The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-12-08
MODS DIVERT VOTES
John Sharp Williams Tells
Why Democrats Lost Out,
/ LYNHCHING PRIME CAUSE
Leader Of democratic Minority in
House Speaks in spartanbur9.
Reverts TO Affair Which Oc-
CURED in Statesboro, Ga.

#
CURED in Statesboro, Ga.
In compliance with promise made
several months ago. Hon. John Sharp
Williams delivered vigorous and tell
ing address to the people Of Spartan
burg, s. c., Friday in which he dis
cassed the causes that operated for
democratic defeat in the recent ma
tional election; and political and in
dustrial conditions as they affect the
ssuth today. )
He referred at length to the recent
lYnching at Statesboro, Ga, where
tried and convicted prisoners were ta-
ken from the court house and the
guard Of state militia and burned, de-
claring that the use Of this argument
resulted in the loss Of nearly half
million popular votes to the democrat
ic side.
He attributed democratic defsat to
three main circumstances: First, the
use Of unlimited trust funds by the
republican party, the overwhelming
personal popularity Of Theodore
Roosevelt and the specious arguments
pressed home by the republican ora
tors. that democracy was unsafe and
had resulted in financial disaster
when triumphant. He r;diculed the
weakened brethren and paraphrased
the solemn observation OF Mark
Twain, declaring that the reports OF
demecracy's death had been grossly
exaggerated.
Mr.. Williams spoke in part as fol-
lows:
We have just undergone an over
whelming defeat. I make no excuse
for saying 'swe'' to this audience. As
for myself, I am democrat 1t | dwelt
In Vermont or New Hampshire. in
Michigan or California. Thomas JEFF
ferson has been the Gamaliel at
whose feet have sat. This, however,
Is not true of all the white men In
our section who belong to the demo
cratic party. Some would ie republi-
cans. some populists and some social.
lists, save for the fact that they are
white men and that the democratic
party has necessarily become for them
the party of the white mans ciViliza-
tion, owing to the fact that its great
opponent has always sought and work
ed for the Africanizatien Of the south.
The white men Of the south did not
come into the democratic party for
the purpose Of raising race issue.
The republican party created that is
sue. chose its race and deliberately set
itself up as the black mans party In
the south. It did it, feeling seldshly
assured that it was then the strongest
position politically, anticipating that
white men would divide In their po-
litical allegiance and that the ignorant
negroes could be held solidly to the
republican faith, because the poor
.darkey never understood and does not
understand now anything about the
question Of an industrial or fiscal char
acter which divide the two parties.
A great deal lately has been said
about the "solid south" These same
people said nothing about a solid ne
gro south, created by them and vir-
tuaIly maintained by them down to
1875. The republican party. having
deliberately and Of a set purpose
drawn the race line, having made a
bid for the negro vote as pre-eminent-
" the negro party, now accused US OF
race prejudice because we were
forced compelled, whether we would
or not-to accept the alignment which
it drew. What they call race prejudice
Won know and know to be race
knowledge. The white men OF the
south will hardly split up in their
votes until the negroes hrst do.