Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-09-10
McLAURIN A DEMOCRAT.
Colonel Willie Jones Tells bow the Sena
tor Was Misrepresented.
Colnnn hin Gfnfa Wndnesdav


tor Was Misrepresented.
Columbia State, Wednesday.
Colonel Willie Jones, who was pres
ent at the interview between Senator
McLaurin and the Washington CORES
pondent of The News and Courier,
yesterday handed the following pre-
pared statement to The State, with
the request that it Le published
$50 much unjust criticism has been
made of Senator McLaurin on account
of dispatch sent The News and Cou-
rier by its Washington correspondent,
that I feel impelled in the interest of
justice to appear in public print.
II was present during the interview
between the senator and the reporter,
saw and heard everything that passed,
and there is no room whatever for the
charge that Senator McLaurin said
word unbecoming Democrat. The
report sent by the reporter is very
meagre and only purports to give one
or two sentences of the conversation
that lasted nearly an hour. Even this,
however, would not have occasioned
any criticism if it were not for the
headlines of that wonderful artist who
presides over this department of The
News and Courier. Nor do I think
the reporter intended to do the senator
an injustice, and I am sure he will
agree with what I shall say.
"Senator McLaurin, Colonel Thomp-
son and myself had passed very busy
day at the war department and wound
up with call on the president. There
is no doubt all of US were feeling good,
for we had succeeded beyond our fond
est hopes in saving our beloved state
from the indelible disgrace of being
the only one in the Union that failed
to respond to the call to arms. 1t
was very hot day and at S o'clock
in the afternoon the senator and my
self retired to my room at the Metro
politan and in true Democratic style
had taken off our coats and collars to
cool. Mr.. Larner called and desired
to know what we had accomplished
and all about our mission. We pro-
ceeded to tell him, and from the ac-
count of our trip to the White House
the conversation drifted on to the war
and the war policy of the president.
Senator McLaurin spoke frankly and
intelligently on this subject and agreed
to give Mr.. Larner an interview. He
made some notes and handing them to
Mr.. Larner told him to write the in
terview out on the lines we were talk
ing. He said in substance what the
dispatch states, but in different con-
nection entirely, and with no such in
tention as some of his critics have
sought to make appear. ! cannot un-
dertake to recall all that was said, but
this is the substance: That the pres
ident had displayed great wisdom in
the conduct of the war. He earnestly
sought to avoid war; but when it was
forced on him, eminent success had
followed, which, with his nonsectional
policy, made him the most popular
president since the days of Andrew
Jackson. That it was great mistake
for Democratic leaders to antagonize
the war policy of the president, be-
cause the real issue between the parties
was the money question, and when
you emphasized the war issue you
obscured the money question and
destroyed all hope of success. He
said that if the war issue were the
only question and the election were to
come right now, Mckinley would be
renominated and elected by accla-
nation.
"This is about the substance of what
occurred, and there was nothing un-
democratic or wrong in anything that
I saw or heard. If the correspondent
had given all that was said the most
fastidious Democratic palate in the
country would not have rejected it.
I am chairman of the Democratic
party of South Carolina and certainly
if had heard one of our senators say
something not in consonance with our
principles, I would have noted it.
"WILIE JONES'"