The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-08-19
INTERESTING DISCLOSURES AT CHESTER.
A QUESTION OF VEIsACITY.

"t IiIStUNN btSOISSottLS ~ otlIS
A QUESTION OF VEIsACITY.
Congressman Strait Charges McIIaur
in with Proposing to Join tho Pop
ulists--The Senator Admits V0
ting for Duncan and Earle aft el
Plcdging His Support to Evans.
The campaign meeting at Chester
was quito lively. as far as the Senate
rial candidates were concerned. Al
for the audience, it did not seem tt
enthuse to any extent, aud 1T was only
every now and then that the audience
would applaud.
1t was during Mr.. Mayfield's speech
and the repeated charges that Mr.. Nc
Laurin was q apopulist at heart and that
ifesto that Mr.. Mayfield said that he
would again repeat the charge now
that Congressman Strait was present
Strait and McLaurin both jumped up
at the same time, and Strait said to
McLaurin to make his statement
Mr.. McLaurin said that In 1892 there
wore three or four parties favoring tha
free coinagesof silver, and that it was
his intention, with others, to try and
get all OF these forces together; that
Tillman, Bryan and other leaders at
tended conferences to try and get the
free silverites, the Populists, the silver
Republicans and silver Democrats to-
gether, and that it was those forces he
was trying to get concentrated at one
OF these conferences, and an address
was issued, and he, Bryan and others
signed it, and that he got members Of
the South Carolina delegation to sign
1t. At one of these conferences to got
all the silver forces together he made
o aspeech and said that in South Caro-
lima everything was all right and there
was no need in his State for q Populist
party. What he wanted was to secure
the election of Bryan, and in the last
campaign the free silver Republicans,
'opulists and all worked for Bryan.
That was his sole purpose in advising
any combination Of forces or of doing
what he did. AS for South Carolina,
everything the free silver people could
want was to be had in tho Democratic
organization, and that was good enough
for him.
DR.. Strait said he had hoped not to
be drawn into the matter, but would
say that the address Mr.. McLaurin
speaks OF had nothing to do with the
address spoken Of to him and Talbert.
: When they we're seated together, Mr..
McLaurin came up to them and said !:
"Talbert, L want you and Strait to go
in with me in the Populist party. The
time Is ripe, the current is high and
the sea coming in."
Mr.. McLaurin--"Dr.S Strait, you cer-
tainly misunderstood the tenor of what
| said. 1t would be remarkable, in
deed, If were to go up to you and
make such a bold statement in such an
Ctf-hand way"
= Mr.. McLaurin won't on to say that he
had always talked to T,atimer, Talbort
and Strait along the lines of u union of
the South and West as indicated. He
said he had favored to them an ANAL
gamation Of the silver forces, but he
never proposed a Populist party or
Joining it. He said that Bowden had
nursed him like woman when his
wife was also sick, and that while he
was recuperating he begged and plead
with Bowden, and had him to confine
his fight to the national electors, al
Though it was BOwden's intention to
run O State ticket, and that IL was only
by hard work that he had spared the
State such a fight as North Carolina
had experienced. He had Bowden
amend his platform and cut out the
part looking to State fight.
DR.. Strait said that It occurred 10
should have made such q statement to
him in an of hand manner, especially
as he, too, was under the charge Of be-
ing Populist and was "hlacklisted"
for it.
Mr.. May field then closed by saying
=. that If the other Congressman would
not prove the charge he had made, he
would Withdraw from the race, and II
the other Congressman substantiated
:: what DR.. Strait had said, then Nc
Ffiallrin should withdraw from the race.
:; In the course of Col. Irby's speech
he was talking about the charge of
of McLaurin, that tho people repudi?
ated Evans for having been "rammed
down the peoples throats," and that
:McLaurin supported him with all this.
Mr.. McLaurin said he did not; that
he voted for Duncan on the first ballot
and for Earle on the second ballot.
Evans (from his scat }-''You swore
to me that you would vote for me, and
that you did later"
!, During McLaurin's speech be eX-
planned that while he was in the noun
Sains he received telegram from
Evans and another from Neal, asking
him to support Evans. He expected to
do 80, out when he heard that Tillman
was going to write o letter, he advised
against it and wrote against it, and If
that letter had not come out he would
have gone to Marlboro and have
worked in quiet way for Evans. AZ
ter the letter he voted for Earle.
e.. "Then have given you credit for
what you did not do," said Evans. "Af.
ter the letter, you promised to vote
, for me-"
Mr.. McLaurin said he did not.
Later on, Col. Irby wanted o direct
affirmative or negative answer from
blcLaurin as to whether or not he was
n'favor Of the dispensary or whether
be would support free raw material In
Il Democratic administration should
one be had.
McLaurin refused to answer in o
monosyllable, or. as he safd,, to have
the answer put in his mouth, and so
there was another tilt, as to whether
McLaurin should be permitted to an
swer in his own way or not, and Col.
Irby refused to have an answer unless
1t was yes or nay.
4 III. T>1 -sat