Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-09-07

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1 cause for governor, but their efforts
! seemed to make little impression. Two
3 years later they had a strong minority
! in the convention, and when John Pc
{ ter Richardson, a low-country planter
whom everyone acknowledged to be an
3 "aristocrat" IL there ever was one, was
{ nominated for governor, Tillman warn
ed the leaders in one Of his most pas
3 sionate and violent speeches that they
were playing with fire and that vol
8 cano would belch forth to engulf them.
Two years later, in 1890, 1t came. An
; address to the people, citing the
! wrongs heaped upon the people" for
Z a hundred years, was issued from
, Laurens over the signature Of one Cap
, tain George Washington Shell. 1t be-
came known as the "Shell Manifesto"
/ Ben Tillman wrote every word Of 1t.
, 1t called for a convention Of "the friends
of the movement" to meet in Columbia
land nominate a state ticket. The con-
, vention met. and nominated B. r. Till
man for governor.
; The Democratic Executive committee
lappointed meetings in the various
counties, at which candidates should
set forth their views upon the ques-
tions of the day. Two champions came
out to meet the "traducer Of the state"
or the friend Of the people"-accord-
ing to ones point of view whether he
were a "Tillmanite" or an "anti-Till-
manite"-and every man, woman and
child within the confines Of South Car
olina soon came to be one or the 9TH
Ter.
Tillman appeared upon the scene en-
throned upon the plain, hard board
seat Of a farm wagon, the frame and
wheels Of which were decorated with
sheaves of grain, pea vines. cotton
stalks, corn tassels and other insignia
of rank The chariot of the king was
drawn by a hundred or more horny
handed sons of toll, wearing wool hats
and britches"-not trousers-held up
by "one-galluses." A hundred or
more horsemen (and mulemen) led the
procession, uncounted hundreds of
wool hat and e-gallus boys" bring
ing up the rear, all yelling to the full
power of their lusty lungs, "Hurrah for
Tillman and Reform!" Thus they
paraded through the principal streets,
and on to the arbor stand on the out
skirts of the town. "Our Noble Lead
er" mounted the stand. After taking
off his big broad -brimmed hat wreath
ed around with pea vines or sheaves
Of grain, he proceeded with many man
lifestations of wrath in countenance and
voice and with gyrations Of his long
arms to make a few remarks on the
general cussedness of the situation"
The details Of that campaign are un-
important, though exceedingly pictur-
esque and dramatic, verging at many
places upon personal conflicts and once
or twice upon general riots. Tillman
delegates were chosen In all the coun-
ties in the state except four Tillman
became governor Of South Carolina,
| and Tillmanites took entire control of
the legislature and Of nearly every
county government. Then began the
process Of reform" and with it the
bitterness and most interesting part Of
this factional warfare in South Caro-
lima.
Floating in upon the wave of "re-
FORM" or as the anti-Tillman newspa-
pers dubbed it, "refawm," came many
picturesque personalities, with whom a
/ fntf fa int than fhiC
brief article can give would be inter-
esting. But only one of the quaint
dramatis persona of the tragedy com
edy can even be mentioned.
Most interesting of all. perhaps, was
Josh Ashley, who became Citizen
Ashley and in time "the Honorable
Joshua w. Ashley" Even at the risk
Of some prolixity we must pause a mo-
ment for a closer look at one of the
most celebrated of Tillman statesmen.
Yet only as a personality was he
unique; as a Tillmanite he was typical.
Josh used to come to the little town Of
Honea Path on Saturdays and stand
around on the street corners, chew to-
bacco and spit and "cuss" Though
naturally good -natured he was red
headed, so that his geniality could be
disturbed. On the whole, he was just
such a character as "the boys" in
small town like to have around for the
butt OF their pranks. Josh was Hitter
ate, he had to make his cross mark on
papers until his wife taught him to
write his name. He was of the plain
peopul," that is, he was what the news
papers had begun to call a "vox pop
uli" Withal he was a farmer wear
ing a woolen hat, "one gallus," and had
never been seen with polished shoes or
a billed shirt" So Josh lined the
movement"-with the accent on the
| ''ment"-and when the campaign came
along, some mischievous boys induced
him to mount the stump and shout with
his mighty lungs, "Hurrah for Tillman
and Reform" to everybody's surprise,
most of all to his own, 1t resulted in
his being elected to the "legislatur."
One of the events in the history Of
Honea Path which they tell to the Wis
itor whom they delight to honor, is
Josh Ashley's first departure for Co
lumbia to become a member Of the
"legislatur" 1t was the first time, they
say, that he had ridden on a train;
yet in a short while he was one Of the
most influential men at the state cap
ital.
The members of the legislature as
we'll as the state and county officers
were in the main farmers. some few of
them country DOCTORS and a slightly
larger number of them lawyers Of the
"one- horse" variety-all alike unused
to any kind of public service. All or
Inearly all of the politicians" or as Josh
Ashley called them the 'politicianers,"
were relegated to the rear. OF some
thing like 700 lawyers in the state, less
than fifty were Tillmanites; and 1t Is
significant that IL any one Of these fif-
ty was not seeking public office at the
hands Of the movement" no trace OF
him has ever yet been discovered. In