The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1908-07-29
CANDIDATES FOR
SENATE SPEAK
Meeting Was Held at the
Park Friday.
SOME NEW FEATURES
MIR. Martin Crticizes the Newspapers
and Mr.. Grace Hammers On
Mr.. Rhett's Record.

Iiis NSIOIu.
About six hundred Laurens county
voters heard the senatorial candidates
at the sulphur springs here on last Fri
day morning, the meeting being order
ly, quiet and free from any unpleasant
ness or even any special and distinct
feature. Comfortable seats had been
provided for the crowd and this fact
contributed largely to the unusual pa
tience of the audience. County Chair
man Robert A. Cooper presided with
ease and dignity, presenting each
speaker with some pleasant and timely
remark. The meeting was opened with
prayer by the Rev. j. l., Mctin, of the
city. Probably the only incidents
worthy of note were the attacks of
Candidate o. B. Martin upon The Lau-
rens Advertiser and of Mr.. j. P. Grace
upon both The Advertiser and Hon. r.
G.. Rhett. Mr.. Martin read an extract
from an editorial in last weeks Adver-
tiser which said: "From observation
and personal contact with many voters
of the State we are of the opinion that
the leaders in the race now are Smith
and Rhett," and said that if we are to
believe what this paper said it was no
use for the candidates to speak at all
since the thing was already settled and
the votes already decided. And here he
told the old joke about the voting con-
test among the animals and applied it
very aptly to the present situation,
namely, that if the newspaper method
of settling these things was to be ac-
cepted "the goats have already voted" 4"
MIR. Martin thought The Advertiser had
no right to express an opinion on the
candidates. Mr.. Grace made his usual
attack upon Mr.. Rhett's democracy,
reading an affidavit made out by him
self in Greenville Wednesday to the eff
feet that he (Grace) had seen a letter
written by Mr.. Rhett to President
Roosevelt in which he (Rhctt) as a Re-
publican in Charleston protested against
the appointment of the negro Crum as
port collector because such appoint
ments would hurt the Republican party
in Charleston Mr.. Rhett of course
denied these charges and dismissed
them as unworthy of consideration;
this he did in anticipation of them as
Mr.; Rhett spoke before Mr.. Grace.
The candidates made their usual
speeches dealing with the questions
that are being discussed in this cam
paign as fully as the time would per-
init. Close. attention was given each
speaker and the applause was awarded
without Stint. Col. Lumpkin made the
prettiest speech of all, his language
being well chosen and the figures of
speech aptly used He began with the
use of his witty reference to his looks:
My Wife's husband amt very pretty"
Mr.. Rhett made clear, concise,
straigh t-from-the- shoulder speech and
received strict attention and liberal APP
plause.
Messrs. Evans and Smith were each
greeted with loud applause, they both
being favorites in this county.
Col IOhpStOnn cnopon1 to lo ~
without spirit and kept complaining
about ''the terrible difficulties under
which he was speaking" but which
were not apparent by the audience.
COL. GEO. TOMBSTONE.
Solicitor Cooper introduced as first
speaker the Hon. Geo. Johnstone, of
Newberry, who is we'll and favorably
known here in Laurens. Mr. Johnstone
seemed to speak under great difficulty,
complaining that the wind bothered
nm, and he came near giving up his
attempt. However, he consumed his
time, most of which was devoted to a
discussion of the manner in which the
cotton market was manipulated. Mr..
Johnstone argued that it was to the in
tcrest of the farmers to see that the
prices of their product were reasonably
high and none the less the interest Of
the manufacturing class. "For," said
he, high prices for the raw material
stimulate demand and prices of the
manufactured product" He said that
almost all governmental affairs rested
in some way on the business conditions
of the country and that men who could
grapple with such matters were needed
in the senate. "And men" said Mr..
Johnstone, "who can and will see to it
that Wall street is cut loose from the
government and that the Department
of Agriculture is properly managed are
the kind that must be sent if we are to
prosper. Mr.. Johnstone said he would
represent both the manufacturer and
the producer in Congress if elected.
His speech was well received.
COL. w. w. LUMPKIN.
Col. w. w. Lumpkin, of Columbia,
was the second speaker. He began his
speech by saying: "My wife's husband
amt very pretty" in which observa-
tion the audience good humoredly con-
Cured. "And," said he, 81 never saw
an ugly man that didn't have a pretty
wife; every man before me has pretty
wife. Col. Lumpkin opposed Mr..
Rhett's currency plan on the ground
that it would give power into the hands
of the national banks to control the
money situation in the country, which
he considered dangerous plan. He
said that to give the 5000 national