The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1916-08-25
CANDIDATE HUGHES
REBUKED BY TILLMAN
Cry of Sectionalism is Denounced.
"Pitchfork Benz Says Waving
Of Bloody Shirt Will Avail
N0thinO

Washington, Aug. Ex-senator B. r.
day, severely rebuked Charles Evans
Hughes, candidate for the presidency
on the Republican ticket, for waving
''the bloody shirt Of sectionalism
throughout the country in his efforts to
get himself into the White House.
After expressing the sentiment that
he had believed, with the War between
the States gone these so years, there
had come a broad peace between the
people, it had remained for Mr.. Hughes
again to stir the fires of the CO.'S. SEN
ator Tillman said: 81 read in one Of
our newspapers yesterday of 'one
man parade up Pennsylvania avenue
"a lone union veteran, unheralded and
alone, marching in celebration of his
own enlistment in the Civil war. While
l accord full credit to him for the
patriotism that prompted him to re-
spond to the colors then, and can un-
derstand any excuse the vanity even Of
it today, I could not but be reminded
of that other lone figure that has gone
parading and shouting about the coun-
try, veteran Of neither side in any
way, waving the banner of sectional
ism before the people who are trying
to forget; if, indeed, they have already
forgotten.
"But in contrast with this 'one man
parade 1 foresaw another parade that
is to take place on Pennsylvania ave-
nue. next spring, when at the invitation
of the Grand Army of the Republic they
and the Confederacy that was shall
march shoulder to shoulder, no longer
foes but friends and fellow citizens Of
a reunited country. l ask you, sena-
tors and fellow countrymen, if we may
not in spirit at least march with them
to the greater glory of God and our
loved country!'
HIt must have shocked and sur
prised you Senator's said the South
Carolina senator, ''to find that 81 years
after Appomattox candidate for the
high ot,lcc of president of these re-
it necessary to drag forth that old
blood and mud bcspattered banner OF
sectionalism and wave it over the
heads of the present generation II
Americans.
He declared that if the majority OF
the leaders in congress were from the
South they had attained to their pres
cnt rank through long service just as
he had done.
ssI did not earn the nickname OF
sPitchfork' on account of my PARTISAN
{ ship,' continued Senator Tillman. "It
was due to the bluntness and frankness
with which spoke. My mother taught
me to despise hypocrisy and lying above
t all else and l owe this personal char
' actcristic to her. If | ever did hate
the Northern people-and | confessed
t to that the last time l spoke here
that hatred and partisanship have died
4 out of my heart, and the pitchfork, II
D it was considered the emblem Of it, has
long since been buried. From its
grave an olive tree has grown and l am
rendering the olive branch, claiming to
3 represent the South in doing SO, to all
Northern people.
: "Let me, before taking leave, to
: meet you again by the mercy OF Cod
e in December, hold it out to you ana
f through all of you to the constituent
: cics which YOU represent in the earnest
| hope that it may silence this unJnstln-
| able and unsceming cry of sectionalism,
= even as it once herald,d the receding
waters of the deluge." go.
-