The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-09-20

farms be but serfs renting fields that
were once their own. But at critical
moment it was Tillman's voice that
was lifted against the grandest and
noblest movement ever organized for
the relief of the man behind the plow.
A Reaper Always.
, Ben Tillman has ever enjoyed the
happy faculty of always reaping crops
planted and titled by others. He waits
until the grain is ready to gather, |;
when he will give a harvest homej
among the laborers Of his State ana
gather the entire crop into his owl.
garners. /
"Tillman refers TO the establishment
of Clemson and Winthrop colleges as
among the great works he had done
for the farmers, and for which they
are so ungrateful. 1t was upon Glenn
son that Tillman first rode into Office
and power, so it reilly seems that ne
has been by far its greatest benefcl-
ary.
The Colleges.
eve admit that Clemson and Win
throp colleges are noble Institutions;
but we have always contended that it
would have been so much better were
the vast sums of money expended in
those costly buildings, and the main
tenance of these institutions been dl-
vided among the common schools OF
the State. The entire receipts from
the fertilizer tax goes to Clemson, and
vet not one farmers boy in 500 ever
sees or will be seen inside its walls.
A. Chinaman, when he starts to build
a. house. is said to first nail On the
singles and his last task is to lay the
Ground sills. That fertilizer tax
money is taken from the humblest and
noorest as we'll as the richest farmer,
and we do assert that it would have
been the right thing to divide it among
the rural schools so that all could get
hack their share. In the State estab-
lisbine these higher institutions of
learning. we think that South Caro-
lima is emulating the Chinaman, and
from an educational standpoint, nail
ing on the shingles, when it ought first
TO be building a firm foundation III
rural schools. There are plenty of
splendid denominational colleges in
South Carolina for the education OF
the sons of rich farmers, and the State
had better look after the little boy o:
oirl now living out in the country, on
the farm and thousands of whom are
growing up in ignorance.
$50 we doubt if the genuine one
gallus wool-hat farmer in his State,
when he puts on his thinking cap, will
feel that he owes Ben Tillman such a
great debt of gratitude for, taking
fertilizer tax money and using it to
pile up brick and mortar that he or
his children will never see, and en-
ploy high salaried educators that the
average farmers children will never
hear. He will conclude tnat were MS
and his neighbo7ing farmers share CT
that fertilizer tax money given to tile
little log school house that their chill
dren attend, and thus lengthen the
term, it would have been ever so mucn
better. u
eve have no desire to harshly crl-
ticise Senator Tillman, or indulge in
nersonalities. Otherwise we might re-
fer to the defeat of his own brother,
the Hon. George D. Tillman, for con-
gress by Col. Talbert, and our last
talk with the late Senator John L. NJ
| Irby. who did more for Tillman's ad-
vancement than any hundred men in
his State. But we do not intend to re-
main silent and hear our old South
Carolina Reform friends, and watn
whom we so long and hardly battled
for the success of TillmAnism, unjust
| ly accused of 'ingratitude.' They shall
not be misrepresented before the
world so long as T. Larry CAN'T can
raise his voice or handle pen.
The Fraud Charges.
eve endorse every word the Senator
says about his noble wife. When a
/ BOY in Ebert county, Georgia, we
knew Mrs Tillman as a young lady,
and she is one of the truest and finest
women our Southland ever produced.
T17lman made the mistake of his life