The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-08-11
EVANS AND IRBT on THE CLEfE'
LAND PLATFORM.

We do not see how the News and
Courier" can come to the conclusion
that "Irby, May6eld and Evans on
the Cleveland platform" when it is a
known fact that Mayield and Evans
were repudiators Of Cleveland's policy
and platform. Evans went to Chicago
pledged against Cleveland's platform,
and Il we mistake not, both he and
Mavfeld were strong advocates OF
o16 to / or bust" Since the present
contest opened, with no disciple OF
Cleveland in the race, Evans and
May6eld have straddled one OF the
planks of Cleveland's platform and
are playing see-saw for the Conserva-
tive vote. The idea of John Gary
Evans becoming the champion OF
Clevelandism after all that he has
heretofore said is too funny; it IS
simply ludicrous to watch him as he
bats his hook for Conservative suck
ers. Why, at the Abbeville meeting,
he went so far as to say "Tillman is
wrong in his tariff position, and if he
sticks to it, I'll be among the first to
help down him on it. We imagine
seeing certain class of politicians,
who hate Tillman with holy hatred
gulp down what Evans said about
Tillman with as much relish, as if the
words were drops of honey; then
when they realized who it was talk
ing, the dose swallowed became nau-
seous and they turned off in disgust
at the speakers brazen effort to fake
them. II Evans is on Cleveland's
platform, then be is not on the plat
form adopted at the last Democratic
convention which nominated William
Jennings Bryan, and Evans, as a
member of that convention, helped
to make.
There is one OF two things, be was
not sincere when he helped to make
that platform, or he is not sincere
now when he gets on Cleveland's
platform. What has brought about
the change? Was 1t his failure to get
Tillman's support in the present con-
test It will be remembered that he
went to Washington to consult Illl-
man about the Senatorship. DID
Tillman tell him that he would have
to na6dle his own canoe? It looks
that way, since Evans has mustered
up the boldness to criticize Tillman's
political attitude, and to talk about
''Tillman is wrong in bis tariff posi-.
ton, and if he sticks to it, I'll be the
first to help down him in it." Never
theless, Evans play at boldness gives
the rank haters OF Tillman hope Of a
rift in the political clouds. They like
to listen to such talk, even from
Evans, because they think it is an
other spoke out of the Reform wheel,
and after a while, as spoke after
spoke is broken out the entire Re-
form wagon will come down with
crash. The curious part of this whole
business is that when the campaign
opened Eby and Evans were very
loudmouthed in trying to create the
impression their entering the race
meant the saving of Tillman; that
McLaurin was after defeating Till
man. They found their song failed
to attract and the people refused to
be lulled by any such music, so a.
new tack has been taken and one
which will have no more effect, be-
cause if in the beginning the syndi-
cate OF candidates were so solicitous
for TilIm&n's future, how can they
now, all at once, become so defiant
as to be among the first to down
Tillman if he sticks to his tariff
position.