The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-07-13
SENATOR TiLLMAN SPEAKS

The Senator Declares That If Co-"go.
ton is Met Ex.radicsted lie win
Gtu;rp the State to Kill the System.
Creenville. s. G.. S2eci2l.-The South
Carolina Legislature has got to rcor-
gan'Zc the dispenaary and r,1,ce it Ge-
cent. declares Senator B. 2. Ti!lmf 4,
or, says he, I'll stump the State t2
kill it," Outside OF that, which remark
he had made in effect 5Cfcre. there
were no startling revelations or sen
sational utteIanccs in the senator's S
speech at Greenville. Many OF the
crowd who had come from afar were
somewhat disappointed that the sen
ator refused to "cuss" for publication,
and that his pitchfork lay SO placidly
and peacefully up against the door OF
the crib OF mildewed forage which he
might have turned over. However. the
crowd had already got wind of let
and that was pronounced suflisieIly
warm for a fourth of July speech. SO
they were ir sense appeasea.
The speech itself was calm. diS2aG-
sionate. impersonal, wholly good hi.
mored and most un-Tillmanic perform
ance. supposedly dealing with the cot-
ton situation, but really dealing with
nothing. The crowd laughed with MIN
and enjoyed his fascinating presence.
but very few seemed to think he was
making a speech. Occasionally some
fellow in the crowd would try to get
up little enthusiasm by yelling.
That's right, Ben; give 'em hell" at
which everybody, including Tillman,
would laugh
THE OCCASION.
Upon the advice OF President Earvie
Jordan, of the Southern Cotton Asso-
Aiation. the Fourth OF July was ce!e-
brated in Greenville by grand rally OF
farmers. A telegram was read by Mr..
G. H. Mahon, mayor OF Greenvilie.
from Theodore H. Price. giving it as his
belief that in view of an expected crop
of not much over 100000 bales, cot
ton will Immediately 90 to y cents
a pound and stay there" This. together
with the rise in the past few days. was
sufficient to insure the good humor OF
the crowd and an enthusiastic atten-
ton to anything which was meant to
"whoop them up" or pat them on
the back"
About 1000 people heard the speeches
out in a grove, down In hollow. away
off in the woods, where you could get
only by walking mile from the fur
thest end OF the car line or paying
the traditional quarter for hack fare.
Yet people went, even goodly number
besides those who heard the speeches.
for barbecues. picnics. horse races, base
ball. were among the festivities OF the
Fourth. The Piedmont fair grounds
was the place The speaking began at
about o'clock and lasted till 8: 80:
At the close Mr.. r. Mays Cleveland
presided over the meeting. After a
brief speech stating the object OF the
meeting he introduced Senator Tillman.
Next followed Mr.. e. D. Smith, after
these two regular speeches. Mr.. G. n.
Mahon, mayor OF the city, addressed
the crowd few MINUTES. Then fol-
lowed Mr.. ]. T. Johnston. Member OF
congress from that district. Then, az
Ter little impromptu collection for the
association from which about hat full
of nickles was realized, the meeting
broke up.
SENATOR TILLMAN'S SPEECH.
Senator Tillman. after few pleas
antries about the crowd, the occasion
and the weather, and after declaring
that this was not the time or the place
for him to make political utterances,
starter in to talk to the farmers as
farmers. I'VE are not here as citizens
OF the United States, but as farmers,
he said. He spoke first of the Southern
Cotton Association and said that while
he was willing to concede that it had
done some good in helping on an agita-
ton, he did not think it could rishtfully
claim all the credit for the present rise
in the price of cotton. He said: TON
Smith, Bill Johnston, John Williams,
and the others saw something was
wrong. so they joined the cotton asso-
citation and went to resolving and re-
solving, and resoluting and resoluting.
but Old King Grass was the man VINO
came along and checked the cotton out.
That's what raised the price" Then
he added. amidst the hilarity. $50 Prov
idence takes care Of its own.
Senator Tillman amble1 on, appar-
emily somewhat at a loss what to talk
about. Some one suggested ccrn. I've
got the best corn crop in South Caro-
lima: I don't care who he is.
"You amt seed mine, Is you?" cried
tall, hearty looking man in broad
brimmed straw hat. The, Senator
laughed, so did the crowd. mo, l
haven't seen yours" he said.
well, you come up to Chick Springs
and lemme show you some sho nun
corn as is corn" said the man.
Even II the speaker had had a set
speech to make, he could not have
made it in that crowd, for some one
was constantly trying to side-track him
into politics or something in which he
might have occasion for his pitchfork.
He did finally touch just little upon
the dispensary and his former friend,
John L. McLaurin," though very little
about the latter, saying, with laugh,
"De mortuis nil nisi bonum." He said
McLaurin was dead, even II he did
manage to get his many speeches these
days in the newspapers.
But speaking Of the present move
ment and politics, he compared 1t with
the former farmers movement IN Soutn
Carolina. These newspaper men, he