laws which provide
that American ships must be made
only in America. He favored an in
come tax, free rural delivery and the
drainage of the lands of lower South
Carolina.
Judge o. W. Buchanan was next
introduced. He is an interesting
speaker and was heard with evident
pleasure by the crowd. He discussed
mainly the tariff, trusts and monopo-
lies. In the outset, however, he said
he was concerned in the consummation
of the primary election system, which
enabled the people to see the candi-
dates and choose the one which more
exactly represented their views. The
idea of draining the low lands of the
State was original with him and
Brantley had appropriated it. But
Brantley ought to know that the ma
tional government would not and in
fact could not undertake to carry out
the idea, but that it was peculiarly
the duty Of the State to effect so desir
able consummation. He, of course,
opposed the tariff and especially a
tariff on cotton, which some seemed to
think would be beneficial What We
want is greater demand for cotton.
He discussed at length the effect of
monopolies and said that the great
remedy for the evils which the tariff
and trusts engender was proposed by
W. J. Bryan and was the remedy he
favored. 1t was to take the tariff off
&boi