The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1905-09-20
TILLMAN'S PICTURE REALIZED.

Do you remember, gentlemen, the
charges of corruption made against
scores of the best men that South Caro-
lima ever had in public life in 1890? Do
you remember The ISLANDERS of the
''manifesto?" Do you remember how
when Capt. Tillman came to be Gov
ernor he found that the public offices
had been conducted with rare ability
and honesty and that the record of his
predecessors since 1876 was one that he
could not hope to excel.
Do you remember that when the base
charges were found to be false-as it
was known they would be found-''the
Old Antis'' nominated John Sheppard
for Governor, because they thought the
people would rebuke utterance of these
slanedrs against the Hamptons and
Richardson's and Brattons and all that
kind?
Now, gentlemen, if it had been dis
covered that John Sheppard had fas-
thieves by hundreds, would the "old
ants" nave dared to run him for Gov
ernor? If he had still continued to plead
for such a law, would even they have
voted for him?
A great many of you, gentlemen,
were led to believe sincerely in 1890
that the State was in the hands of a
pack of thieves. You found out your
mistake. Suppose that it had been a
mistake and that Governor Tillman had
uncovered rascals big, little and me-
dunn sized, by the dozen, by the bag,
basket and wagon-body full, would
there nave been an can't ticket" in 1892
with men like Capt. Joe Humbert IN
it? Honestly, do YOU think, gentlemen,
"cheered'? Or would any nave been
able to hold up his head if it had been
found that Capt. Tillman's charges
were true?
Capt. Tlllman drew a picture of
"~bamboozling and de%bauching," of
"incipient ro%ttenness'' and all that sort
of thing in 1890 that will never be for
gotten in South Carolina. He laid it on
thick and strong and he seemed toknow
just how it ought to look. He made it
so real that a large majority of the
people were deceived.
The only trouble about it, after all,
was that it was Is years too previous.
The Tillman picture was all right-the
colors were too pronounced. It's a pho
tograph of what exists in the State to-
day but existed only in imagination
when it was painted.
Who says that all this, not incipient
but fostering, ripe and bursting corrup-
ton is now ove%r-running the State?
Why, Senator Tillman himself!
Would we have had it if we had had
no Dispensary system?
Would we have had it II Senator Till
man and his lieutenants had not denied
for years the charges of Dispensary
corruption that the "Old Ants"
brought?
Gentlemen, would we have had a
Dispensary, if we had had no Tillman?
There are those who think that in
discussing this Dispensary nastiness we
should leave Senator Tillman's name
out of it but as we nave never regarded
him as a creature to be worshipped we
see no reason why he should not be
measured by his own yard stick.
Poor old General Hampton, although
nothing was proved against his crowd,
chad to git" So did General Butler.
But don't you know, gentlemen, you
Laurens voters, that if such outrageous
doings as have been made public by
this ~Dispensary Investigating Commit
tee had been unearthed in 1890 by Capt.
Tillman, Senator Hampton would not
have had the ~effrontery to ask reelection?
If he had, wouldn't he have been
laughed at? Wouldn't he have been
laughed out of the State?
OF course Senator Tillman's going to
be reelected. We all know that. We
are used to it. Nobody's going to run
against him. All the politicians are
afraid of him. He's the boss, bless his
soul. We are not worrying ourselves
to nave him beat. 1t doesn't make any
great difference to THE ADVERTISER
who is in the United States Senate
from South Carolina and Tillman is bet
ter thar some-mighty few, but some
that are in that body now. But he
ought not to be reelected and we don't
believe that the majority of the men
who are going to vote for him away
down in their secret hearts thinkA that
he ought to be reelected.
Meanwhile THE ADVERTISER has no
candidate. Not yet-not ven for
County Commissioner.
TIIB rIn m Ar crHnNI