The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-07-03

called to order in the Court House
shortly after IL o'clock Saturday
| by County Chairman j. II. Clifton,
the opening having been delayed as
the crowd was slow in gathering.
Chairman Clifton opened the proceed
ings by reading a letter from Senator
Tillman announcing his candidacy for
reelection and giving his reasons for
not attending the campaign meetings.
This letter was identical with letters
read at meetings in other counties
and has been printed in this paper
heretofore
Mr.. j. F. Rice, of Anderson, was
introduced as the first of the sena-
torial candidates and Mr.. Rice spent
the entire half hour allotted to him in
amplifying the Introduction and try
ing to tell the crowd who he was. As
a speaker Mr. Rice is just about the
most futile and aimless that has
ever appeared before Sumter aud
ience. There have been some weird
candidates seeking high office in South
Carolina in the past thirty years-in-
Guiding Whitman, who toured the
State with the campaign circus on a
bicycle: Cansler, of Tirzah, who tour
ed the State many times; John T.
Duncan who is still following the
campaign party, having acquired
habit that he cannot break; j. M.
DesChamps, who bids fair to be a Sec
ond Duncan; but Rice is the most in
eXplicable specimen that has yet made
its appearance. He has one uniQue
and distinctive oratorical trick--hs
almost invariably speaks of himself
as I'VE" That was about the only
feature Of his rambling remarks
that attracted attention.
Mr.. N. B. Dial, who is remembered
as candidate for senate six years ago,
is at home on the stump and lost no
. time in getting down to business. He
1 criticised Blease for lodging the is
. sue, saying that he was afraid to
meet the other candidates face to
face adm had violated the rules of the
party by refusing to attend the regu-
lar meeting provided by the party
for candidates to face the people and
their opponents. He also criticised
Tillman for remaining away, saying
that If he was unable to stand the fa-
tigue OF the campaign he should have
needed the advice of his family and
closest friend, who, Tillman, himself
mas said. advised him not to seek re-
election. In this connection he stat
fo that this is no time for sending old
ana infirm men to congress. In the
senate now there are several men nm
able to perform full duty-Culberson
VINO is very infirm; Gore. who is in n
sanitarium; Hardwick. who is a dis.
grace to the South and the Democrat.
c party, not to mention Vardamafi
and Tillman. The Democratic party
and the country needs vigorous and
that Tiilman is the only man capabIe
or properly representing the State
! there are men in Sumter county and
. In every other county who have the
ability and the character 10 accent.
ably represent South Carolina. Till
man has record as an Office seekar
that class that Tillman characterize
ec years ago as of which few die and
none resign" He discussed the Till
man letters to Burleson and Rur,e-
sons letter to Tillman, and drew the
conclusion that this correspondence
was not an endorsement of Tillman's
candidacy but quite the reverse as IL
told him that the administration had
not put Lever in the race and would
not interfere in any State election con.
TEST lie read from the record to
show that Tillman took little part I'm
the proceedings of the senate. bav-
ing cast vote on only few of thu
important questions that had been
before that body during the last ses.
sion. He said that there are seven.
teen members of the naval commit
tee Of which Tiliman is chairman and
that any of the other sixteen could
carry on work of the committee az
wei as Tillman---as a matter of fact.
senator Swanson, of Virginia. is act
ing chairman of the committee and
does most of the work. Turning
aside from the purely political aspect
OF the senatorial contest Mr.. Dial
spoke of the war and probable condi-
lions after the war. He discussed
finance and economic conditions and