The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-04-24
FREE THOUGHT AND FREE SPEECH.

There is now raging the herc-
est kind of political war in this
State. Senator Tillman, realiz-
ing that his PRoTEGE Congress-
man Latimer, an avowed candl-
date for the United States Senate,
is too small a man to measure
brain with Senator McLaurin
whose present term will expire
in, 1908, has by a shrewd assump-
ton of injured innocence, jumped
into the arena, claiming that
McLaurin in his Charlotte speech
reflected on him, and therefore
is entitled to a hand in the
fight. We have read Senator
McLaurin's speech very care
fully and we fail to see in it a
single utterance which reflects
upon Senator Tillman, or which
gives his opponents any grounds
for saying that he has deserted
the Democratic party. We want
every one of our readers to go
over McLaurin's speech care
fully, thrust aside all prejudice
which might have been created
in their minds by adverse criti-
cism, and see if they can find a
solitary sentence in it which
meets with their disapproval.
Senator Tillman evidently was
waiting for McLaurin's deliver
ance before turning loose his
battery, because, the presses had
hardly stopped printing McLau-
rims speech, before Iillman was
pouring out in as offensive man
ner as he knew how. an interview
teeming with singing sentences
and, in our opinion, uncalled for,
and unwarranted abuse.
Senator Tillman's attack was
not so much an argument against
McLaurin's speech as It was a
thing to goad McLaurin on to
anger, and give Tillman an op-
portunity to do Latimer's fight
ing; no one knows better than
Tillman himself, that Latimer
cannot stand before McLaurin in
a debate, and knowing this ne is
anxious for the fray. 1t is to be
regretted that such a condition
exists. Tillman has just been
reelected and is anchored in his
position for the next six years.
/. He can go out to North Dakota
and make stump speeches for
Pettigrew a Republican, or urge
the placing of Teller, another
Republican on the National Dem
ocratic ticket as the Vice-Presi-
dental candidate, Or hemay pun
lsh candidates for State Offices
for refusing to support ToWne
another Republican. whom he
was desirous to have as a running
mate for William Jennings Bryan,
and there will be none to pro-
test. But there is one thing he
cannot do, notwithstanding the
security he feels; ne cannot make
the people of South Carolina vote
for a man who he has selected as
a 'sme-too" to himself; this was
tried once and failed, and as often
as he tries it failure will be the
result. Tillman is personally
popular with the masses, and
they will vote for him, but when
it comes to voting for another,
they will reject his or any other
mans dictation.
Senator McLaurin very proper
ly declined to accept Senator
Tillman's challenge for a joint
debate-Tillman is not a can
didate. We well remember when
L. W. Youmans challenged
Tillman to a joint debate, and
even tried to force it; Tillman de-
clined and gave as the reason, that
Youmans and himself were not
opposing each other for the same
Office, and when Youmans en-
deavored to force recognition
from Tillman, Hugh Farley and
John McLaurin made it so hot
for him that he was too busy
answering them to have any
time for Tillman. His refusal
on that occasion was not only
sensible, but exceedingly proper,
and just so will it be if McLaurin
refuses to have a joint debate
with Tillman who is fixed in
Office for six years, and cannot
be hurt matters not who gets the
best of an oratorical ''scrap,"
while Mel ,aurin is a candidate