Ben Tillman's name is on that bldg. because he did everything he could to promote agriculture in this state but was rebuffed by the University of SC; therefore, he encouraged Thomas Clemson to turn John C. Calhoun's estate over to SC to create a school of agriculture. None of this had anything to do with slavery or white supremacy. So drop that issue!! As for the flag, you can take it down, but it does not change our history. As a history lesson: THE constitution of the United States allows each state to voluntarily withdraw from the union if it does not agree with the tenets of the nation. Jefferson Davis and other legal scholars of that time did just that; they withdrew from the union, over the issue of the 10th amendment stating...powers not delegated to the US ...are reserved to the states respectively or to the people. Abraham Lincoln's argument was that the southern states should dare to break up the "union" on his watch. That's why he refused to vacate Ft. Sumter and why cadets fired on Ft Sumter to remove them from the state; as they were US troops and SC was no longer a part of the greater union. As you can see none of this had anything to do with the tragedy in Charleston. People are merely using a national tragedy to politicize the event for their own desires. Perhaps, we should remove the African-American monument on the state house grounds, because maybe that's what inspired this "brainiac" to commit this heinous crime. Maybe we should consider that the confederate flag serves as a reminder to a dark period in our history, so that we don't repeat it. But, that would be making something positive out of this.....and we certainly can't allow that.
OK, first I want to say that I am a very conservative thinker. I have always voted republican, other than voting for Jimmy Carter in my first presidential election and Ross Pero in my second, I believe, (both of which should demonstrate to you that 18-24 year olds should not be allowed to vote). It also should give you an understanding of how old I am. In any event, I am a conservative and an avid southerner. By that I mean that I believe in the Southern spirit and what it entails (independent thinking, chivalry, fairness, pride, conservatism, etc). I also like Catch&Release and his posts, so it bothers me to post this.
Politically, I understand that flag issue. I have a brother whose position is that even though the confederate flag initially had an honorable purpose, the perception now by those outside of the south and, in particular, South Carolina is completely different than its original intent. Accordingly, he thinks it should be taken down. I vehemently disagree with him. Not because I don't think he is correct, but be because I believe in the southern gentleman and, in particular, the South Carolina southern gentleman. We were the first state to succeed (for political reasons) and I'm proud of that. Part of being a South Carolina man is having a fvck you attitude. That is: this is us and if you don't like it go away, but don't tell me how to live my life. I don't want some Yankee or Californinan (Smilingtiger excluded) telling me what flag I can and can't fly. So, as much as I agree that the perception of the flag has changed, I still want to tell every outsider to stick it. It's our flag, we like it and if you don't like it go away and don't look at it.
I thought I would feel the same way about Tillman, but before posting in the last drama about this, I did a little research on him. Unfortunately, I can find no redeeming values about this guy. He's the exact opposite of the southern man I described above. He was a small man (intellectually). He was a racist, a bigot, and a privileged son. He was also small minded in his humanitarian and political goals, running political campaigns on fear, hatred and intimidation. Regardless of the good he may have done for Clemson, I want no part of him nor do I want his name on any hall at Clemson. This is the case, no matter the amount of $ his son and grandson committed to the University. The fact is that he was a bad person. There are good and bad people on both sides of the Mason Dixon line and he was a bad one. $ should not be able to by redemption or recognition and that's all we have here. Regardless how much I like the name Tillman Hall and associate with my time at Clemson, sometimes you have to fix things and this needs fixing.
The bottom line is that I am embarrassed by this guy and his acts. Maybe I am incorrect in my research and someone can shed some positive light on him, but from what I've seen he has no redeeming qualities. I am all for changing the Hall's name.