Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-07-18
IILLMAN STATES PLAN
TO REFORM D|SPENSARY.
SPEECH AT SANDY FLAT BEFORE GREAT
CROWD.
The Senator Condemned Last General As
sembIy and Denounced the Proposition
10 Establish County Dispensaries.

10y Jab' "A. hoyC, III tno ColumOia otate. ]
Greenville, July -Four thousand
people or more were gathered at
Sandy Flat to-day to hear Senator
Tillman Oh the issues of the day.
From newspaper standpoint, per-
haps, the best "story" of the day was
the people. 1t was fine crowd.
Strong, robust men of this mountain
country; handsome, healthy, we'll
dressed women and plenty Of Ameri-
can children. Contrasted with the
crowds which cheered "Brave Ben
'ri.Iman" fifteen years ago, there was
a great difference. Then there was
hunger almost written on their faces,
hard times certainly made its impress
and they were ready to swallow any
thing that would mean lighter taxes
and better conditions. They had
begun to think also that they were
not treated right politically and their
interest in politics was intense.
But to-day this crowd did not
seem SO much interested in politics.
They received Tillman's most fervent
passages with calmness that even
the speaker must have noticed. There
were men in that crowd who fourteen
years ago would have punctured
every sentence Tillman uttered with
"hurrah for Tillman," and to-day
there were few hurrahs of any kind.
From way down about Walkers
Cross Roads and Mauldin station, ten
miles below Greenville city, and even
as far down as Lickville, twenty miles
below town, men came to this meet
ing, in fact there were some there
from Laurens county. And Spartan
burg was well represented, as the
county line is not many miles away.
AS for Greenville city and the north
ern portion of the county, one who
knows the people could spot folk
from every section of that territory.
1t was then representative crowd.
1t was also a well-dressed, we'll
groomed crowd; women with pretty
dresses and plenty of flowers and
ribbons. And like their horses and
mules, they all seemed to be ell-fed,
well-kept.
Happiness and prosperity, such as
are here indicated, do not accord with
political excitement and frenzy.
These people refuse to think alone of
whiskey; they have something better
to consider. And to-day they re-
fused to enthuse over the whiskey
issue. They gave Senator Tillman
a respectful, interested hearing, and
if he had an opposing candidate
doubtless the vast majority of those
present to-day would cast their bal
lots for Tillman in preference to the
other man. But they received his
address in cold silence. Lower taxes,
which they voted for sixteen years
ago, have not come, but better condi.
tions have come and the people are
no longer absorbed in politics. They
wanted to hear their Senator speak,
but they came for pleasant day.
The spot selected for the speaking
was very pretty grove near the
home of Mrs. Jane Gilreath, near
Jackson Grove church. The speak
ing was announced to be cat Sandy
Flat" but while there is a precinct
by that name, "Sandy Flat" is in
reality a community or section, and
it is famous for several things, one of
which is the ease with which illicit
liquor could always be secured and
perhaps a fight if wanted. This is
not saying that Sandy Flat is or has
been a lawless community, but there
has always been certain lawless ele-
ment in this section.
The exercises were presided over
by ii. Is. Ingram, the register Of
mesne conveyance for this county.
Ex-senator a. H. Dean made the
opening speech, in which he spoke OF
the pleasure the people took in hav-
ing Senator Tillman present and re.
ferred to him as the brave defender