The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-08-25


Ma, isle, Watson and Crum
The campaign meeting st Ch' SER
Wednesday was quite lively. as far Us
the senatorial candidates were con
cerned As for the audience, it did
lot seem TO enthuse to any extent, and
it was only every now ard then that
the hearers would applau1.
1t was during MIR. May fields speech
and the re repeated charges that Mr.. Nc
Laurin was a Pcpulist at heart and
that be had offersd to Issue POpulist
manifesto that Mr. May field said that
he would again repeat the charge,
now that Congressman Strait was pre-
sent.
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 were three or four parties favor
ing the free coinage of silver, and that
it was his intention, with others, to
try ard get sill Of these forces togeth
er; that Tillman, Bryau and ether
leaders attended conferences to try
and get the free silverites, the Popu
lists the silver Republicans and silver
Democrats together, and that it was
those forces he wss trying to get con
centrated at one OF these conferences,
and an address was issued, and he,
Bryan aud others signed it, and that
ti;o got mem bers OF the South Carolina
deleg alton to sign it. At one Of these
conferences TO get all the silver forces
together he madeea speech and said
that in South Carolina everything
was all right and there was no need
in bis State fer a Populist party.
What he wanted was to secure the
election of Bry an. ard in the last cam.
paign the free silver Republicans,
Populists and all worked for Bryan.
That was his sole purpose in advisin e
any com bination of forces or Of doing
what be did. As for South Carolina,
everything the free silver people could
want was TO be had in the 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 MIR. McLaurin
spoke of had nothing to do with the
address spoken OF to him and Talbert.
When they were seated together, Mr..
McLaurin came up to them and said :
"Talbert, I 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.. McLsurin-Dr. Strait, you Ger.
tainly misunderstood The tenor of
what said. 1t would be remarkable,
in6eed, if were to go up to you and
make such bold statement in such
an off hand way.
Mr.. McLaurin went on to say that
he had always talked to Lstimer, Ia
bert ard Strait along The lires OF q
union of the south and west as inGica
led. He said he had favored 10 them
an amalgation OF The silver forces, but
ferever pre- pcsed Popu'ist party or
joipirg it. He said that Bow den had
rul sed him like a women when his
wife was also sick, and hat while he
wss recupe rating he legged and plead
ni.b Bowden ard tad Kim to COZ fine
bis fight to the national electors, al,
though it was Bowden's intention 10
run a State ticket, ard that it was
oply by hard work that be had spal ed
the State such fight as North Caro-
lima had experienced. He bad Bow
den amend his platform and cut out
The part looking to State fight.
DR.. Strait said that it occurred to
him as strange at the time that Nc,
Laurin should have msde such a state.
mept to him in an off hand manner,
espe cially as he, toe. was under tie
charge of being a P0pulist ard wss
"blacklisted" forit.
Mr.. May field then closed by saying
that if the other congressman would
not prove the charge he had made, be
would withdraw from the race, and if
the other congressman substantiated
what DR.. Strait had said, then Nc
Laurin should withdraw from the
race.
In the course of Col. Irby's speech
he was talking about the charge OF
McLaurin that the people repudiated
Evans for having been ''rammed down
their throats," and that McLsurin
supported him with all this.
Mr.. McLaurin said he did not; that
he voted for Duncan on the first bal
lot and fer Earle on the second ballot.
Evaps-You swore to me that you
would vote for me, ard that you did
later.
During McLaurin's speech heck
plsined that while he was in the
mountains he received q telegram
from Evans and another from Neal,
asking him to support Evans. He ex
pected TO do SO, but VIXEN he heard
that Tillman was going TO write a let
ter, he advised against it and wrote
against it, and if the letter had Lo
come out he would have gone te
Marlbol and have worked in quie
way for Evans. After the letter he
yotsd for Earle.
Then l have given you credit 70,
what you did not do" said Evans
"After The letter, you promised to vote
fer me-"
Mr.. McLsurin said he did not.
Later on Col. Irby wanted direct af
firmstive or negative ansV er from Mr.
McLsurin as to whether or not he wa!
in favor of the dispenssry or wheth
er he would support free raw
material in a Democratic admins
traiion, should one be lad.
McLaurln refused to answer in s
monosylable, or, as he said. 10 have
the answer put in his mouth, and 81
there was another tilt SIS 10 whether