The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29

opens the Campaign I'm His state.
His Warning to True Democrats

r. Tillman today addressed a crowd OF
1.50o people here. The editor of the
Clarendon county newsT aper. Louis A
Applet, formerly an enthusiastic fol-
lower OF Tillman, but more recently an
ardent advocate Of commercial demo-
cracy' and supporter Of Senator Nc
Laurin. had sor several months made
numerous charges against Senator 1
Tillman, claiming that he had received
rebates from great whiskey firms deal
ings with the South Carolina dispen-
sary. The charges were answered by
Tillman and the accuser was met with
a torrent OF whitening sarcasm which
reminded some present of
fierce campaign OF 1890.
nat Tillman took opportunity to
his views OF the status or the
South Carolina democracy and OF his
relations thereto. He paid n warm
tribute to the late General Hampton,
declaring the absolute necessity for
party solidity III his state. denounced
Senator McLaurin'S alleged detection
from the democracy and suggested that
the party exact such pledges of party
fealty from candidates as would rule
out from nomination any so-called
democrats OF the McLaurin type. He
acknowledged having accepted a frank
from heWesternUnion Telegraph Com
pany, which was about the only one of
Editor Appelt's charges which was
~SubStantiated.
AS to his speCulations, he said thai
he held loo II a Texas Oil we'll un-
der the laws of Texas; that it became
a New Jersey company after he went
into it and thaL he expected to lose all
the money he had put into It. 1t vas
q pure speculation. While he liked to
speculate he never played cards or bet
on horse races. He admitted that he
a lost considerable money in cotton
futures and that oday he owed more
money THAI when he went to the
United States senate; and HI il he
were a dishonest man he need never
owe a cent, but could make plenty OF
money.
Senator Tillman said in part:
The democratic party in South Car
DINA has occupied a peculiar position
for twenty-five years. The whites are
in the minority m this state and under
the reconstruction dispensation there
were some 81, 900 more negro voters
than white. The nSequen was that
! after the overthrow of the carpet-bag
| government in 1876 We adopted a sys-
tenn of party government and the white
people of the state were educated in
the employment of political methods
| that obtained hardly anywhere else.
We have an 'imperium in imperio,' or
a government within a government.
Democracy has meant white supremacy
and republicanlsn: meant negro equal
ity. The necessity for white unity
over-shadOwed the other considera-
lions.
THE lamented Hampton taught us
that IAN Independent was worse than a
radical Like all of his actions and
u~tterances in those trying days, that
advice was the very essence of wisdom
and patriotism. His clear Judgment
his most distinguishing characteristic
saw the danger to the state of a
democracy split into FACTIONS and ap-
pealing to the colored vote. And ]
take this occasion to say that no other
living South Carolinan more willingly
or gladly pays tribute to his Leadership
or has a better realization of the in.
aluable services to his people and the
state rendered by this great mar in
&c. 1t was only after the revolution
Of 1890 that there vas anything like
freedom of political utterance and &C.
ton. The CONFUSION which brought
this about also brought in an artemp
on the part of those who were in min
GRITTY to Withstand the popular will
the Haskell movement was base
largely on personal opposition to me
n there was never any question il
regard to the loyalty of those who SUI
!, ported Judge Haskell to the genera
principles of democracy in the nation
THE new constitution adopted il
1895 has elimina ted for the present tn,
negro majority. The number of ne
groes eligible to vote does not excee,
$4,000, but it Is constantly increasin,
and there may be a good many thous
ands who are not registered who woul
be eligible to registration. There hav
{ been in the recent past evidences of re
publicanism cropping out in this stat
in various directions, and there
: no doubt that we shall soon have
white republican party appealing t
= the negro voters. The action of one O
our United States senator's in a.lvc
= eating republican doctrines and votin
e with that party on all essential meas
u ures, contending all the while that h
is a democrat and that he has the RICH
to define what democracy means, h.
j brought things 10 a focus. The demo
cratic party in South Carolina. and
is we'll understood that the state
overwhelmingly democratic, has a rigt
to be honestly represented in the ser
ate and in the house and, in fact, / q
e not believe the democrats of the stat
8 would Intentionally and willingly elet
: "Ay ioh " dLy OilCe "HOSc ueIllI
cracy was unScund IL they knew it.
Our present Danger is republicans
in the disguise of democracy. Their
fore the question has been raised, ar
1T Is now an issue, n II must be Sc
he as to what constitutes democrac
: and who shall define it.
we must have a revision of IL
pledge given by candidates,
Will make it impossible for any hol
orable man not a democrat, to secul
the nomination. if we are to Ike,
the party from being stabbed in Il
k back, and not have a repetition of Il
!, present disgraceful state Of affairs.
this time South Carolina has no vol,
y in shaping public matters in the Sci
ate or IL she mas a voice the votes
n the two senators are nearly always {
" opposite sides OF any given propositio
;, This is something that does not o
tain in any other democratic state an
l know Of no way by which we ca
guard against q recurrence of this CO
dition, except to require all candidat
for the senate, state officers, ongreS