The leader., 1899-08-09
TRIUMPH OF M'LAURINISM.
Editor Scott as Philosopher, Historian
and Prophet.

suit seems to have been attained.
Mississippi endorses McLaurinism,
and crowns its great high priest with
additional honors.
WHAT DOES 1T MEAN?
Are we mistaken, after all, and is Nc
Laurin good man, and great states
man, whose name will go sounding
down the corridors of time, blessed by
countless generations yet to come?
Or, has Mississippi deliberately
abandoned the paths of rectitude, to
adopt McLaurins methods, as we see
them, and to knowingly endorse his
low standard of political morality?
Neither the one nor the other.
We cannot be mistaken in our esti-
mate of the man. McLaurin has ability
far above the average as criminal law
yer, and is deft and crafty political
demagogue. But his whole record in
the gubernatorial office shows him lack
ing in all the essentials of statesman
ship and the record otherwise is repug-
nant and unsavory
But it would be doing the majority
who support him grave injustice to sug-
gest that THEY regard the matter from
this standpoint. The majority are sim
ply deceived, as communities have often
been deceived before Doubtless there
are many degenerate sons of Mississip-
pi who, knowing what he is, follow Nc
Laurins standard from selfish or other
motives: but we firmly believe that the
great majority of our people still love
honor, and revere truth, and respect
the manly virtues inherited from a
manly ancestry.
We admit that the recent triumph
of McLaurinism is an indication to the
contrary, but it is "A surface indication
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 McLaurin and his
kind from place and power, as the
money changers were scourged of old
from the sacred temple.
Have not charlatanism and demagogy
flourished before?
Has not mediocrity been often wor-
shipped and crowned supreme?
Consult the pages of history, oh ye
pessimists, who prophesy lasting evil to
this great commonwealth because lit
tie man bestrides it for the time like
some huge COLOSSUS. You will find,
from the days of antiquity down to the
present century, the self same story
repeated over and over by and for the
sons of man. Sometimes it is relig
ious idol; sometimes a political one.
In either case there is more or less of
cunning and chicanery: but for the
time, the Favorite, often lacking real
ability, obtains, nevertheless, supreme
control; and is worshipped like unto
the golden calf. which brought Israel,
as some believed, "up out of the land of
Egypt"
Take, for example, Alexander of
Abonotichus Born in the humble
ranks of life, wonderfully beautiful in
personal appearance, ambitions and
grasping, full of a low cunning, he
started out to seek fame and fortune,
with very limited knowledge of
medicine and legerdemain and very
unlimited gall" like unto that
of Anselm McLaurin. Would you
believe it? In few years he amassed
enormous wealth, attained unlimited
power, was worshipped as a god and
prophet by thousands of humble fol-
lowers, and even the Imperial court of
Rome sent its august senators to
placate and consult him.
And yet the world knows that Alex
ander, the charlatan, despite his
power, worshipped and believed by
thousands, was wanting in honesty,
and totally without ability beyond that
of the Indian juggler and the thin
blerig politician of the nineteenth cen
tury.
Turning from religion to politics,
coming at one stride from the days
of Marcus Aurelias to those of young
BOnaparte, we see one MaXimilian
Robespierre, all resplendent in sky blue
coat and shining buttons, reigning
supreme over the mad city of Paris in
the wild days of the carmagnole. \
smile on his thin lips for man or wo-
man means wealth or fame. frown
on his receding brow, and the red
blade of the guillotin moves in its easy
groove. But we now know that Robes
pierre was neither a good man nor a
great one.
And so we might pile precedent on
precedent to show that it takes neither
ability nor goodness to attain for awhile
the confidence and affection of the
great majority. The judgment of the
masses is sometimes asleep, off guard.
The charlatan, or the demagogue then
steals into the fold, and after that. he
is god indeed All effort to displace
him for the time proves in vain. But
this will not last, and as ''the incorrup-
| tible(?) Jacobin" was hurled from
place and power, SO will Anse Me
Laurin seek his level, and get his just
deserts, so soon as the judgment of
Mississippians is once more allowed full
sway and, the voice of reason can
again be heard above the loud and
| incessant din of numerous appoint
ees, who now sing his hosannas
| through the length and breadth of this
fair State.
AS we read the future, the next great
political battle will be between Senator
/ McLaurin and Senator Money. In
our judgment it cannot be avoided. 1t
is already in the air. McLaurin will
strike with the hand of some other
man. The senior Senator will win.
But he has thrown away golden op-
portunity in sparing his adversary,
when the time seemed ripe for his de-
feat. 1t may be that Money prefers to
let the influence of McLaurin's ap-
pointees grow cold or pass away. Or,
perhaps, he prefers for other reasons
to defer the combat: but he must
know, as we do, that the fight will
come, and The Democrat now predicts
the result. Money will be backed by
the probity and intelligence of the
State. They have learned valuable
lessons in this campaign. Organiza-
tion will be pitted against organiza-
tion. An adequate campaign fund for
legitimate expenses will meet the
plethoric campaign fund that the
GOVERNOR Senator is sure to command.
The power of his appointees will then
have passed away. The masses will
4 l. L.. L..