The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-09-09
DARK DAYS
IiVIman Tells the Story of the
Struggles of 1875
I'M SOUTH CAROLILA

An Address Delivered by Senator
Tillman at the Red Shirt Reunion
at Anderson, S. c., on August 25,
in the Presence of Several Thou
sand Enthusiastic People.
The following is the first INSTALL
ment of Senator 7iillman's great
speech at the Red Shirt Reunion at
Anderson on August % in the pres
ence of a large and enthusiastic
audience, among which were many
of the men who had participated in
the stirring scenes the Senator de-
picts. The speech is necessarily very
long and we have determined to pub
lish it in sections, so as our readers
can have the pleasure of peruslng
lit. In our next issue we will pub
lis the second section, and so to the
end. Senator Tillman said:
Ladies and Fellow Citizens:
1t is needless for me to say that
| it affords me great pleasure to meet
the good people of Anderson county
face to face once more. Twelve
months ago if anyone had asked me
if l ever expected again to make
speeches in South Carolina I would
have answered, mo" My condition
was such at that time that / had
little hope of ever being able to
undergo the mental labor and strain
Of. public speaking or Of even at
tempting it in the senate. But the
good God seems to have some more
work for me to do, and my health
has so far improved that I have been
able to sit in the senate nine hours
a day for two months and watch
| Aldrich run things, and becoming
tired of seeing him turn the crank
to run the machine while l was only
a cog in the wheel 1 secured a pair
for my vote and nave been out In
Ohio for month preaching to those
people the gospel OF white suprem-
acy according to Tillman.
1 received invitations to address
meetings in six or eight other coun-
ties besides this and I arranged
schedule which gave me four speech
es last week and two this. My old
enemies have been raising Cain be-
cause 1 am able to come to you and
you want to hear me. Certain edl-
tors resent these invitations being
sent and are also disgruntled because
1 have accepted them. One would
suppose that after nineteen years
of honorable and acceptable serv-
ice to South Carolina these men
would have the decency to let me
alone and stop, but this gang of
whippersnappers continues to bark
at my heels.
Looking Backward.
| I want to say, my friends, That
since l received the invitation to at
tend this meeting my memory has
been very busy and by brain has been
acting like a fire that has burned
down. When you stir the embers
they suddenly flare up into a blaze.
If | were to tell you all the things
that have come to mind about the
period, which we are here assem-
bleded to celebrate ! have no doubt
l could interest you until sun down.
But l am somewhat fatigued and
you are hungry, so will only dis
cuss the aspect of things at this time
! in connection with some of the most
| important events with which l was
associated in 1876. Then, too, l
have to go over to the dark corner"
1 of Greenville this afternoon. l am
to speak tomorrow at Lickville. OF
course l know that the dark corn
er" of Greenville county is up near
! the mountains where they have the
reputation of raising the devil and
distilling corn liquor, while | shall
speak in the lower part of the county
which is benighted according to my
enemies because they do not raise
ANYTHING there but Tillmanites. 1t
is very prosperous and progressive
community, all the same.
consider this one of the most i'm
portant meetings which has ever as
sembled in South Carolina, for the
reason that we are today confronted
by a condition which may become
very dangerous. We are approach
ing a period of history when anoth-
er crisis will come in our affairs.
1t seems that Divine Providence
always takes care of South Caroli-
ma when conditions require 1t. For
! instance in the dark days of 1880
. lust before the surrender Of Charles
ton with the only patriot army then
in the State, and before the British
I had completed their lines around
the city, Francis Marion, then a ma
ior in Moultrie's regiment, was in
vited to an entertainment at the
quarters of brother officer. On
reaching the scene he found that
drinking and gambling were the
main objects of those in attendance.
When he seized his hat and sought
to retire some gentlemen got be-
tween him and the stairway and in