The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-04-27

is going 10 De pfeSeuI dl oil oPohin9'
demonstration, which was fancy ex-
hibit of farm" rhetoric: Deprecat-
ing the cry of Back to the farm!'
Mr.. Smith inquired passionately: I'm
a word, Mr.. President, in any great
wealth-producing professions, voca-
tions or avocations, have you heard
any man clamor: Back to the law!
Back to medicine!' Back to the rail-
road business! Back to the great
manufacturing enterprises!'? No.
The cry has been: Back to the farm!
We need a broader foundation of
bleeding hearts and poverty-stricken
bodies in order that our velvet-shod
feet may walk little smoother
It was universally conceded by the
listening senate that that foundation
of bleeding hearts for velvet-shod
feet was pretty hot stuff; and it was
put down as "Ehibit B." spurred by
this evident approval, Mr.. Smith next
showed some prime "plain-people"
frills. He was at his best by this time,
making the welkin ring so rapidly it
sounded like an alarm clock. "Thank
God!" he said, 81 am representa-
tive direct from the people-from
the field. have no other profession,
vocation or avocation; and yet, be-
cause I am ont trained in the law to
split hairs and to differentiate to the
shadow of a shade the Supreme
Courts interpretations of the law,
some hear me indifferently." There
was a murmur of protest at this. All
were hearing him with great delight.
Continuing: 'The people themselves
are no more compentent to under
stand these abstrusities than 1; and
you have no right to make a law that
the great rank and file, though they
be uneducated, cannot understand. !"
Proceeding passionately along
these lines, Mr.. Smith came again to
what evidently he considered his
strongest exhibit of what he Is capa-
BILE of, for he. recurred to the origin
al line of spellbinding. Picturing the
dismal conditions that surrounded a
young man and his wife, who were
certainly in poor luck as farmers II
they were only in half as bad case as
Mr.. Smith described, he said: Il
have seen the mother, with the low
ing mothers heart, lahoring and toll
ing; willing to do any drudgery; will
ing to put her body in the stony
road of poverty in order that the feet
of her darlings might have q smooth
er road to travel than mother had
walked"
Mr., Simth also told something
about the tough situation of poor
father, whom he had seen with mute
helplessness written on his careworn
face; where was depicted the tragedy
of unjust legislation" And he pledg-
ed himself anew to strive to remedy
these conditions which pledge con-
cluded his part of the entertainment.
Owing to the press of other mat
ters, it then being within 4S hours OF
adjournment, there was no consensus
of opinion concerning Mr.. Smiths
exhibition of what he is capable OF
along the lines of connected thought
and real eloquence; and the subject
was left for future determination.
Still, there was large inquiry as to
the identity of Mr. Smith; and it was
speedily discovered he had every
reason to feel that, after waiting pa
tiently for two years with much
burning language within him, he
could hand the senate something that
would make it sit up and take notice.
Ellison DuRant Smith, as all shall
know, is the colleague of B. R. Till
man in the United States Senate. He
lives in Florence, South Carolina, and
is the son of a minister. At college
he won gold medals in debate mark
that!-science and literature in his
sophomore, junior and senior years.
He served in the legislature from
1896 to 1900 and began what, In his
autobiography, he calls the cotton
movement, in 1891. He finally be-
came field agent and general organ
izer for the Southern Cotton Associ-
alton, his territory covering the en-
tire South and his service lasting
from January, 1905 to June, 1908,
when he began his race for the SEN
ate. He was chosen at the primaries
in September, receiving, as he points
out, the largest majority ever given
to a candidate for this office in the
State.
That, of course, is interesting, but
has not so much bearing on the case
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