The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-19
M'LAURIN'S SPEECH,
DEMOCRACY AS HE BELIEVES TT
SHOULD BE.
MUST FACE NEW CONDITIONS.
REVIVE THE VIGoR AND TRADI.
TIoNs OF THE PAST.

seeks is AejuvenatiOn of the Old
and He VIII Advocate This with
In Party Lines-The Former Indus
trial South and the New Revival.
The People of the south Must Fnce
Present Condittons-Great Inter-
national Questions should Not Be
Made Mere Pnrty Issues-He Dis
cusses and Condemns Late Depart
ures OF Democracy and Comments
Upon the Unhappy Political Con-
dition of the SOuth-PoIiticnI as
Wen ms Industrial Development
Needed,
Charlotte. N. c., April Ex-senator John
l.. McLaurin of South Carolina, declared
himself tonight He announced his plat
form and declared his position Ever
since voting for the confirmation of the
treaty of Paris, he has been more or less
censured at home. and his vote for the
shlp-subsidy bill raised a storm. Reso-
iutlons were introduced in the Legislature
condemning him; the press called on him
to resign, and the Executive COMMITTEES
has been urged by some to rule him out
of the Democratic primary. And during
all this time the Senator has not uttered
word. Tonight before the Manufac-
turers Club, he opened his campaign. He
declares he has come out of the old ruts:
and that the South must do the same
II she would take her place in the nation
In beginning his speech Senator McIau-
rim said
Personal Statement
Il desire tO mako q efa4ar,a,,+ - ......
what a personal nature before proceed
ing with the speech which 1 intend 10
deliver Tonight A certain newspaper cor
respondent in the city of Washington has
persistently spread the report that | was
coming to Charlotte to make a speech
which would launch a new party in the
South. The report is absurdly false. II
had any such intention, good taste would
prevent me from taking advantage of an
opportunity of this kind. am content to
advocate within Democratic lines the
policies which believe to be best for the
south, and when / can no longer do this
l am ready to retire TO private life.Y
Some Dreams Realized.
Senator McLaurin said:
." e"S 1OutH we are To-Day realizing
some Of the dreams of its far-seeing
statesmen and business men Of fifty years
ago. With prophetic eye. they saw the
Industrial and commercial possibilities of
our highly favored Southland.
with an advance of thought that is
really surprising, they suggested enter
prises Of wonderful magnitude for its M
building and commercial dominance. From
1888 to 1860, conventions were held to
voice the demands of a deep-seated pub
lie sentiment for industrial progress The
story OF these movements is chronicled in
a South Carolina publication, which, un-
der the name of Debows Review, did for
the South what the Manufacturers Re-
ccrd Is doing for the South of to-day.
The same spirit which enabled our IA
theirs to retire from the field of defeat
with nothing but their courage and their
characters. still lives in the Souh, and in
spires you to-day In your great under
taking
The plans of the great Southern busi-
ness men and statesmen of nifty years ago
are no longer idle dreams Postponed by
a cruel war, which destroyed our social
and Industrial system, and for years rem
dered cooperation in national undertake
ings almost impossible, such men as
meet here tonight are making these
dreams actual living realities.
"New south" Misnomer.
Talk about the New Southg' the name
Is a misnomer. 1t is the same old spirit
revived which sixty years ago made the
South the dominant power IN this nation
position OF which nothing but war
could have robbed her. What we need now
to again attain that proud eminence is
the same broad conception and the same
comprehensive grasp of the true
situation. The last twenty years have
wrought an Industrial revolution in the
South, which must find expression in our
social and political life.
The time is past for the discussion as
to whether this government is to be one
consolidated in It's structure or a loose
aggregation of (so-called) sovereign
states. The civil war settled that.
1t is useless to discuss the question Of
whether this is to be a purely theoretical
Democratic government or an expanding
and giant republic. The Spanish war set
tied that. Why not then accept condi-
tions as they are and make the most OF
them?
The agitation of such issues only
serves TO sidetrack broad American doc
trines and should not be made party ques-
ton, they grow out of actual political and
economic conditions. which It is beyond
the power of either party to change
care not Of what political faith the occu-
pant OF the White House might have
been; for II true American, mindful OF
the honor and dignity Of the nation, the
results OF the Spanish war would not be
widely different from what they are to-.
day.
why should the south BE blind
Why should our people be the only ones
10 close their eyes TO what is going on7l
Why should we move along IN the same
old ruts and insist that political policies
and old traditions, long since dead. are
vital living issues and depend upon them
for the salvation OF the South2
The triumphant recollection OF Mr.. Nc
Kinley IN the last campaign II fun OF
significance. II IL stubborn fact con-
fronting the Democratic party to-day.
suggestive Of repr0achful remembrances
and fearful menaces. What reflection
that this new Democracy did not carry a
state where the issues were discussed ana
judgment passed BY the people upon them
on their merits Of course with us n
hsse been impossible 10 decide elections
upon issues. n has been simply
question of white supremacy, n, the North
and the West dissolved into factions
tainted ~ fbe frrors of repupncanirm ana
flie io.lies ~ lepnNsm. the party eould
not NifhNfaDd the fiae " popular oDnaal
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