The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-05-12
A TALK WITH MClAURIN.
How he Came to Make hfs Two Famous
Speeches on the Tariff Que stioD.

| How he Came to Make his Two Famoul
Speeches on the Tariff Que stiop.
The Washington correspondent Of
the News aud Courier says Rspresep
tative McLaurin's position on the tariff
question has given him prominence
throughout the country which even
his political enemies at home are
bound torecognize. Notwithstanding
the attempts made by certain persons
to belittle his recent tariff speeches.
he has a growing following in South
Carolina which would astonish his
political rivals, who are eaten up with
Jealousy because of his rapid advance
ment in national as we'll as in State
politics. I saw letter from an ex'
member of Congress from Texas,
which stated that a Vice Presidential
boom for Mr.. Mel surin is under way
in the Lone Star State. [ would not
be surprised to see him run for Cover
nor of South Carolina next year.
There is strong pressure upon him to
make the race.
When I called upon Mr.. McLaurin
at bis residence Thursday evening /
found him in a particularly happy
frame of mind, looking over pile of
letters that had accumulated during
his absence.
MY mail" said he, ''has nearly
quadrupled since my two last speech
es. The first seems to have struck a
responsive chord throughout the
South, while the last has led to vast
amount of apparently anxious inqui-
ries concerning the condition and ad-
vantages of our section"
In answer to an inquiry Mr.. Nc
Laurin said his position on the way
and means committee was the prime
cause for making the first speech.
Il would sit there" said he, "day
after day listening to the individuals
and delegations demanding recogni-
ton through national legislation, and
not hear a single solitary mention of
the great industries of the South.
Finally one man came before us in
the interests of long staple cotton, but
failed to make much of an impression,
since he fouad Southern members op
posed to such a demand. began to
get letters from different sections of
the South calling my attention to the
rice schedules. Parties interested in
cotton seed oil productions wrote me
concerning tallow being on the free
list, which would tend to cheaper oil,
and thereby cheaper the price of cot
ton sted to the planter. Men engag-
ed in making cotton began to write
asking if it would not be fair to de-
mand duty on cotton, at the same
time reminding me that there was
heavy duty on cotton cloth. The in
justice of sitting idly by and permit
ting the North and East to obtain all
the advantages of such legislation,
and at the same time realize that my
own section and people were being
plundered through its operation, fore
ed me to make protest and take the
position I have.
As I continued the preparation of
that speech I became more and more
impressed that the interests of the
South had been neglected, and more
firmly determined to make a demand
for fair and equitab BILE division OF ben
efits and responsibilities. I am not
Protectionist, and rejected that state
ment many times in the course of my
speech, but if that doctrine was to OBJ
tain in this country I simply demand
ed as a matter of right and justice that
the South should not be the victim.
The press of the South, with rare eX-
ceptions, have accepted roy contention
as fair and just, and look for SUBJ
stantial assistance. from Southern mem
bers in making contest, not only for
long staple cotton, but for square re
coepition of all Southern interests in
the final status of the tariff bill.
"Here are hundreds of clippings. :"
said Mr.. NcLaurin, showing q file
case filled with them, 'taken from pa
pers in the South endorsing my posi-
ton and encouraging me to further
action. These letters also," pointing
to large number, "are from promi
nent men, not only in the South, but
in other sections, declaring my posi-
ton correct, and urging me to contin-
ue the fight. In order to round out
my first speech and show the true stu
alton I made the last one. Some pa
pers have called it an immigration
speech and an advertisement for the
South. don't care anything about
that, since my purpose was accom-
plished when I attracted the attention
Of the balance of the country to our
section.
II assumed that such increased in
terest and inquiry regarding our Sec
ton would assist materially in secur
ing fair play, and I find it has. This
speech has been printed in full in
many leading papers, and liberal ex
tracts have found their way into
thousands of newspapers throughout
the entire nation. The New York
Financier, the Boston journal of
Commerce, the Chicago Record,
and numerous journals OF this
character have printed much of the
speech, and commented editorially up
on it. The Southern Railway Company
has printed large portion of it and
sent out thousands to its correspon-
dents and inserted it in thousands OF
papers interested in our section. I
make this statement not boasGing, but
in order to show what an easy matter
it is and, l believe, might have been
years ago to obtain the prompt at
tention of the business element of the
North to our advantages as a section.
1 sincerely hope that this line of in
vestigation may be stimulated by