The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-02-12
IIr. Norton is Bitter.

fTOIQ Inc NSNS duo SouAASi'
To the Editor OF The News and Courier; al
low me Just one word. Your editorial OF the
29th instant misses The mark. The News ann
Courier, J. P. h. Bryan ana all ChariestoI
had as much TO do with calling the cohstltu-
tional cunveu ton oi 1895 AS did 1.-The man III
The moon," The sacred promise OF 1llIman
through his ileu!e enanis went 1ofth TO tot
people OF the state, call the convention, volt
Ior u constitutional convention aud not one
white man ricn or poor, ignorant or learned,
would be disfIarchiseo. The promise wa:
made the people, the Tillmaultes voted iot
and called CONSTITUTIONAL conVentIon; 1ue
con yenlion assembled ana practically die
franchised the very men who voted ior ana
thereby made possible this conveu tion. Ihers
lore, say that Tlllman ana MS irlenos ~
that convention were not true 10 those men,
his followers, who, trusting ahlm, calltu th'
convention TO their own undolng.
In 1861 South Carolina called her sons. the
high aud the low, the rlcn and the poor, u
defend her against an invading foe. Ines
responds d, bleu and died Tor South Cdroilnh
The end came in deIeat. Tne ploou ol hei
sons was compensated in destroyed h.ues
poverty, hunger, want and years oi toll
Military government followed by reconstruc-
ZION and the negro-sCaliawag government o
years OF obbery aud plunder. Ihen 1916 Cal me'
The massee--.uow "Lhem asses"--rali.o ah'
hurled from power the tntidel Chamoer!aH
and his minlons OF scallawag and carpet-oag
thieves In the Stale. - =,
of the News and Courier and the leading loil
Icans OF The state. The whi'e man ruieo
again, but only after The blood, votes and sup
port of the great masses oi Tue people ol th'
Stale. The masses-".hem asses" how-were
great, grand and glorlous-glorious In wal
and peace--but alas, the coionelS, the ollea
dier generals, The oig men OF me- me state, iorgp,
the people. Next 1880 came. The people hur-
led from power The bosses. Pam Farmer
Ben Tlllman was made governor. DE, 700,
forgets the same people who made Posslole
his elevation. expected no better OF Senator
Tillman. The masses nave never trusted the
News and Courier as their guide and their
friend. They have trusted Tiilman. The
great masses ice believe. that j. L. n. bryan
auu the school oi public men III south Caro-
lima in the constitutional convention were
not their friends. The people are moi ulsap-
pointed In them, 6nt tney are ofsapgDInsea p9IHman
in this matter ot The suffrage laws OF This
state and the lien law. 90
l doubt very much II The talented eultof
OF the News and Courier, Without studying
the laws or the constitution, can himself tell
what or who Is a qualified voter IN Soutn
Carolina. In 1876 up 10 1875 the slogan was
'iollow your leader and lear no danger. Inc
people have followed their leader To their own
undoing. They cannot vote In any legal
election, and soon VIII be deprived VI their
votes In The primary election 1S rnieS sn%s wnGa ne
disfrapchised In those elections as they now
are in legal elections.
All this devllish nellishness is to be follow
ed by the repeal OF the agricultural lien law,
with doubled efforts being made 10 prevent
the poor from giving mortgage on MS crop,
his personal property or otherwise. Any
thing to reduce The tenant class 10 com mon
vassalage. A shame, disgrace 10 Illiman
and all who attempt II!
have seen the hllIsides OF Virginia, Mary
land and Pennsylvania run red with the
blood OF thousands OF South Carolina's mob
lest sons In the name OF liberty. In the name
OF liberty did say-no, Will correct IL aud
put it in the name Of slavery. l must feel
That my own lifes blood was poured out freely
in a cause that thought was honorable aAd
lor the liberties OF my people, but chanse
that foolish sentiment and say for the en-
savement of my people God save these
people, sons of Confederate soldiers, from lhe
grating greed OF a lsuded alislocrlcy whose
remorHeleSs conscience hears not the cry ol
the weak and the helpless, but Hophnl and
Phineas like, with double lined hooks OF
barbed steel, dip into the liberties and the
meat and bread of The people OF South Caro-
lima.
May be I am the goose as you and Senator
Tillman may say. BE II SO II you 30 think.
II would have been better TO have continued
as in 1878, 1890 snd on with our hands IN the
ballot boz. taking out the negro ballots than
hypCcritically 10 have robbed While men OF
their ballots, and then OF their liberties. as In
the effort TO make vas5als OF white men now
going on in South Carolina. Turn 1t as you
may, twist IL as you can, the son OF the Con-
Iederste soldier, whose iather's bones bleach
upon Virginia hiilsides, and whose blood en-
rich hundreds OF battletelds, stand helpless
and in poverty, ignorant and despised be-
cause his father, killed, manned and unaole,
could not educate that son. For those sons OF
the poor Confederate say curse the name OF
liberty TO them, and blight the hypocrltical
cantthat praises their 1atners patriotism and
yet damns them and their posterity TO sla-
very by cruelty oppressive laws. Respectfully
James Notion.
Columbia, January so.