The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-08-14
Abuses Tillman and Bryan.

Abuses Tillman and Bryan.
1t is hard for some people to un-
derstand the changed condition of
politics that has come about in the
last twenty years. While they have
stood still the mass Of the people
has moved on, and now they find
themselves fioundering about in the
mire of a forgotten political era.
Like the old Bourbons, they have
failed to keep up with the process
sion, and as a consequence they have
become political back numbers. Mr..
J. F. ]. Caldwell. of Newberry,
seems to be one of these unfortu-
mates if a recent communication OF
his to The News and Courier re-
fleets his real political sentiments.
He says "the platform of the Re-
publican party was deliberate
fraud" The fact that Mr.. Cald-
we'll thought it was anything else,
shows that he is political innocent.
He says "the revision Of the tariff
which it promised was intended to
lead the people to expect substan-
tiaI reduction of import duties, and
thereby 8 mitigation Of the system,
which puts money into the pockets
of certain manufacturers and robs
all who have to buy their products.
The trainers of that plank are, un-
questionably,a:
Juggling fiends,
That paIter with us in double
sense. That keep ths word of prom
ise to our ear. And break it to our
hope" ,,.-.a:s.- ~ a7e-'
It took our Newberry friend long
time to find out that the Republ1-
cans intended from the first to bum
90 the people. Such astute leaders
as Bryan. and Tillman, who lead the
Democratic procession lin the last
campaign, told US: all this immedi-
ately after the Republicans met in
convention and adopted the plat
form that Mr.. Caldwell now says
was a "deliberate fraud" While
he does not seem to have any con-
fidence in the Republican leaders,
Mr.. Caldwell, while admitting that
1--WE built too much hope on Presl-
dent Taft's speeches" says Il think
that he meant all he said. But, big
as he is, (and consider him lagre-
hearted, broad-minded and brave
man) he is not in the position to
contend successfully with the party
which has put him where he is.
After thus apologizing for the
cowardice of President Taft In de-
serting tn consumers Of the country
when he could have saved them by
yetoing the thieving tariff bill, Mr..
Caldwell goes on to say that we
people in the South stand in a very
perilous position, being between the
devil of the Republican party and
the deep sea of Bryanism. We see
now no escape from the two evils,
or from either of them" Then he
consoles us by the statement that
1--WE have survived war of deVas-
tation and slaughter; we have sur
yived a period Of ten years more
disastrous and far-reachingn than
that war; we have survived the
heusecutions of military rule, the
robbery of the oarpet-hagger and
the brutality of the negro in power;
we have survived Tillmanism, and
managed to live in spite of Bryan
ism; we have survived even the ef-
forts of the horde of demagogues, ia
natics, hypocrites and humbugs, who
have helped our other enemies to
plague u.s."
That is an awful wall, but it
shows what is the trouble with MIR.
Caldwell. He seems to think that
he and few others like him have
a monopoly of political sense and
virtue and that all the people should
fall down and worship the golden
calf that they choose to set up as
they did before Tillman emancipat-
ed the white people Of South Caro-
lima and gave them the right to
choose their own rulers. Mr. Cald-
we'll and his kind may as well un-
derstand that the people are in the
saddle and they will remain there.
His wish that "the mob in the
South" by which he means the peo-
pie who refuse to be lead by him
and his kind, "and the politicians
who follow, fiatter and fool that ele-
ment, will acquire grain or two
of political sense" will never be
fulfilled, because the people have
already had and repudiated the
kind of politica, sense referred to
by Mr.. Caldwell, whose political iso-
lation is a verification of this great
fact Revolutions never go back
ward, and if the Democratic party
ever wins another national victory
it will be on radical lines and not
as a conservative party as Mr.. Cald-