Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-04-30
THE PARTYs PLATFORM.
TiIIman Says Candidates Must Pledge Their
Loyalty-Speech at Manning.

spoke 10 IL aTSpGeSeuUdtlV0 OI SOu0 l,CUU
persons here to-day. The speech had
been looked forward to with great inter
est, but it did not quite come up to ex-
pectations in point of sensationalism,
though Senator Tillman was in good
form and never used his peculiar methods
to better advantages than to-day.
State Senator Applet, in his paper,
the Manning Times, has recently been
making severe attacks on Senator Till
man, charging him with having received
dispensary rebates, etc. At the meeting
here to-day ne submitted a number of
certificates, which contained nothing
new and were but rehash of the charges
that have been made in the State during
the past ten years. Senator Tillman
answered them much the same as he has
done on former occasions, explaining
some accusations and ridiculing others.
Applet failed to make out his case.
The crowd was Overwhelmingly for
Tillman and he was frequently cheered.
There were scattering counter cheers for
Applet and McLaurin. The best of order
prevailed throughout.
Tillman in his speech compared his
Democracy with that of McLaurin and
said one or the other ought to be left at
home. Appelt claimed that he was loyal
to the Democratic party and said he
would desert McLaurn whenever the
latter is shown not to be a Democrat.
Applet is q candidate for re election to
the Senate, but there is much opposition
to him and he will probably be defeated.
TILLMAN's SPEECH.
A verbatim report of the important
part of Senator Tillman's speech is as
follows:
There is a matter of deep interest
which will come up for discussion and
settlement in the coming May conven-
tion, and as | am the representative of
the Democracy of this State upon the
National Committee it may not be i'm
proper for me to express my views on
and inform you as to the sentiments and
feelings of the Democrats in Washington
on the subject. The Democratic party
in South Carolina has occupied peCu-
liar position for 25 years The whites
are in the minority in this State and
under the reconstruction dispensation
there were some 35, 200 more negro voters
than whites. The consequence was that
after the overthrow of the carpetbag
government in 1876 we adopted system
of party government and the white
people of the State were educated in the
employment of political methods that
have had an emporium in imperiO' or
n government within a government.
Democracy meant white supremacy and
Republicanism meant negro equality.
The necessity for white unity over
shadowcd the other considerations and
that submission to the will of the ma
jOrity and loyal support of the nominees
of the party were paramount to all other
considerations.
The lamented Hampton taught us that
an "indcpendent was worse than q
radical" Like all of his actions and
uttcranceS in those trying days that
advice was the very essence of wisdom
and patriotism. His clear Judgment
his most distinguishing Characteristic
saw danger to the State, of Democracy
split into factions and appealing to the
colored vote. And take this occasion
to say that no other living CarOlinian
moro willingly or gladly pays tribute to
his leadership or has better realization
of the invaluable services to his people
and the State rendered by this great man
in '7G.
1t was only after the revolution of 1890
that there was anything like freedom of
political uttcrance and action. The con-
vulsion which brought this about also
brought with it an attempt on tho part
of those who were in the minority to
withstand the popular will; and some of
those who had been most clamorOus of
party regularity and submission to the
dictates of a convention in selecting can
didates bOlted and ran Judge Haskell
for Governor The Haskell movement
was based largely on personal opposition
to me, and there was never any question
in regard to the loyalty of those who
supported Judge Haskell to the general
principles of Democracy in the nation.
Following the independent action of the
Uaskclltcs came the rebellion of those
who voted against Cleveland for Weaver
in '02, amounting to some 1000 or
more votes, mainly in Pickens and Oconee
counties. Thon in '94 there was another
rebellion on account of adoption of the
"Colleton plan.' DR., Pope ran as an
Independent candidate for Governor and
received several thousand white votes.
SO there have been three attempts to
resist the will of the organized channels.
In each of these instances those who had
broken fealty with their fellows and who
failed to support the nominee of the
party as they had pledged at the pri
maries to do, were forgiven and admitted
back to fellowship without any question.
In each case those who resisted the will
of the party of course felt justified in
acting independently, but they were
private soldiers, so to speak, and the
desire of our people for continued fel.
lowship and good will among the whites
prevented their expulsion from the party.
Now we arc confronted with different
condition of affairs. The new consttu-
tiOn adopted in 1895 has eliminated for
tho present the negro majority. The
number of negroes eligible to vote does
not exceed $1,000, but it is constantly
increasing and there may be a good many
thousand who are not registered who
would be eligible 80 registration. There
have been in the recent past evidences of
RepChlCanism cropping out in South
Carolina in various directions. There is
no doubt we shall soon have q white
Republican party appealing to these
negro voters. The action of one of your
United States SenatoIs in advocating
Republican doctrines and voting with
that party on all essential measures, con
tending all the while that he is Demo.
crat and that he has the right to
define what Democracy means, has
brought things to focus The Demo
cratic party in South Carolina, and it is
well understood that the State is over
whelmingly Democratic, has q right to
be honestly represented in the Senate
and in the House and in fact | do not be-
lieve the Democrats of the State would
Intentionally and willingly elect any man
to any Office whose Democracy was un-
sound If they knew it, Our present dan
ger is Republicanism in the disguise of
Democracy. Therefore the question has
been raised and it is now an issue and it
must be settled as to what constitutes
Democracy and who will define it. 1t is
contended that we should leave tho pri-
mary just as it is and make no now rules
and regulations to prevent q recurrence
of the election of man or men whose
Democracy does not tally with that of
the national party. We are urged to per-
NIT every man to vote who will make the
pledge, and not to require of the candi-