The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1899-08-04
Triumph Of McLaurinisn, What
Does Il Meas!

United States Senate. 1t has proved
remarkable v The desired result
seems to have been attained. Mississippi
endorses McLAurinisnl, and crown it
great high priest with additional hon
Ors.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Are we mistaken, after all. and Is Nc
Laurin a good man and a great states
man, whose name will go sounding
down the corridors Of time, blessed by
countless generations yet to come!
Or, has Mississippi deliberately aban
doned the paths of rectitude. to adopt
MoLaurin's methods. az we see them,
and to knowingly endorse his low stan.
dard of political morality
Neither the one or the other.
We cannot be mistaken in our esti
/ mate of the man. McLaurin has ability
far above the average of a criminal
lawyer. and is a deft and crafty politi.
cal demagogue. But his whole record
in the gubernatorial Office shows him
lacking in all the essentials of state
manship. and the record otherwise is
repugnant and unsavory.
But it would be doing the majority
who support him. grave injustice to
suggest that they regard the matter
from this standpoint. The majority
are simply deceived as before. Doubt
less there are many degenerate sons
ol Mississippi who, knowing what he
is. follow McLaurin'> standard from
selfish or other motives; but We firm
jy believe that the great majority of
our people still love Gonor, and revere
truth, and respect the manly virtues
inherited from a manly ancestry.
We admit that the recent triumph
Of NcLaurinism is an indication to
the contrary, but it Is Il surface indi-
cation after all. The virtue and
good sense Of the people are by no
means dead. They sleepeth for the
time. but will rise again to scourge
McLaurln aud his kind from place to
power. as the money changers were
scourged Of old FROM the sacred tenn
pie.
Have not charlatanism and de-
magogy iourished before?
Has not m%ediocrity been often
worshipped, and crowned supreme?
Consult the pages Of history, oh
We pessimists, who propheSy lasting
evil to this great commonwealth be-
cause a little man beStrides it for
time like some huge COLOSSUS. You
will find, from the days OF antiQuit"
down to the present century, tho ~:
same story repeated oyer and over
by and for the sons OF man. Soule-
times it is a religious idol: sometimes
4 political one. In either case there
is mole or less OF cunning and
@chicauery, but for the time, the
Favorite. often lacking in real
ability, Obtains. nevertheless, su-
preme control: and is worshipped
like ntuu the golden calf. which
brought Isreal, as some believed, "up
out Of the land OF Egypt
Take, for example. Alexander of
.Abonoticlius. Born in the humble
ranks of life, wonderfully beautiful
in personal appearance. ambitions
and grasping, full of low cunning.
lie started out to seek fame and for
tune with "A very limited knowledge
of medicine and legerdem.in. and a
very unlimited ''gall"-even like
unto that Of AnSelm McLaurin.
Would you believe it? In a few
years he amaSsed enormous wealth,
attained unlimited power, Ia o
shipped as a god and prophet by
thousands OF humble followers. and
even the Imperial court of Rome sent
its august senators to placatc and
consult him.
And set the world knows that
Alexander. the charlatan. despite
bis power. worshlpped and beloved by
thousands, was wanting in honesty,
and totally without ability beyond
thnt M tha Indian iuyvlpr and thu