Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-08-01
Two South carollnlans.
[Richmond News.Leader. ]

history OF American politics there
never has been more impudent
episode than the speech of Benjamin
Ryan Tillman, United States Sena-
tor from South Carolina, at Aiken a
few days ago, in which he undertook
to explain the defeat of Wade
Hampton for reelection to the Sen
ate in 1898. Aiken is the place
where Gen. Hampton was "howled
down" by Tillman's' followers in 1892
and denied hearing when he at
tempted to make public speech.
Hampton defeated himself, Till
man told his hearers. Hampton
would not swear allegiance to the
new movement, would not bow to
the new influences. He had mislaid
his registration ticket and could not
vote between Col. Haskell, his kins-
man, an independent candidate for
Governor, and Tillman, the regular
nominee, although he had avowed
his purpose to swallow Tillman to
maintain the party organization.
He was defeated by coalition of
the Farmers Alliance and the Till
man forces. He was defeated for
the United States Senate by a man
who ten years before had been a
fugitive from justice with price on
his head accused of murder-and at
that an infinitely better and manlier
man than Tillman. He lived to be
deserted and cast aside oy Tillman
and to declare before his death that
one thing he wanted to live for was
TO atone to the people of South
Carolina for foisting Ben Tillman on
tbem-for he was Tillman's best
friend and benefactor and counted
him in for his first nomination.
In all the political history of the
world there is no fouler political
assassination than that of Wade
Hampton.
There never has been a more
vivid contrast between two men
than between Hampton and Tillman.
Wade Hampton was born in 1921.
AT the beginning of the Civil war he
was AZ years old, man of large
family and great substance and
affairs and boundless influence and
he had been steadfast friend of the
Union. When South Carolina se-
ceded he volunteered personally for
active service, gave to the cause
with lavish hand, went far to the
front, fought to the last, poured out
his blood in Virginia fields, saw his
Oldest son die in battle by his side.
Benjamin Ryan Tillman was born
in 1S49. In 1865 he was sixteen
years old, of military age according
to Confederate laws--and he had
rheumatism. He has lived forty one
years since then and has no rheuma-
tism now.
In 1876 Hampton went to South
Carolina from Mississippi, answering
the call of his native State, and led
a forlorn hope in a desperate and
apparently hopeless fight for white
supremacy. In all that bitter strug-
gle he insulted nobody, made no
vaunt of his own prowess, did no act,
spoke no word to cause discord or
excite any class, element, faction or
race of his people against any other.
He had sharp issue with the then
President of the United States, but
did not stand out and abuse him at
safe distance. He faced the Presi-
dent man to man, and when asked
what he would do if the radical gov
ernment was organized, replied
quietly that he would have every
radical tax collector in the United
States hanged in twenty-four hours
and he meant it, although he knew
that in executing his threat he would
put his own neck in the halter, for
he was but the nominal head of an
unrecognized government, and in the
eyes of the law but private citizen.
He made no vociferous proclama-
tions of valor, brandished no pitch