The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-09-01
M7LAURIN SPEAKS.
He Issues an Address to the
People.
His Phyician Forbids Him to At
tend Any More Campaign
Meetings.

Meet1uSS.
The following address to the voters
of the State has been issued by Sena.
tor McLaurin, whose physician de-
clined to permit him to attempt to
speak at the last two meetings OF the
campaign as he desired to do:
Fellow Citizens-At Yorkville |
was stricken with sudden and Sc
we're attack of illness To may great
disappointment, l find myself unable
to make another speech during the
present campaign
NV record is before you, and by it
I am willing to stand or fall. During
the canvass I felt that | preferred to
succeed by relying upon this record,
rather than by attacks upon the re-
cord or character, however vulnera-
BILE, of my opponents. The
attempt to pergert my record
aud to charge me with being
a protectionist, because | demanded
for the South equal rights with other
sections, is an insult to the intelligence
of the voters of South Carolina.
On June l7th in the senate, while
discussing che Dingley bill, I said !:
ssMr. President, I am not a protec-
tionist, have never give vote in sup
port of that principle nor uttered a
word in defense of that doctrine. |
look upon the doctrine Of protection
as potent factor in building
up and maintaining trusts and
nlonopolies. Certain newspapers
in the north instead of an
sweriDg my arguments against
protection, have been pleased to call
me protectionist because ! demand
ed equality before the law"
stand squarely upon the tariff
plank of the Chicago platform, and my
votes we're given in defense of the
people whom / represent. and to COM
pei the Republican party to place the
south apon an equal footing with the
balance of. the country. We were
convened last March in extraordinary
session, and the Republicans present
ed us with the most unfair and Sec
tional tariff bill ever framed 1t had
free binding twine for the northern
farmer, and taxed cotton ties and
jute bagging for the southern planter.
The northern products, wheat, corn,
barley and rye were protected, and
cotton left to shift for iteelf; trust
in northern railroad ties and white
pine at the expense of the southern
pine and tie timber. The classifca-
tions in the rice echedule were so ar
ranged as to place high duties upon
the rice used for food, while the
grades used in manufacturing beer
were admitted almost duty free.
In manufactured products, certain
grades manufactured in the south
were Disseminated against IN favor
Of other grades in similar lines manu-
factured in the north An analysis
Of the coal. iron and other great in
dustries would show how eastern
arranged their intricate
schednle for the purpose of plunder-
ing the south
/ was on the ways and means com
mittee, and saw from the
the bold attempt Of
the Republican parry to liqui
date its political Obligations by
means of . tariff bill which should
levy tribute upon the Democratic
south for the benefit Of the Repubii.
can north
Before the bill left our committee
room ii had degenerated into con
test over schedules. while by the
time we were through hanmering it
in the senate, it represented ne fixed
or pafsicular economic theory, but
was mixture of them all, and only
u Republican conference committee
saved it from destruction
Every practical man realized from
the beginning that sooner or later the
Dingiey hill would become a law 1t
was simply question of better or
worse. Whatever might be ones
opinion on the subject of protection.
here we were in extra session con
sidering. not Democratic revenue
bill but Republican measure, whose
rvowed object was protection 1t
seems to me under such circumstan-
ces the first duty of q representative
is to oppose the passage of such
bill, but in tee committee and else
where, by Offering amendments and
otherwise, to secure as far
as possible fairp!ay and jus
tice for the industries of
the section which he represests. If
he fails to do this, does not be aban-