The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-07-17

coilSfNtulttlnS tHc people oI NcWDcf-
ry county upon the completion of
their splendid new court house, and
the county upon its industrial pro-
grcss. He said he believed the time
had come when business men were
needed i'll the halls of national lcgis-
! lation. Hc spoke in burning and pas
sionatc words Of the War Between
the States and the dark period of Re-
construction following. Those were
the days, he said, when with the ty-
rant s heel upon our neck, we need
cd oratory. But in 1876 the white
man rcgaincd control Of the State,
"and so help us God, he shall keep
that control until the end Of timc'
That matter was settled. business
questions now confronted the South
business questions demanding solu-
ton. The struggle Of the South was
now for industrial progress, for i'll
duStrial supremacy.
He said there were various nation
al issues which might be discussed,
but in the limited time allotted to
each candidate it was not possible to
discuss them all, and he was going to
take up the discussion Of the cur
rcncy. He said he had been pitched
into because he Was not Il govern
mcnt currency man. Suppose the
government issued currency; how
were you going to get it? The only
way was to 90 to Your bank and get
it. Every power taken away from
that b.ii.X was 50 much power talk
ell away from the people themselves!
He explained clearly and forcibly the
national banking system. He wanted
a sub-trcasury Of the United States
established within nights mail of
every bank, properly safeguarded ac-
cording to the plan which he outlined
His plan, he said, of dclegating to the
national banks the power to issue the
currency would enable the people to
secure the currency when it was
needed by them.
Mr.. Rhett said that inasmuch as
Mr.. Grace, of Charleston, would fol-
low him, he wanted to reply to some
charges Mr.. Grace had made against
linn, and which he supposed would be
repeated here today. Mr.. Grace SEEM
ed TO think his mission was to tell the
people of the State why he (RhctD
should not be elected. Mr.. Rhclt
said that Mr.. Grace had charged that
in 1896 he did not vote the Demo-
cratic ticket. Mr. Rhctt said that he
had stayed away from the polls that
year because he believed silver would
bring disaster. He thought so kccnly
and he stayed away from the polls
with SORROW, but he had always been
Il Democrat. and with that exception,
had always voted the Democratic
ticket, and lie would always be De-
mocrat. He said that Mr.. Grace
would charge that in the Charleston
county convention he {Rhctn had
opposed instructions for Bryan. Mr.
Rhclt said this was true, because he
did moi believe instructions were De-
mocratic, but when he saw how the
tide was setting towards Bryan and
that Bryan would be nominated he
went to the State convention an en-
thusiastic Bryan supporter, and he
was today an enthusiastic Bryan sup
porter and would do everything he
could for the success of the Democrat
tic ticket.
Mr.. Rhctt sadi as to his views on
the tariff question, they were exactly
expressed by the tariff plank in the
Democratic platform.
Hon. E. D. Smith,
Of Florence. was received with con-
siderable applause. Mr.. Smith is a
forccful speaker, and he made good
speech on Wednesday.
He began by saying he thanked God
that he had always been a Democrat
hot Democrat for time and then,
when his gold bonds were endangered,
refusing to vote the Democratic
ticket, and then going back TO the
; Democratic party again--but always
"a Democrat.
He jumped squarely upon Mr.
/ Rhctt's currency plan. He said that
he believed in the doctrine Of the
South protecting its homes and fire
sides, and the South would never sit
quietly by and allow the cncroach-