The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-08-21
TILLMAN ON RAMPAGE.
WANTS EVERYBODY WATCHED
WHILE TILLMAN LECTURES.
Going to Expose the Press-DiscOvers
State Senate is Under Thumb of
Railroads and Imagines Somebody
COnspires to Beat Him.

(From The State.)
Richburg, Aug. 17.-Did some one
say Senator Ben Tillman is an in
valid and has lost his power Of in
vective?
The Senator Tillman who address
ed some 10000 people assembled
from over the State, at the Chester
County Farmers union rally and pic
mic saw man in rugged health with
power Of invective unimpaired, and
welding his pitchfork with all vigor
that has made him unique in pub
lic life.
His jabs were directed at the press
of the State in general and The State
in particular; at the railroads; at the
State senate and at the present cam
paign for compulsory education. He
also handled the negro question at
considerable length.
This was the first public address
made by Senator Tillmany in South
Carolina in the past year. He will
make number of speeches during
this and next year in South Carolina
and promises to rub it i'm on the
interests that have incurred his an
tagonism.
The speech at this place was made
In response to an invitation from the
Chester County Farmers union. He
was introduced by Senator p. l.
Hardin Of Chester county.
In opening, Senator Tillman said
he coud not brag of being farmer,
but that he has a little farm on
which he has better crop than any
he has seen. He acknowledged that
he himself is not much Of q farmer;
In fact that his farming is usually
considered something of a joke. Hn
alluded to his long absence from
home, and said his return from time
to time was to get clean clothes. Sub
stantlally he said:
II have been among the Northern
Yankees, hanmering into them bet
ter understanding OF the negro ques-
tion. With the Yankees of the North
the negro problem is theory: with
us Of the South it is a condition.
II am not yet member of the
Farmers union. l was a member OF
the Grange and of the Alliance, and
will give the Farmers union a
chance to reject me-
II am not going to make a prepar-
ed speech. don't cook up my speech
es before / come to meet my people
l VIII say something about the matter
OF mileage system the railroads. with
the connivance of your venal legisla-
ture, have imposed upon you.
There is no reason why when the
railroads in South Carolina sell 6
mileage book for 1000 miles at
cents mile they should require you
to take your mileage book to tn.
ticket agent and buy a ticket tc
where you are going. In the State
OF pennsylvania the mileage in q
] pook rs good on the train for any dis
tance within the 1000 miles, and car
De used to pay the fare of yourseis
! and family and anybody else, as Ions
| as the mileage lasts. The railroad
| company gets your money. You ge,
| the mileage and use it to pay your
| fare.
In South Carolina they make you
! go TO the ticket agent and exchange
your mileage for a ticket, often caus.
| ing delay.
This morning when my wife and
! went to take the train at Bolton the
connection was short, and I hurried
to the ticket Office to get nv mileage
| exchanged Before 1 could get my
wife's ticket through the red tape
proceedings the train started and
mad to grab up my books and we ran
TO catch the train before it left us
| there.
when the conductor came around
he SAID must pay my fare. I told
MIN would be put off the train be-
lore | would pay my fare again. and
rendered the mileage l bought
and paid for.
MY friends, we must be given the
same rates on thterailroads that the
Yankees have. You can get YOUR
rights II you contend for them. AS
iohs as you keep the rascals in your
legislature and let them do as they