The farmers' leader, though not himself illiterate, obscure, or poor, raged up and down the State frankly and brutally preaching class war.

He held up Charleston as a sink of iniquity, and he promised legislation to cleanse it.

Perhaps a majority of the whites really believed his charges and put faith in his doctrines.

If not, the fetish of party regularity drew the votes necessary to make up the deficiency.

Tillman had been regularly nominated in a Democratic convention, and South Carolinians had been trained to vote the party ticket.