Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-08-08

some of my friends would have you
believe, how could I have told you
three years ago about the conditions
as they exist today. 1 know I have
not got much sense; but I would
rather be one-eighth statesman than
eight-eighths politician. My friend
talks about the formation of the
Democratic platform. I will tell you
where the present platform originated.
1t was in the debate on the ratification
of the treaty. One mans vote brought
all this trouble upon us. This man,
who truckled to Mckinley. Every
body thought he was going to vote
against the treaty, yet he voted for it..
I'll tell you why. Here the doctor
assumed mysterious air and said
something about check being under
meath it all. You are to blame for
this. 1t is more quiet here today than
two years ago. If you had given me
this opportunity two years ago you
would not have had this trouble. You
said, "No, it is none of your business
you are not running for the senate" "
1 knew you would not believe me /; but
would have suffered my arm to have
been cut off rather than not tell you.
DR.. Strait next laid down his foreign
policy. He said: Bring our mission
aries away from China. The Chinese
don't want them and they have no
business there. Bring our merchants
home. Let the PHILIPPINES alone, and
let us devote ourselves to the develop
ment of our own resources. This
country is big enough to consume all
of our time and attention. If we go
playing with the other fellows in Chi
ma the first you know they will have
everything and we will have nothing.
1 told you two years ago that if we
held the Philippines, that in less than
five years we would have war in
China. If we had not been in the
the Philippines we would not now be
mixed up in this war with China.
After some more rambling, incompre-
hensible tariff talk, the doctor wan.
dered back to the McLaurin fainting
incident in the court house, three years
ago. He spoke of the senator as a
poor little fellow with weak stomach,
and danced about like a monkey in an
effort to reproduce the scene accord
ing to his pretended conception of it.
His ludicrous failure as mimic pro-
voked few smiles. Then he applied
several epithets to Senator McLaurin
like scoundrel, ETC., and said that al
though not very bright, he was sharp
enough to keep up with such men as
John McLaurin and few others. The
doctor expressed contempt for your
little politicians who were afraid to ex-
press an opinion until they had gotten
their cue, again stated that he would
rather cut of his arm than deceive
anybody, and assured his hearers that
when they ran across an honest man
like himself, they should appreciate
the fact that they had choice jewel.
Finally, running out of anything fur.
ther to say, he declared that if he had
a mind to, he could speak he did not
know how long "Why could speak
two hours !" When the doctor con-
cluded, there was weak scraping of
a foot in the back part of the house,
and the audience drew breath of re-
lief.
THos. F. MCDow, ESQ.
Mr.. Thomas F. Mellow, candidate
for solicitor, followed DR.. Strait in a
good bumored speech that gave varie.
ty to what had gone before. He said
that, in view the great amount of time
that had been consumed by the distin,
guished speakers who had preceded
him, he did not care to hazard the
good will of his audience by prolong-
ing the agony that they were no doubt
enduring because of their empty stom-
achs. [Laughter.] He next intro
duced his competitor wv. G. Hough,
ESQ., as close friend, especially by
Inheritance. His father was as grand
and good a man as the speaker ever
knew "but III tell you, my friends,
frankly, that I am not carrying my
friendship by Inheritance in this matter
so far as to ask you to give my young
friend your votes. Laughter. My
young friend here will tell you that he
has been solicited to run for this office
by the people of all the counties in the
district, and that is why he is here.
I fear that he is mistaken as to the
source of his persuasion, and that he
has heard only the seductive voice of
The devil telling him of the good things
he can purchase with the salary at
tachment. Laughter Nobody has
solicited Tom Mellow to be a candid.
ate. Tom Mellow brought himself
out, and that fifteen hundred plunks
year is the mustard plaster that has
stiffened out the weak places in my
back" Laughter. Continuing, MIR.
Mellow referred to Mr.. Hough as the
senator from Lancaster with two years
more to serve-holding on to one office
while be reached out for another. He
was sorry indeed of the inability of
Mr.. Henry to be present as he did not
feel like talking as he would otherwise.
He did not mean to intimate that he
had any charges or criticisms to make
but he would prefer that circumstances
were such as to admit of the appearance
of all the candidates. He went on to
say that Chester county had furnished
three solicitors, two circuit judges, the
congressman and the attorney general,
and he thought it was now about time
that York should have the solicitor
ship. The only issue in the race was
character and capacity, and he held
that all other considerations being
equal, that it was nothing but right