Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-07-10
LESSON IN NATIONAL POLITICS
Candidates for U. S. House and Sen.
ate TO York Voters.
MEETING IN COURT HOUSE WEDNESDAY

| A Representative Audience Gives Close
Attention to Many speeches--The
Contest on a High Plane, Generally
Best of Good Order Throughout
Meetina-Five Hours of Argument
and oratory.
Between four hundred and five hun
dred people gathered in the court
| house last Wednesday to hear the
candidates for the United States SEN
ate and for congress from the Fifth
Congressional district The audience
| was gathered from every part Of the
| county and was thoroughly represen-
tative of the whole people. 1t was a
| well-behaved audience, an unusually
| intelligent audience, and the hearing 1t
| gave to the aspirants to its favor was,
for the most part, sober, discriminating
and impartial.
All the candidates had a fair hearing.
The observant and experienced could
make out just a little effort on the
part of a few partisans to give the
appearance of advantage to their ia
vorites: but such effort was hardly
| Of enough Importance to be worth
! mentioning. 1t is true. as one OF the
| speakers said, that the time allowed
was hardly sufficient to enable man
| to show whether he had sense or was
an ignoramus; but the audience was
one that can be safely trusted in that
respect. The entire meeting passed off
| in the best of temper. Several Of the
candidates made some pretty severe
thrlIsts at each other; but except for
the conduct of Mr.. Grace, which the
audience sufficiently reproved. there
was not the slightest flavor Of unpleas-
antness throughout the whole meeting.
The meeting was called to order at
1880 a. M, by County Chairman Will
son and opened with prayer by Rev.
E. E. Gillespie of Yorkvile After the
prayer Chairman Wilson announced
that each senatorial candidate would
be allowed 25 minutes, and after all
had spoken there would be an adjourn
ment until $50 p. nl., when the can
didates for congress would address the
voters.
Hon. o. 3. Martin
Hon. o. B. Martin was introduced
as the first speaker, and began by hope
ing that the audience would appre-
ciate his disadvantage in having to
speak first One disadvantage was
that the crowd had not fully assembled,
and another was that he was to be fol-
lowed by six other candidates and
he would have to behave himself. He
gave a humorous statement intended
to throw light on the location to which
he belonged, identifying himself with
dozen counties and winding up with
claim Of citizenship Of South Caro-
lima He referred to his service as su-
perintendent OF education, cited the
fact that he had been reelected twice
and Is now finishing a third term as
evidence that his service has been ac-
ceptable. He mentioned a number Of
laws intended to improve the school
system that he was responsible for,
among others the bill providing for ad-
ditional scholarships at Clemson. and
the bill providing for the establish
ment of free libraries. He claimed that
he had never neglected the public well
fare in his present position and said
that If he should have the honor Of go
ing to the United States senate, he
was quite sure that he would find
10 nd n
which he would be able to be Of SER
vice to his people. He thought that
with the blood that flows in his veins
and the training he has, he would new
er be able to make a mistake as to
the rights Of his state as opposed to
| those of the Federal government. He
discussed the currency question and
declared himself in favor Of currency
reform along the lines blazed out by
Calhoun and providing for an elastic
currency. He declared that II elected
to the senate, he would do all in his
power to regulate the matter Of spec
ulation in stocks. cotton, etc. in such
| a way as would best conserve the in
| terests of the people Of this section.
Referring to the tariff question, he
said that the tariff was the mother Of
the trusts, and explained how the peo-
Pile were bled through the system. He
said that the best thought and senti-
ment Of the entire country Is becoming
aroused as to the injustice Of the tar
| If, and he thought that the senator to
| be elected at the next session Of the
legislature would be called upon to
give this subject consideration.
Next he discussed the immigration
question. He told how hundreds Of
ignorant and vicious foreign laborers
were brought over here to compete
with our home labor and how, after
these laborers acquired citizenship, they
were bought up like cattle and used
at the polls to defeat the will Of the
people, He explained how these peo-
Pile were so different from our fathers
who brought their Bibles with them
and set about building homes for their
families and posterity. He explained
| the operation of some Of the present
tariff laws and showed that while they
appeared to be very restrictive, as
matter of fact they were really more or
| less farcical. He said that If he ever
had the opportunity to do so he would
devote himself to imposing greater re-
strictions upon the importation OF Ia
borers. He said that one of his COM
petitors had expressed himself in ia
vor of sending to Europe and picking
out the right kind Of immigrants; but
rhe speaker did not believe such
hing was practicable. He promised in
conclusion, that if elected to the
! United States senate he would give the
oest service in his power.
Hon. r. GOODWIN Rhett.
Hon. R. G.. Rhett, was the next
speaker He said he was not an ora
tor; that he did not come before the
people as an orator; that he came as
a plain business man, believing that
as such he could best serve the public
interest in congress. He recalled the
time when, after four years Of heroic
| lof 90 Ink