Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-08-14

/ Crow car bill, while memper OF tne
general assembly, and also tried 10 cast
slur upon him with the statement that
he had been referred to kindly by Ne
gro paper in Washington.
Before Governor Evans concluded, !,
Chairman Waters informed him that his
time was ND. He asked to be permitted
to 90 on while longer, saying that Nc
Laurin would have the same amount OF
extra time, and continued for perhaps a
quarter of an hour. His entire speech
was delivered with unusual vigor. He
frequently got on his tiptoes to emPha,,
size his remarks, and before he finished
he was wet with perspiration. When he
sat down he received a liberal round OF
applause.
The chairman next read a letter from
G. Walt Whitman, announcing his can
didacy for the senate, and asked the audi
ence to listen in silence without cheering
or counter cheering, when he introduced
Senator McLaurin.
Senator McLaurin had been sitting pas
siyely near the speakers during the whole
morning. He listened to the bitter
and cruel attacks of Governor Evans on
his private and official character in calm
serenity, apparently no more interested
than if the governor had been talking
about someone else. He looked pale,
weak and unwell, clearly the result of the
terrific strain through which he had pass
ed during the six weeks he had been
speaking nearly every day. But there
was still fire in his eyes, and on his face
was written an evident determination to
prove equal to the occasion, let the con-
sequences be what they may. AS he took
his position before the audience, there
was q spontaneous outbreak of applause,
indicated by the stamping of feet, clap
ping of hands and enthusiastic cheers.
Like that which greeted Maytield when
he made his manly statement, the ap-
plause was devoid of any appearance OF
the cut and dried. 1t was enthusiastic
and sincere.
Waiting until the applause had partial
" subsidized, Senator McLaurin said that
of all the remarkable campaigns that had
| in his opinion, was the most remarkable.
He had tried from the outset to avoid
personalities. He did not feel that the
people wanted to know of him what he
thought of his opponents. They were
competent to Judge that for themselves ;
but he considered that they wanted to
know what he was doing as their repre-
sentative and why. He had been beset
by all of his opponents, singly and col:
lectively, and also by others who could
have no int crest whatever in the race.
Why, my fellow citizens, the gentle
men who are opposing me have talked to
you as if I owned and controlled every
newspaper in the United States they
have represented to you that / have sat in
the councils of all the political parties, and
they have told you how have Car Reid
under my thumb; and how, sing e-hand.
ed and alone, I have framed and pessed
the tariff bill. And, fellow citizens, II
you have such man as that at your SER
lok. to11 ho
do better than to send him to the United
States senate, for he is certainly the very
man you want to take care of your inter-
ests. Applause and laughter.
Starting again, and his voice seeming to
gather additional strength and volume,
Senator McLaurin spoke of the inception
and growth of the Farmers Alliance,
which, in 1890 and 1892, became such
factor in South Carolina politics. 1t advo-
Gated certain principles, and those prln-
ciples were embodied in the Ocala plat
! form. That platform was atterward adopt
ed by the P0pulist party, and every single
congressman who was elected from this
state in 1892, himself included, was select
ed on those principles! They went to
Washington pledged to concerted action
with whatever elements might bring about
the free and unlimited coinage OF silver,
AMI to do what they could to bring about
financial relief. Now that was six years
ago; and while we all went to congress to
aC vocate those principles-and have not
once been charged with for an instant
abandoning them-it seems that, for some
reason, alone, have been singled out and
stigmatized as Republican and PopnllSt.
WHY this was, Mr.. McLaurin said, he
was at loss to understand; but surely ii
could not be his reward for his six long
wears of earnest labor. If, however, he
| had been singled out because he had
worked harder than any OF the others to
combine every influence to do what he
had been pledged to do, then he must con,
fess that it was his own fault. lApplause.
Next Senator McLaurin took up the
question Of free raw material, about which
the other speakers had tried to make SO
much impression. He read from the
Democratic platform of 1892 and showed
that at that time the party advocated this
policy, and he then read from the plat
form of 1896 to show that free raw materi.
al had been eliminated. The party had
tried the principle advocated by Govern
or Evans, found that it was lmpractlcable
and abandoned it. Then he went into an
explanation of the fact that the annual
REQUIREMENTS of this government are he.
tween $500, 100000 and S6OO,oO,oCO, ana
that this money must he raised by tariff
duties. Then he explained how the Dem
ocratic platform required those duties 10
| he levied without discrimination on the
products of one section against anoth-
or, and how every vote he had cast was In
direct and absolute accord with that plat
form. The audience signified its APPROX
nj of every point.
"But am not here defending my re-
cord" the senator explained. 1.-The peo-
pie of South Carolina are reading peo-
Die. They know where stand. Every
man in the state knows that I am not a
Prntectionist, [Applause] and it is an in
suit to their intelligence to say that am.
| [CheerS.l I have been returned to con,
gress from my district four times, and
why? Because tried to do something to
earn my salary. [Cheers.
Senator McLaurin here referred to the
outlandish charges that had been made
against him, and among other things, the
attempt to beSlnrch him for having voted
against the Jim Crow car bill. Without
mentioning names, he pointed to Mr.
Finley, and said that the senator from
York, with whom he had the honor to
serve, had done the same thing, as did
also two-thirds of the members OF the
house. 1t was not, however, because ne
was opposed to the principle of the bill /;
but because Of certain provisions when,
if he had remained in the house, he would
have remedied.
Then he spoke of the attempt to be,
smirch him by insinuating that he had
bootlicked Reed into putting him on the
lconmittae IN yyayS and means. "WhC