The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1908-01-10
a GREAT SPEECH.
Senator rIlliman OPENS the'Eyes
Of Many. People.

q Calm. D1spaSsfonate Manner 90
o Large Audience.
In accordance with previous n
nouneoment Senator 3. i. Tiiiman
delivered an address on Wednesday
to O large audience OF ladies and
gentlemen on the race problem.
The audience was composed largely
Of city people, the bad roeds no
doubt preventing many people from
the country coming in to hear the
distinguished speaker. as they would
have liked to do. The court house,
where the meeting was held, was
comfortably filled. one-third of
the audience being ladies'.
Senator Tillman arrived in tho
city on the Atlantic Coast Line train
ON Tuesday afternoon at s o'clock
and was met by Capt. Clafy. Sheriff
Dukes, Clerk Of Court Salley. Hon.
1. w. Bowman and MI. j. c.. Rams
dale. Of the committee appointed by
tho ladies to receive and entertain
the senator while here Mr. j.. L..
Sims, Of the committee. was unable
to meet tho senator OH account OF
sickness in his family. Tho COM
mittee escorted tho senator to the
beautiful country home OF Mrs: ]. w.
Stokes. o few miles from tho city,
whero no was royalty entertained
for. tho night. All tho members 81
the. committee and .somessp their:
wives ~ wero also. guests. of Mrs,
Stokes. Tuesday evening (; except Mr..
Sims, who, from tho cause already
stated, was denied that pleasure.
This was not the first visit OF the
senator to tho hospitable home Of
man have been guests there before.
Mrs. Stokes drove the -sSnator in on
Wednesday morning - and 'he
was taken to j. the st.
Joseph's Hotel: by tho COM
mittee, where he remained until
time for the address. During the
short time he was at the hotel q
number Of gentlemen called to pay
their respects A few minutes be-
fore 12. o'clock he left the hotel
and reached tho court; house inst
about the time appointed Cor tho
speech. He was warmly greeted on
the street and in the court house by
old friends and admirers.
Tho meeting was opened with
prayer by Rev, d. D. Dantzler. Then
Hon. l. w. Bowman introduced Sen
ator Tillman in q very few words az
the greatest South Caronnian and
one Of the foremost statesmen of the
times The senator, es he arose,
was greeted most. enthusiastically on
all sides. He opened his address by
referring to his former visits to
Orangeburg, and said he felt some
what embarrassed this time because
a fee was charged to hear him. He,
said this was done by the ladies ab
his suggestion as q means to help
along the grand cause they were
to BIO able to contribute. by Mis-
time and labor. to the establish
font OF a hospital whore the
afnicted could be treated without
going to some other city.
Senator Tillfan then took up the
race problem and discussed 1t in q
calm and dispassionate names
There was no bitterness in his
speech towards the negro as a race,
but he painted out the great dan
ger that confronted the South in the
years to come when the present
means used to curtail the negro vote
will no longer be applicable. He
said it IA @ lementable fact that
moro negro children were attending
school In South Carolina than white
children, and hat it was a question
of time only when there would be
than white voters. He said that the
trainers Of the present constitution
went as far as they could in disfran-
chising the negro without dlsfran-
chising white mon, which he said
would never do.
He thought tho day would come,
unless present conditions were
changed. when the whites would di-
vide and the negro would be
brought in by the two factions OF
the white people to settle their po-
litical disputes. He referred to the
fact That no election on any ques-
ton could be settled now in this
State without tho charge Of fraud
being charged. against ono side OF
tho other. He cited as an evidence
of what he meant by referring to
the frequent contests over dispen.
sary elections and new county cleo.
lions. He said these contests be-
tween white people encouraged the
negro to hope for political power
some day. and he thought the white
people should stop 1t and settle theiI
troubles without SO much quarrel.
ing among themselves.
Senator Tillman. paid q grand and
beautiful tribute to the womanhood
Of tho South, who, he said, would
keep the race pure, but he scored in
%scatching terms white men who were
guilty Of the great wrong to their
race Of raising oolored families. He
said all such men were the worst
enomies the South had, and that
they should be made to leave" the
South IN broad, open daylight, neve
to return. AS usual. with the san
ator, he did not mince his word,
when on this branch OF his theme
but talked out plain and in unmis.
taxable language. He told Of some
oP hia oynnrinnoAa l., .