The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-07-22
SENATORIAL CANDIDATES.
Attentive Audience at Abbeville,
Hear the Aspirants for Position
in National LEGISLATURE.

Aodl Guo hSplIduGe 4Vl oSAVioA
in National Legislature.
The Senatorial Campaign party which paid
It's aspects to Aboeville on last Friday was
perhaps the most orderly Campaign party
that mas ever visited this place. While there
were more thrusts and counte thrusts than
the average meeting develops, they were
entirely parliamentary, good nRtured and
impersonal.
The meeting was held In the beautiful little
grove back OF the court house and the accom-.
modations and surroundings were just all
that could be desired. About six hundred
people including man. ladies were present.
Hon. ". N. Graydon presided In the hap
piest Manner, having a pleasant word for
every candidate.
The meeting was opened with prayer by
Rev. E. B. Kennedy. OF the A. r. P. Church.,
| who asked the Divine blessing on those who
we're aspiring to so responsible and exalted a
position. .
l HON. o. b. MARTIN.
The first speaker Introduced was Hon. 0. Z.
| Martin, State Superintendent of Education.
| He put the audience In good humor dy tell.
ing them where he was from which made mp
a list OF about six counties. He bad done
much for the school system Of she State. Had
been instrumental In the building OF hun
1reds OF school houses in the State, and had
every where added an impetus to education.
He believed. along with many other good
things that he could do in the Senate. that
be could broaden his work along educational
lines. He was opposed to unrestricted i'm
| migration. He thought that some revision OF
the Tariff must certainly come, because OF the
| righteousness of the cause and the necessity
| under the pressure OF public opinion.
HON. R. GOODWIN RHETT.
Mayor Of Charleston was next introduced
He used q good part OF his time In pulling
out thorps that Mr.. Grace had jsbbed In him
| at previous meetings. He had been charged
with desertion of the Democratic party be-
cause he had stayed away from the polls and
refrained from voting for Bryon In bis first
racs. He felt that II the silver plank OF the
Democratic platform should triumph at the
polls that It would mean the ruin OF the
country, and In sorrow he had refrained from
voting. That he had never voted any but the
Dom ocratic tick ct. If be voted at all, and he
was as staunch in his allegiance 10 the party
as any man.
Mr.. Rhett devoted most OF his time to the
discussion Of the Currency question, and his
remarks showed that he was we'll grounded
IN the principles of financial legislation.
Somewhat holder than other speakers he ven.
tured a remedy for existing evils in the fnsn.
clal system. Briefly, he proposed sub treas.
urIes, scattered we'll over the country. He
advocated comforting upon National Banks
under proper restrictions the right to Issue
notes through these sub treasures. The
present system is dangerous, In that %circulat'
Ing notes are Issued only on United States
Bonds, and these are held namely in New
York, and with the basis OF currency In New
York the monetary system could be expand
ed or controlled at will. He decrled all credit
currency. Even green backs had gone as low
as 40 per cent Of their face value
Mr.. Rhett Is q man OF good address and
makes 6 favorable impression as a speaker.
COTTON SMITH.
Mr.. E. D. Smith. OF Cotton fame spoke next.
He recalled a time when Democracy was
sick nigh unto death. When Its feeble voice
could scarcely be heard In protest against the
robberies and oppression OF the North and
Republication. The triumphant Republican
party had made IL possible for the wealthy
few TO contract the currency. and their action
had hammered the price Of cotton TO B cents
per pound and wheat to 40 cents per bushel.
Tharin this crucial period, this Gethsemsne
Of Democracy and the South, q giant had
risen ~ strike the shackels from this people
In the person Of VIM. Jennings Bryan. He
thanked God, when this hand was raised to
save his people, he did not stay at home and
'skulk In his tent. BE was not q sometimes
Democrat but an all the time Democrat.
Mr.. Smith discussed brity the currency
law and then waded INTO the tariff at some
length. He said that the Republican party
| by its high tariff had shut out competition In
most articles. That he had used his time and
whatever talents he possessed In opening the
eyes of the Southern farmer to the fact that
he too could erect q tariff wall by using
Alright the God given monopoly OF cotton
growing. He bad tried to stop the farmers
from selling in three months products that 1t
must take twelve months TO consume there
by Cutting the market. That II was to this
lesson that they owed the fact that cotton
goes no more to S cents.
COL. W. ". LUMPKIN
was the next speaker. He said that his wife
had a powerfully ugly husband. A state.
ment which was submitted and accepted by
| the audience Without argument.
| While the Colonel may not present q beau
tiful exterior, before he had flushed. the
audience had concluded there were some
things about him that were pretty. His elo-
| ouence and beautiful periods marked him az
a real orator of the old school. He dwelt
the relation OF National government thereto.
He dwelt upon the service Of the Confederate
soldier and left his hearers to infer that some
thing might be done to requite those who
had shed their b lood and offered their lives
and received as q class 80 little in return.
The Colonel Is an entertaining talker and
held the attention OF his audience well.
Ex GOV. JOHN GARY EVANS
was next introduced. Gov. Evans said he
was at home. Mr.. Martin reminded him
that he had said the same thing 1T Green
wood, yesterday, whereupon the Governor
replied that II was not OF his volltion but by
an act of the Legislature that his homestead
had been divided.
He ridiculed as ex~travagant, high sounding
phrases Mr.. Smiths enumeration Of the all
ments OF the South. Said we did not want
anybody to tell us what was the matter with
Us. We knew that only too we'll. He said We
send for q doctor not to have him tell US
that we are in pain but to relieve the pain
and remove the cause. He said the people